East Palestine board threatens action if teachers picket meeting

By Virginia Ross

The teachers have been without a contract since June 30.

EAST PALESTINE — The school board has announced plans to immediately file an unfair labor practice charge against district teachers if they picket as planned during a board of education meeting scheduled for Monday.

In a prepared statement issued Thursday, schools Superintendent Tom Inchak reported that on Tuesday the East Palestine Education Association gave notice of its intent to picket at the East Palestine City School District during Monday’s board meeting.

Inchak said the picketing is illegal because it does not provide the 10-day advance notice required by Ohio law, and any picketing by the union Monday would not only result in the immediate filing of an unfair labor practice charge by the school board but also would “demonstrate the willingness of the EPEA leadership to violate the law in an attempt to achieve their financial goals.”

Greg Aker, a spokesman for the union, said the union had filed the necessary paperwork in plenty of time for picketing to legally take place this past Monday and today.

He said teachers chose Monday to picket because the school board typically meets the first Monday of each month. Scheduling conflicts, however, caused the board to postpone the Monday session.

Aker said the teachers learned of the meeting change on Monday and filed additional paperwork Tuesday to picket this coming Monday, knowing they would be short the required 10-day picketing notice.

“We plan to be there on Monday, peacefully, to get our point across,” Aker said. “We tried to get all of our paperwork done correctly and in order, but simply did not receive enough notice as to when the next board meeting would be held. The day after we learned of the actual date, we filed our paperwork.”

Aker said the teachers had also planned to picket today, but decided against it when they realized it was homecoming.

Earlier this week, during a demonstration at the city park, union representatives urged more than 100 community members to pressure the board of education into offering the teachers a “fair and equitable contract” to prevent a strike. The union represents 81 teachers who have been working without a contract since June 30.

Last week the union issued a press release stating that if significant progress toward a new contract is not achieved at the next bargaining session, the association will issue a 10-day strike notice. Federal mediator Mike Franczak has scheduled that session for Tuesday.

Inchak has said that if teachers strike, the district will fill their places with qualified substitutes.

Inchak’s statement Thursday also said, “As I see it , the purpose of the illegal picketing is to put pressure on the board to give in to demands the teachers’ association claim are ‘fair and equitable.’ However, the financial demands the EPEA are making on the district are not realistic. The cost of operating a school district continues to increase,” citing rising insurance premiums.

Monday’s board meeting is set to begin at 6 p.m. Aker said the teachers plan to strike at 5:30 p.m. and then proceed into the meeting when it begins. Inchak said anyone wishing to speak at a board meeting must contact him by noon five days before the session.