Ringgold teachers begin picketing
Ringgold teachers began walking the picket line in front of Ringgold High School at 7 a.m. Wednesday. Members of the Ringgold Education Association said they are anxious to continue talks in the hopes settling a new contract.
Mark Soroka
Ringgold High School teachers are shown in Monongahela on the first day of a strike after unsuccessful contract talks. Until Wednesday morning, Ringgold’s 200 teachers had been working under an expired contract since July 1.
MONONGAHELA — Contract negotiations were at a stalemate as Ringgold teachers began their strike Wednesday morning.
Talks broke down on Tuesday, despite a last-minute effort by an independent mediator to work out an agreement between the Ringgold Education Association and Ringgold School District.
Classes have been cancelled for students at all four of the district’s schools, with the exception of interim instructional classes for students enrolled in the Mon Valley Career and Technical Center. Approximately 200 Ringgold teachers are participating in the walkout.
According to Maria Degnan, president of the Ringgold Education Association, the district has not countered the union’s latest proposal.
“Salary and health care are the biggest sticking points, but there are also several open language issues that the district hasn’t responded to,” said Degnan. “The district didn’t offer us anything yesterday so the proposal of the Ringgold Education Association is all we have at the moment.”
Although the next negotiation session won’t take place until Oct. 23, Degnan said the association is willing to resume talks before that date.
“Our teachers are in good spirits today,” Degnan said Wednesday. “They’re hoping we can get together with the district soon to work out a fair contract.”
School Board President William Stein Jr. stated Wednesday that he believes a contract will be worked out.
“The next negotiation is scheduled for the 23rd and then again on the 1st. The primary issues are of course healthcare and salary. Although the union did submit a proposed salary schedule yesterday, it was in fact slightly more in total than their previous position as outlined in the fact finders report,” he said. “The district is in the process of analyzing it and is preparing a proposal for the meeting on the 23rd.
“These are complex negotiations because of the salary step schedule that was developed several contracts ago,” Stein continued. “As it is, we wouldn’t even be allowed by law to raise taxes high enough to pay for what the teachers have asked for. That being said, we remain committed to arriving at a contract that is equitable for all parties — most importantly, the taxpayers of Ringgold.”
Ringgold’s home football game against New Castle on Oct. 20 will still be played, district officials said. Other varsity athletic events will also still proceed on schedule.
In addition, the regular monthly meeting of the school board has been moved back from Oct. 18 to Oct. 25.