VIDEO: Teachers Demonstrate for 2nd Time in Eight Days

Over 350 teachers gathered outside the 's Edison School headquarters Monday, for their second demonstration in eight days over a contract that expired nearly a year ago.

The Fair Lawn Education Association's (FLEA) representatives and several Board of Education members were scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Monday night with an outside third party, for the first session in a fact-finding process that follows failed contract negotiations and mediation.

FLEA also organized a demonstration for a new contract outside on May 2. Teachers' previous labor agreement expired on June 30, 2010.

"Right now we're just looking to come to a fair agreement with the Board of Education, and what has gone back and forth so far, we don't think is fair," said FLEA Treasurer Dawn Ebner, who added that the union could not discuss its specific contract demands while negotiatons are ongoing.

Teachers held signs reading "300+ days and counting," "no teacher left behind," and "If you can read this, thank a teacher," among others. Demonstrators took laps around the front of the Fair Lawn Avenue building's parking lot beginning slightly before 6 p.m. As of 6:15 p.m., there were more than 300 participating teachers, a total that later surpassed 350.

Superintendent Bruce Watson said that "under collective bargaining, [teachers] have the right to demonstrate and voice their opinion." However, he noted hat "technically, they have a contract," because under state regulations, if teachers do not have a new contract in place on an old contract's expiration date, the old contract moves forward and "you continue working under those terms."

If unsuccessful, the fact-finding process will lead to arbitration, Watson said.

Watson said it is his experience that the third-party fact finder listens to both sides during an initial meeting and makes a recommendation at a future meeting.

"It's the process that is outlined by statute, and both sides are following it," said Watson, who added that Fair Lawn schools have been functioning as they normally would throughout the process.

As far as teachers' ability to work with students during contract negotiations, "there is no change there," Ebner said. However, she said the expired contract puts "added stress upon the teachers as well as our ancillary and paraprofessionals."

"This makes it just a trying situation because it's always something in the back of our mind, 'when are we going to settle, when is something going to happen,' which is really the difficulty involved," Ebner said.