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YOUNGSTOWN -- Labor talks between striking Youngstown City Schools teachers and school district administration stretched late into the evening Monday -- the holiday, coincidentally, established to recognize and honor the value of our nation's labor force.
As of late Monday, there was no immediate word of any tentative agreement as the strike enters its 14th day.
School district officials stated the district, through Treasurer Bryan Schiraldi, presented information on the budget deficit, the spending of its reserve funds, other neighboring School District raise benchmarks, the decline in enrollment measured against the teaching staff, and financial data from the State Labor Board.
"On Monday, the parties again met to negotiate the teacher transfer sections of the contract that the Union wants changed," school official said in a media release.
"The School Board presented its proposal it had been working on since nearly midnight Friday and over the weekend."
YEA spokesman Jim Courim said he was remaining hopeful, but those comments came hours after the teachers union had released a statement Monday morning accusing the board of education of engaging in "stall tactics."
The statement said that the situation was not simply that the board was giving YEA unacceptable proposals, but that the board had given YEA no proposals whatsoever.
A school district response fired off late Monday evening stated the school board "remains willing to work under the contract terms that have been in effect for over a decade while negotiating, the Union has rejected this approach. The School Board has offered ways to negotiate while school resumes."
The statement, sent by school district spokeswoman Stacy Quinones, accused the YEA of making "inaccurate accusations."
According to the school district's release, progress has been made in addressing teacher building transfers, but the issue of raises has not yet been agreed upon.
"After negotiating with the Union throughout the day on Friday, the school district team remained by itself in a work session until nearly midnight, working on both transfer and wage issues. The school district continued to work as a team Saturday on building information to present to the Union to bridge the gap on transfer and wage proposals," the school district stated.
In response to the Monday YEA press release and comments, Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor accused the union of spin tactics.
"My team continues to work around the clock. I had my team work until close to midnight on Friday. I asked my treasurer to prepare financial data to support our wage proposal on Saturday, and I asked the remainder of our team to continue to work on developing a proposal to meet the Union's demand of changing contract language that's been in effect for over a decade.
"Despite the holiday weekend, my team worked to have a financial presentation ready by Sunday that we presented to the Union and a new proposal on transfers ready by Monday that we then presented in the afternoon as scheduled," Batchelor said.
He added, "I want our scholars back in school, but I do not have the authority to end the strike as that is solely and 100% the option of the Union and not of my management team. I have been willing to work under the current terms of the contract while we continue to bargain with our kids back in school."
The statement said the board of education had indicated earlier in the weekend that they had proposals ready to present. The release said that the two parties scheduled six hours of negotiations on Sunday, but instead of a proposal the board was to have had prepared, the board presented the union with a PowerPoint presentation on district finances.
"This has been a disturbing pattern in this board's behavior," Courim said in the release. "Whenever they realize that their position is indefensible, they try to find ways to stall and prolong the situation."
YEA has been on strike since Aug. 23, when students were scheduled to begin the school year. The district delayed the start of school by two days and rolled out a remote learning plan Aug. 25.
Courim said the union membership believes some progress has been made. He said the YEA made an offer regarding promotions and transfers, and the board was expected to make a counter offer Friday.
The union's primary sticking point is language in the contract that originated under HB 70, which gave the chief executive officer of the district absolute power over negotiations and personnel decisions. The union argues that the district has twisted that language to extend the same power to Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor. They say they will not end the strike until that language is removed from the contract and insist that the board does have legal authority to remove it through collective bargaining.
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