SALEM Arbiters will assist with schools contracts

Both unions have been working for weeks under the terms of their expired contracts.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- After months of labor talks that have produced some progress but no final agreements, the city school district and its employee unions are seeking the aid of federal mediators.
Impasses were declared in the separate negotiations between the district and unions representing teaching and nonteaching employees, schools Superintendent Dr. David Brobeck said Thursday.
Negotiations with the Salem Education Association, representing about 160 teachers, began in April. Their contract expired Aug. 31.
Bargaining with the Ohio Association of Public School Employees Local 215, representing about 95 bus drivers, cooks, janitors and other employees, began in May. Their contract expired June 30.
Negotiations have produced some tentative agreements. Talks with the nonteaching employees have been narrowed to wage and insurance issues, Brobeck said without elaborating.
He wouldn't provide details on the status of bargaining with teachers, other than to say, "We haven't even gotten to wages and benefits."
Federal service
To help move talks toward final contract settlements, the sides are seeking the assistance of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
A mediation session pertaining to the nonteaching employees' contract is set for Oct. 23.
A session for the teachers' contract has yet to be scheduled. But one is expected to be held soon, Brobeck said.
It's unclear whether one or two mediators will be assigned to the district, Brobeck said.
Strike question
As to whether the district is headed toward a strike, Brobeck said, "I have no reason to believe that's going to happen."
The district also said Thursday that it had altered its health-insurance plan for administrators and nonunion employees, a group of 27 people.
Starting later this year, those individuals will be covered by a managed health-insurance plan that offers savings through the use of a network of health-care professionals.
Right now, the district spends about $341,273 annually to provide health insurance to that group. Switching to managed care will reduce the cost by about $51,273, Brobeck said.
He wouldn't say whether district negotiators in the labor talks are pressing for unions to convert to a managed-care plan as well.