Neshaminy Board President: NFT Has Until Noon Saturday To Confirm Resuming Work On Jan. 17

The Neshaminy Federation of Teachers has until 12 p.m. Saturday to confirm resuming work on Jan. 17, according to an open letter sent to Patch by Neshaminy School Board President Ritchie Webb.

Webb's letter was in response to the NFT's offer to conditionally end the

In a letter to Webb, NFT President Louise Boyd said that the union was advised that the board is willing to "engage in around-the-clock negotiations if the NFT is willing to immediately end its strike."  

However, on Friday afternoon Webb responded to Boyd with the following letter: 

Dear Ms. Boyd:

I am writing in response to your letter to me dated today concerning the NFT’s "offer to terminate strike". Initially let me note that while the District did indeed express a willingness to return to the bargaining table as soon as the NFT ends its strike, the District did not commit to "round-the-clock" negotiations. Nevertheless, that original commitment to meet as soon as the strike ends remains, independent of the proposal in your letter. Whether those talks would turn into "24/7" negotiations would depend on various factors, not the least of which would be how productive they became. There would be no reason, from the District’s perspective to meet like that if the negotiations were not productive.

Now, I would like to turn to your proposal concerning voluntary final and binding arbitration. Act 88, as I am sure you are aware, addresses the issue of voluntary arbitration in section 11-1125-A.  Specifically, subsection (a)  of that section provides that either party may request arbitration. Upon such a request the other party, the District in this case, has up to 10 days to consider the request for final binding arbitration. Of greater significance is that subsection (a) also provides that no strike shall occur during the 10-day period or until a response is provided that the District refuses to submit to arbitration. This prohibition against the continuation of your strike is reinforced in section 11-1131-A(1) of Act 88.

In view of the above, the District assumes that the staff will return to work starting Tuesday, January 17, 2012 for a normal day of work and will continue working pending the District’s consideration of your request. Please confirm your intent to report for work on January 17, 2012 by 12 noon on Saturday so the District can start announcing to the community that school will be back in session on Tuesday. If I do not hear from you by that time the District will have to assume that the NFT intends to continue a strike which from that date forward violates Act 88. The District will consider your request for arbitration in accordance with Act 88 and will advise you of its decision in due course.

Sincerely,

Ritchie Webb

Neshaminy School Board President