More than 100 Hamburg Area teachers gathered in the hallway outside of the James A. Gilmartin Community Room prior to the school directors meeting on Nov. 10.
As many teachers as the meeting room would allow quietly filed into the room, wearing orange t-shirts with the words “Fair Contract HAEA” written on the front.
The teachers in the Hamburg Area Education Association have been without a contract since July 1.
Jeffry Bryan, chief negotiator and president of the 175-member teachers association, said before the meeting that “we need something fair and equitable.”
“There have been proposals on both sides, but nothing that we felt was fair,” Bryan said. “We have a very dedicated professional staff who are invested in the community. We are working very hard because we want the kids to be successful in the classroom.”
“We’ve earned the right to a fair contract.”
The expired contract was for three years, but ended up including a fourth year, according to Bryan.
The teachers agreed to a half-year pay freeze and reached an agreement with school directors to extend the deal for a full year.
“Early bird negotiations began in the fall of 2013 and we’ve met multiple times,” Bryan said. “The negotiations have been amicable, but we need the process to move forward.”
Bryan would not get into specific issues in the negotiations.
Currently teachers are working under the terms of the previous contract.
During the meeting Bryan addressed school directors.
“We can all agree that a good education is the key to a successful life,” Bryan said. “We provide that education to these children in this community.”
“We are asking you to work with us to bring this to a reasonable agreement,” he continued
After he finished speaking to the school directors, Bryan and the teachers left the meeting.
After the meeting Business Manager Michele Zimmerman had no comment on the negotiations, saying that there are no negotiations planned at this time.
The next meeting of school directors is Monday, Nov. 24 at 6:30 p.m.
