In early March, MEA notified Methacton School District that they were implementing the 'work to rule' provision of their contract, which is more a display of solidarity and a small scaleback in their participation of noncontractual obligations than a threat, but still, it moves MEA one step closer to going on strike.
With only 48 hours' notice to the school district, MEA's leadership could choose to strike, since members of the teachers' association recently voted to permit their leadership to initiate a work stoppage at will.
Since negotiations have been ongoing since 2008 and the teachers have been without a contract since June 2009, I have to wonder at what point MEA, frustrated with the lack of progress, will flex their muscle and go out on strike, using whatever leverage they have - imminent June graduation comes to mind as one potential chip - to move negotiations forward.
The school district's website indicates that negotiations are still ongoing and progress is being made, and the next negotiating session is scheduled for May 3.
Unfortunately for MEA, the timing could not be worse to be in the midst of contract negotiations.
The Methacton School Board finance committee recently reviewed a list of 27 proposed budget cuts totaling $1,102,359 from the fiscal 2010 preliminary budget. The $1.1 million in cuts will maintain the budget’s millage increase at 1.55 mills to 25.79 mills, a 6.4 percent real estate tax increase. The millage increase will boost the average homeowner’s tax bill by $272.71 to $4,537.54 based on an average assessment of $175,942.
That's if their labor costs stay the same, which they certainly won't (or else any strike will be endless). And that's if they actually make all those budget cuts - which some people are already screaming about, such as proposed elimination of the T1 program or closing the swimming pool at the high school - or substitute any of those items on the list that are spared with something else of equal savings.
The proposed fiscal 2010 cuts come on the heels of last year's budget, in which measures other than spending reductions were taken in order to keep the budget trim. Other revenue sources, including a transfer of $1.1 million from the capital reserve fund, reduced the original proposed 6.7% tax increase to 3.92%. The small percentage of our school budget that comes from state and federal subsidies will surely be even smaller going forward as those sources are already strained and experiencing shortfalls in funding to provide their critical services.
Obviously, we can't transfer money from the reserve fund every year. And MEA's members are likely to be unwilling to settle for the kinds of reduced or eliminated pay raises and benefit contributions that those of us still fortunate enough to be working full time have had to
accept in a poor labor market.
So far, the war paint is on, but no one has raised a tomahawk just yet. At some point, however, the rubber will have to meet the road, and it may not be pretty when it does.
