Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

DALLAS TWP. — The Dallas Education Association changed a proposed strike date from Feb. 27 to March 24, union President Michael Cherinka said on Wednesday.

However, an attorney for the Dallas School District said under state law the union cannot stop work again.

“There are no days left to strike,” said Vito DeLuca, an attorney representing the school board. “But I would not put it past them.”

The dispute dates back to last year when the union began a strike Nov. 14.

Under state law, teachers can strike twice in one school year. The first strike must end in time for the district to complete 180 days of school by June 15, while a second strike must end in time to complete 180 days by June 30. Once a strike starts, the state Department of Education calculates how long it can continue before teachers must return to class.

Once the Nov. 14 strike began, the state Department of Education issued a return date of Dec. 13. The teachers did not return to work until Dec. 19, however. Union leaders claim the school board changed the school calendar when it announced it would honor the scheduled holiday break from Dec. 23 to Jan. 2.

‘Insulting’

The announcement of the new March strike date came a day after union representatives walked out of a negotiation session after reviewing a contract counter-offer from the school board.

“It was a terrible, regressive proposal,” said attorney John Holland, the union’s chief negotiator.

DeLuca said the district’s counter-proposal contained a $20 per-employee, biweekly health care contribution. He said the fee would not be applied to family members who are covered under the employee’s health plan.

DeLuca would not divulge any further details about the district’s proposal.

“They walked out and called the offer insulting,” DeLuca said.

The stalemate follows a negotiation session last week where the union presented the school board with a new proposal to redesign the faculty’s health plan, which included a co-pay increase, Cherinka said.

“It offered the district a savings,” said the union leader.

“Cost-shifting of health care premiums does not save money,” Holland added. “Co-pays and plan design are where you save money.”

However, DeLuca said the union’s offer would require losing some academic programs, which is something the school board is not willing to do.

Cherinka said the union has another negotiation meeting with school board members scheduled for March 6.

Dallas teachers have worked without a contract since August 2015. The school board started negotiating with the union in 2014.

Cherinka hopes by rescheduling the strike both sides can “get back to having positive conversations” and make progress to resolve the outstanding issues, mainly salaries and health care.

For other local news stories, click here.

https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_pencil-1209544_960_720-9.jpg.optimal.jpg

Dallas School District teachers hit the picket line on Nov. 14 and may do so again on March 24, pending the outcome of ongoing negotiations.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL-11152016-Dalllas-strike-2-8.jpg.optimal.jpgDallas School District teachers hit the picket line on Nov. 14 and may do so again on March 24, pending the outcome of ongoing negotiations. File photo

By Eileen Godin

[email protected]

Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews