UPDATED: Mediation Suspended Between Teachers Union and District 180

UPDATED: 5:59 a.m on April 27

At 4 p.m. Thursday, school board and teachers union representatives sat down for a fifth mediation session in the ongoing negotiations for a new teachers contract.

Three hours later, the school board suspended mediation. Superintendent Tom Schneider said the reason was because teacher union leaders rejected items that had been agreed upon previously.

"We dropped the one concern that we had at their request, and they still rejected the offer without a counter," said Schneider. "At that time it became clear that the teachers union leaders had no interest in reaching a settlement."

The item Schneider is referring to is a line item that said retirement incentives could be removed in subsequent contracts.

Teachers union leaders told The Doings the reason mediation ended early was  because the superintendent "walked away."

"Recently, 94 percent of the union members voted that they have NO confidence in Dr. Tom Schneider’s ability to settle this contract," said the union in a statement released Thursday night.

The board presented a three-item package proposal to the teachers union Thursday night.

"The board in an effort to reach resolution took three items agreed to—some going back over nine months— and put them in one package proposal ... These are things that had been exchanged previously, and we both agreed to," said Schneider.

Union leaders disagreed that the conditions had been previously agreed upon.

The school board's package proposal, which needed to be accepted or rejected in its entirety, included the following three items:

1. District insurance contribution would increase by 10 percent annually. Association would agree to drop “substantially similar” language request
2. Contract would maintain current retirement language
3. Contract would be a four-year contract.

The school board released the following media announcement shortly after the suspension of negotiations

"At the April 26th teacher contract negotiations, the CCSD 180 Board of Education, with the assistance of a federal mediator, submitted a package proposal that contained only items upon which the parties had previously agreed. The Board of Education was hopeful that a package containing only those items which had been agreed upon for months would elicit a much needed breakthrough in the negotiations.  

Unfortunately, the teacher’s association refused to accept this agreement, and chose not to provide a counter proposal.  The Board of Education believes that this action demonstrates that the teachers are not committed to reaching an agreement on the contract and have been insincere in their approach to negotiations. As a result, the Board of Education suspended the mediation session."

Schneider said he was not sure at this point whether there would be another mediation session. after the third failed attempt at mediation. Further discussion is expected at the school board's meeting on Monday.

To read the latest offers from both sides, click here.

*Editor's Note: Emails and phone calls to Lynn Moynihan, union president of the Teachers Organization of Palisades, were not returned in time by the time this article was orginally published at 8:34 p.m., April 26. Patch updated the story with comment from a statement released by the teachers union after it was received.

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