By: Dan Sokil

Negotiations between the Souderton Area Education Association and the district's school board broke down Friday, less than an hour after both parties sat down at the bargaining table.

Photo by Geoff Patton

"The board came in and did not want to talk about what was already on the table, they wanted to talk about items like what happens after a strike, make-up days, retroactive pay and other items," said SAEA spokesman Rob Broderick.

Friday's meeting was the first face-to-face encounter between the dueling parties since Souderton Area School District teachers went on strike Tuesday.

But the meeting did not last long.

"Despite the Souderton Area School Board's hope that negotiations would yield movement on a tentative agreement, negotiations between the school board and the SAEA were suspended a short time ago, when the union failed to counter the school board's most recent salary proposal," school board negotiator Jeffrey Sultanik said in a prepared statement.

A press release from the school district Friday afternoon stated that the school board's current salary proposal is for increases of 2.5 percent per year over three years.

Bill Lukridge, union president, said neither side agreed to modify their proposals nor change their positions at Friday's meeting.

"The district presented us a document that included technical work stoppage items added to it. We will review these items when we return to work," Lukridge said. "We are awaiting the next negotiating meetings date that will be set by the state mediator."

In addition to the post-strike items brought up Friday, both

sides apparently still disagree on sticking points such as salary increases and health-care costs.

"The mediator simply said today that there was no reason to continue negotiating," said Broderick. "I think it's clear the board is more interested in punishing teachers than in negotiating."

The last collective bargaining agreement between the SAEA and the school board expired on June 30. The last negotiation session between both sides before Friday had taken place Sept. 1.

On Aug. 28, the SAEA voted 448 to 17 in favor of striking. After no agreement was reached at negotiations held on Labor Day, a work stoppage began on Sept. 2.

As of press time Friday, no further negotiation dates had been scheduled by the state mediator.