Approximately 180 Saucon Valley Education Association members met Wednesday and voted 2-1 in favor of a strike authorization, chief negotiator Rich Simononis said in a news release that was headlined “Rank and File Members Speak.”
The teachers also “overwhelmingly” voted down a Feb. 26 “bottom line” contract proposal from the school board, Simononis said, although that vote was symbolic since the board narrowly voted Tuesday not to extend a deadline to accept the offer.
Simononis said Wednesday’s strike authorization vote means a strike is now “possible” and proves that more dialogue is needed between the two sides.
“We want to meet face to face to bargain hash this out,” he said.
He criticized the school board for playing “bargaining games” and “(wasting) taxpayer money.”
And he said members acknowledge that the last school board proposal “had some positives, but there are some crucial items that need to be discussed. For example, retiree healthcare, graduate credits and salary scale movement. Once again, we are optimistic that with dialogue we could move this process along.”
“SVEA has reached out again to state mediator John Healy, asking to bring both sides back to the table,” Simononis added. “It is the only logical way to sort this out.”
The vote to authorize a possible strike escalates an already tense labor situation in the school district, which has a recent history of teacher strikes.
Saucon Valley teachers last went on strike in the fall of 2009, when they picketed for 12 days. Teachers also struck for shorter periods in 2008 and 2005.
Saucon teachers have been working without a contract for nearly three years, and negotiating a new one for more than three years.