Wyckoff teachers' union claims school officials violated labor practices
WYCKOFF SUBURBAN NEWS
OF SUBURBAN NEWS
Wyckoff — The Wyckoff Education Association last week filed an unfair labor practices charge against the Board of Education, as well as former president Daniel Moynihan, claiming they violated labor law prohibiting direct negotiations with teachers’ union members.
Beginning March 24, Moynihan reached out to teachers’ union president Kathy Bowers to assess the willingness of union members to either accept a pay freeze, a reduction in a scheduled pay hike of 4.4 percent, or begin contributing 1.5 percent of their salaries toward health benefits.
Although Bowers had previously indicated in an interview with Suburban News that the union was "open to conversation" with the school board on ways to reduce expenditures, she expressed an unwillingness to put the matter to a membership vote in a follow-up e-mail to Moynihan that was obtained by Suburban News.
"I am not sure if that will help or hinder the cause," Bowers said in an e-mail to Moynihan dated March 30.
Among the concerns she cited in the e-mail were appearing to bow to Governor Christie’s call for union concessions and a possible backlash by the community if the union voted against contractual changes.
Moynihan repeated his inquiry about possible concessions by the union in an e-mail on April 7 and again on April 22, two days after voters rejected the district’s $32 million tax levy.
Moynihan asked the union to hold a vote on the concessions to ascertain where membership stood. He indicated that based on a small, informal poll he conducted of teachers, he believed "many may be willing to open the contract and help the district."
The next day, Moynihan e-mailed all union members through the internal e-mail system for district
Beginning March 24, Moynihan reached out to teachers’ union president Kathy Bowers to assess the willingness of union members to either accept a pay freeze, a reduction in a scheduled pay hike of 4.4 percent, or begin contributing 1.5 percent of their salaries toward health benefits.
Although Bowers had previously indicated in an interview with Suburban News that the union was "open to conversation" with the school board on ways to reduce expenditures, she expressed an unwillingness to put the matter to a membership vote in a follow-up e-mail to Moynihan that was obtained by Suburban News.
"I am not sure if that will help or hinder the cause," Bowers said in an e-mail to Moynihan dated March 30.
Among the concerns she cited in the e-mail were appearing to bow to Governor Christie’s call for union concessions and a possible backlash by the community if the union voted against contractual changes.
Moynihan repeated his inquiry about possible concessions by the union in an e-mail on April 7 and again on April 22, two days after voters rejected the district’s $32 million tax levy.
Moynihan asked the union to hold a vote on the concessions to ascertain where membership stood. He indicated that based on a small, informal poll he conducted of teachers, he believed "many may be willing to open the contract and help the district."
The next day, Moynihan e-mailed all union members through the internal e-mail system for district