A hearing to determine whether Saucon teachers engaged in regressive bargaining during contract negotiations was held before a Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board officer in Harrisburg Monday, and media outlets from the Lehigh Valley were there to cover it.
The Morning Call reported that hearing officer Jack Marino compared the dispute between the district and the Saucon Valley Education Association to a bad marriage, with the difference being that neither side can ask for a divorce.
The newspaper said Marino questioned the usefulness of a hearing at this point– after nearly three years of unsuccessful negotiations, and with both sides far apart in terms of their proposals–and also reported that the possible future salaries of union leaders Theresa Andreucci and Rich Simononis were compared by district business manager David Bonenberger under different proposals
The central issue before Marino is whether teachers violated fair labor practices by submitting a less favorable proposal than one that was being negotiated earlier on.
The Express-Times reported that five hours of testimony was slowed by frequent objections from both sides’ legal counsel, frustrating Marino.
The hearing officer also said that due to a major backlog of cases, it could take several years for a decision to be handed down, the Easton newspaper reported.
A continuation of today’s hearing before Marino is scheduled for Dec. 17 at 10 a.m.
