O’Neil, Girard trade barbs over Manchester teacher negotiations

 

That same board gave us $2.5 million to settle contracts with about 2,000 employees.  That number actually reflects the application of the tax cap to our salary and associated payroll lines.  Had that been done with the police contract, the amount needed from contingency would have been roughly half of what was taken.

 

Alderman O’Neil, as chairman of the Special Committee on Negotiations, I invite you to forward any suggestions on how we can address the financial discrepancy between the BMA’s funding of the police contract and the school district’s contracts.  I would further ask that you use your clout with the unions to get them to the table rather than continue with their current conduct which seems to be to hold out in the hopes the state will provide the city or district with more school funding that could be used to give them bigger raises.

 

Regards,

 

 

I dont have the answers other than we reached deals with the city unions working with in the tax cap. My email was not about the police contracts but about our teachers, etc… The school district asked for $2.5m to settle contracts and that is what the BMA was able to pass and send to the district. Now it is not enough money. 

 

All the best !

 

Dan 

 

I was merely pointing out the discrepancy in the availability of funding and noting the difference.  If the cap percentage was applied to the police payroll, the raises given would have been much smaller.  That the Board of Mayor and Aldermen decided to take from other areas of the budget to support a raise that is more than double what applying the cap would provide is its choice.  We, on the school board, do not have that ability and, therefore, cannot make that choice.  Our folks can do math and have often presented salary demands that equal the percentages given to the police, among others.  That is why the teachers have publicly said they’re awaiting the outcome of the state budget battle, hoping they can ask for more than what we’ve offered.  While I appreciate your sense of urgency, it is of little help without some idea as to how those who believe they’re being given short shrift to bargain within the constraints we are bound by.  If anything strikes you, feel free to let me know.

 

Thank you for your reply.

 

Best,