SCHENECTADY SFT appeals Kramer ruling on arbitration BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter
An ongoing labor dispute over whether the Schenectady City School District can require teachers to attend special information nights is entering another round. The Schenectady Federation of Teachers has appealed a lower court decision that had blocked its attempts to go to arbitration over an issue that arose late last year. Four teachers from the union had filed a grievance last November after they were required to attend a parent information night on Nov. 5 about state testing. The meeting had initially been voluntary but it was later changed to be mandatory. The union claimed that this meeting violated the contract, arguing that it did not fit the definition of a meeting the school can make mandatory. The union was seeking an hour’s daily pay for attending this meeting. The Schenectady City School District had filed a motion to stay the arbitration on the grounds that the union had not exhausted the process for resolving grievances. The district had sought more information on who were the aggrieved parties. A hearing was held on June 6. Acting Supreme Court Justice Barry D. Kramer ruled on July 23 in favor of the district on the grounds that only four people had filed the grievance. He said if more people wish to be a part of this union action, then an amended grievance should be filed. New York State United Teachers attorney James Sandner, who is representing the Schenectady union, said the main issue is that the contract calls for disputes to be resolved through arbitration. “We’re trying to protect the agreement that the school district made,” he said. No hearing date has been set. Schenectady Federation of Teachers President Juliet Benaquisto said previously that the grievance was not because teachers do not want to meet with parents. Rather, they want to make sure the district adheres to the contract. Superintendent Eric Ely said the district was simply looking for information about the aggrieved parties. “The main issue is the idea of whether or not the teachers can file a class action grievance without giving us the names of the people involved in the grievance. They refused to give us the names,” he said. Ely said the district believes strongly about the meetings. “We need to engage our parents. The way you do that is to bring parents to meet with teachers,” he said.
Don't like this? Just remember that Mr. Obama, when and if he becomes President, wants to make sure that you have a specific number of hours of volunteering / community service before you go to college (probably out of the pocket of the taxpayer).
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