Mars Area teachers to return to class as usual while contract deadlock continues
ADAMS TWP — Mars Area School District’s ongoing deadlock in contract negotiations with the Mars Area Education Association could be resolved over the next few weeks. In the meantime, teachers will be returning to work when school starts Tuesday, Aug. 25.
A hearing with a third-party fact-finder is scheduled Wednesday and the union cannot strike until after the fact-finding process is finished, a process that could take until September.
“We’re going to be there,” Greg Wilson, eighth-grade language arts teacher for the district said. “We’re going to be at work as usual.”
“We’re trying to keep it as normal as possible,” Meckler concurred.
John Kennedy, school board president, said that while he is uncertain the contract dispute will be solved in time for the start of school year, both the parties involved are working together to get it resolved.
During the hearing, the union will present its side, Hollie Meckler, president of the Mars Area Education Association, said. The fact finder overseeing the case is tasked with preparing what they believe to be a fair resolution based on the information that’s presented, she said.
The process typically takes several days, Meckler said. She said the fact finder report is expected to be complete by the end of August.
“After the report comes out, each side will have some time to review that report and vote,” said Meckler.
If both the school board and the union agree to the report’s findings, then a contract can be drawn up. If the mutual vote is unsuccessful, then negotiations will continue, said Meckler. The votes would likely take place early in September.
Until the vote takes place, teachers will return to their work as per usual. In fact, teachers are not permitted to strike during the fact-finding period, Wilson said
Several teachers said, while the chances of a potential strike are currently unknown, they are not zero, and ultimately depend upon how the agreement vote goes.
Meckler said the hope is to resolve the conflict before the matter escalates beyond a deadlock to an actual strike.
“We certainly don't want it to come to a strike,” said Meckler. “Our goal is to not disrupt any of the processes that we're all very familiar with.
“We value our children that we serve and our families from the community. They've been good to us and we always appreciate their support.”
The school board and the union have not had a meeting since the fact finder was assigned, said Meckler.
Prior to the school board meeting Tuesday, union members and some parents once again assembled outside the district building to rally. Previously, the teachers’ union had also held rallies on July 28 and Aug. 11.
At the meeting, three public comments were made by parents in support of teachers.
The contract dispute between the two sides commenced after the previous contract expired on June 30.
Issues between the district and the MAEA’s negotiating teams include what annual salary increases, health insurance coverage and the length of the overall contract should look like.
At the end of the meeting, the school board added a previously tabled matter of purchasing a district owned police car for additional security to the meeting’s agenda and approved the purchase.
