HERMITAGE, PA. School board approves extension of contract during negotiations

The two sides haven't had a bargaining session since early June.
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- The contract expired June 30, but the Hermitage School Board and its support staff have agreed to extend its terms while they negotiate a new agreement.
The Hermitage Educational Support Staff Association sent the board a letter in July offering to continue to work under terms of their old four-year agreement while bargaining continues.
The union represents about 100 aides, maintenance and cafeteria workers.
The issue came up at Monday's school board meeting in the form of a motion approving the extension.
Tim Ruffo, board vice president, said the two sides haven't had a meeting since early June, and the union was to contact the board for another session. That hasn't happened, he said.
Ruffo proposed that the board send HESPA a letter giving the union a specified time in which it must resume talks or the extension would be discontinued.
"No," said Duane Piccirilli, board president.
"We can't do that," added board member Matthew DeJulia.
Piccirilli immediately called for an executive session to discuss the contract issue and the board left the room.
It came back about 15 minutes later and voted to approve the contract extension in an 8-1 vote without any further discussion. School director James Lumpp cast the dissenting vote.
"They [HESPA] haven't been negotiating at all," Lumpp said later.
Superintendent Karen Ionta said later that vacations and other problems have delayed the resumption of talks. The two sides had about 10 meetings beginning in January, she said.
Piccirilli said the union has indicated it wants to resume negotiations.