Mahwah Teachers Union, Board Of Ed. Meeting With State Negotiator Regarding New Contract

MAHWAH, N.J. — Representatives from the teachers union and district officials will meet with a state-appointed negotiator later on this month to try and resolve a contract dispute that has dragged on for more than 500 days.

Both sides will meet with a state-appointed super conciliator Jan. 17. The meeting comes after both sides met with a state-appointed fact-finder, who provided a list of recommendations in October on how best to proceed — recommendations Board of Education President Kim Barron said their side agreed with.

Health insurance and salary increases continue to be a sticking point of both sides, Barron said.

RELATED: Unresolved Contract Issues Loom Over Mahwah District Days Before School Starts

Under the terms of the previous contract, Mahwah Education Association members pay for 22 percent of their health insurance coverage and the district pays the remaining 78 percent. Those terms remain in effect until a new contract is approved. The union wants to move to a new coverage tier, while the district wants to remain at the current one. Barron said union members have a choice of about 20 health insurance plans. The fact-finder recommended the district's proposal and not moving to another tier.

The MEA wants annual salary increases of 3 percent each year for the next three years, while the board wants increases of 2.75, 2.9 and 2.9 percent. The fact-finder recommended increases of 2.9, 3, and 3.1 percent. All salary increases would be retroactive to July 1, 2015, the date the new contract was to go into effect.

Mahwah's situation is somewhat similar to one that occurred in Ridgewood last year. That contract dispute lasted for more than 450 days and revolved around the same issues as Mahwah's. It ended in October.

The Ridgewood deal will bring that district's budget to about $2.5 million over the state’s mandated 2-percent increase cap, resulting in cuts to instructional and extracurricular programs and, most likely, staff.

"We're trying to avoid what happened in Ridgewood," Barron said.

MEA President Suzanne Dorsa said the union is "hopeful for a mutually agreeable settlement."

"[The] membership is very frustrated that an agreement has not been reached," Dorsa said.

But Barron said the MEA has not contacted them recently, which is causing an impasse to occur in the negotiation process.

"It's been difficult because you can't negotiate with yourself so we've been at a standstill," Barron said. "The Board of Education really does appreciate our teachers and the lack of a new contract does not mean we don't care about them. We're all trying to work toward a common goal."

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