Education Association of Passaic, NJ

The PERC Mediation session between the Board and EAP was held on August 2, 2006 with PERC's Chief Mediator, Mr. Richard Gwin. A tentative Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Board's Negotiations Team: President Capuana, Chairperson Alex Ybarra and Carlos Sinnung, and the EAP Negotiations Team: DAL's Sunnie Allen, Joe Becker, Robert Sperlazzi, Vice President George Illenye and President Steve Boudalis.

The terms and conditions for changes in the 2005-2006 salary guides shall allow for retroactive payments to EAP members for the 2005-2006 school year. EAP members' salaries may be determined using the salary guides. EAP employee members shall move to the next step on the salary guide for the 2006-2007 school year. Retroactive payments shall be made as quickly as practicable by the BOE business office following ratification of the MOA by the Board and the EAP membership.

Many vital and important issues remain to be addressed. General membership meetings shall be held at the Passaic High Auditorium

EAP General Membership Informational Meetings to be held on Thursday, September 7, 2006 and Friday, September 8, 2006 in the Passaic High School Auditorium at 3:30 PM.

The general membership of EAP shall vote on the ratification for the terms and conditions of the contract settlement by secret ballot on Monday morning in the schools. The September 11, 2006 vote shall be conducted by the EAP Elections Committee according to the EAP Constitution and By-Laws.

Voting is held in the schools. Any member arriving after balloting is conducted is permitted to vote by reporting to the EAP Elections Committee after the close of school.

Please see the salary guides for the base year of 2004-2005, and the settlement year of 2005-2006, and other terms and conditions that are affected for the new contract for the year of 2005-2006. The Board and EAP have agreed to continue in negotiations to work toward completion of a successor three year agreement.

Steve Boudalis, President

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April 21, 2006

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Mediation / Negotiations

The PERC Mediation session scheduled for April 10, 2006 was cancelled. The next Board and EAP mediation is being scheduled between the parties with PERC'S Chief Mediator, Mr. Richard Gwin.

EAP Constitution

The EAP Representative Council has approved amendments to the EAP Constitution. The amendments can be found on the left side of our webpage under the Main Menu. The content of the constitution confers authority to the association governance. The current language provides for amendments to be distributed to the members ten days in advance of any election on approval of constitution of amendments. Please disregard the earlier proof edition of constitutional amendments. The wrong file was mistakenly copied in my haste to get the constitutional question on the ballot for the election being conducted by American Arbitration Association next week.

Association Health and Integrity

Over the course of the last decade our association has grown considerably from about one thousand to over sixteen hundred members. The present EAP Constitution provides for elections every year. The continuous running for offices by executive members undermines a cohesive Executive Committee. Ideas are being drafted for consideration for next year in the next constitution revision to include ways to provide for officers and DAL'S working together once elected to office.

Please read the present amendments and be prepared to vote in an election to be held in the schools in the month of May 2006.

Written By Steve Boudalis

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- March 25, 2006

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NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE

The Board and the E.A.P. Negotiations Teams met last night at the Board of Education. Present for E.A.P. was Sunnie Allen, Joe Becker, George Illenye and Steve Boudalis. Joining E.A.P. was, Pat Harrison, our N.J.E.A. Uniserv from Region 27 in Wayne, NJ.

Richard Gwinn, the state appointed mediator from PERC had a considerable impact by reducing the Board's lengthy and unacceptable proposals to one dozen priority items.

While both sides were ensconced in separate rooms the mediator shuttled back and forth until about nine thirty P.M. At that point he determined that we shall continue the mediation on April tenth at 4 P.M.

Mr Gwinn was emphatic regarding the ability of the state mediator to bring a resolution in the form of a memorandum of agreement between the parties without an increase in student contact time and more professional development time for any successor agreement.

The one dozen priority proposals of the Board continue to include conditions unacceptable to E.A.P. It is expected that now that genuine bargaining has resumed with the presence of the mediator agreement may be at the next bargaining session.

One Session Day Award & P.E.R.C. Scope Petition

The Board presented issues concerning their ability to pay the $610,000 award won at arbitration. They have indicated the lack of budgeted funds to pay the award and are proposing a payment schedule approach over several years. E.A.P. shall respond to the proposal at the next session on April 10, 2006. The Board attorney for the P.E.R.C. scope petition was last night. No substantive discussion on the petition took place.

Steve Boudalis, President

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Volume MMVI Issue I March 7, 2006

The Board and the Education Association of Passaic negotiations team met last evening at 5 P.M. at the Board Rooms. Present for the EAP were Sunnie Allen, Joe Becker, George Illenye and Steve Boudalis.

The Board of Education was represented by Vincent Capuana, Carlos Sinnung, Alex Ybarra, Dr. Robert Holster, Dr. Lawrence Everett, Derlys Guttierez, Esq., and Henry Lee. The Board introduced their newest attorney from the firm of Scarinci and Hollenbeck, Mr. Mathew Giacobbe.

Discussion centered on the immediate provision to E.A.P. of a scattergram representing the employees of the E.A.P. showing their step scale on the salary guide. The scattergram is used to derive the cost to the Board in dollars for salaries of each year of the contract. The Board indicated that the scattergram will be sent to the E.A.P. by early next week. Peter Vala of the NJEA will assist the E.A.P. costing out and the development of the salary guides.

Mr. Giacobbe, Esq., represented that the Board has intentions of giving a fair raise for the E.A.P. employees, but that the Board expects an increase in student contact time. The E.A.P. president and team firmly explained, again as it has at the previous negotiations sessions, that at the present time the student day is as long as it can be , and that students cannot simply be given more time to learn. The student can absorb so much in a day! Those of us in the classroom are all aware of this!

The discussion continued in preparation for the next negotiation session to be held on March 23, 2006. The Board attorney indicated that the Board will review and discuss with PERC the scope petition that has been filed to remove what they deem to be non-negotiable provisions of the "contract". The lengthy petition is being reviewed by Gail Oxfeld Kanef, Esq. for and with the N.J.E.A. The preliminary opinion of the N.J.E.A. attorney is that some of the points may be resolved at the table.

The Board appears ready and able to continue negotiations where we left off in November. We look forward to the same genuine effort on March 23, 2006.

Steve Boudalis, President

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Volume MMVI Issue I January 25, 2006

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The Board and the E.A.P. Negotiations Teams last met on November 17, 2005. The Board and E.A.P. mutually agreed to file for impasse with PERC to request the assignment of a PERC mediator. The Board attorney, Rich Salzburg, agreed to file the matter with PERC. In the coming weeks it became apparent that Mr. Salzburg, Esq., was unable to proceed with the matter due to health reasons. Over the course of the holidays Mr. Salzburg, Esq. passed away.

In December several attempts to meet with the Board were requested through the Superintendent of Schools. The Board response was to await the appointment of a state mediator. Dr. Holster has informed me that the Board shall be appointing an attorney to continue the negotiations at the January 30, 2006 Public Board of Education meeting. The Board shall meet on February 6, 2006 to set up negotiations dates with E.A.P.

The E.A.P. representative Council shall meet on January 25, 2006. Discussion on the Board's lack of working toward a settlement shall be among the issues to be considered at that meeting.

The E.A.P. with the assistance of Pat Harrison, Uniserv. Representative, and Gail Oxfeld Kaneff, Esq., has responded to the scope petition filed by the Board with PERC.

NEGOTIATIONS Update continued

The Board and the E.A.P. have not been able to resolve the remaining issues due to a lack of counter-proposals at the negotiations table. Dr. Holster, as the chief administrator, has continued to conduct professional development training without doing the necessary negotiating at the "table". While the E.A.P. has continued to "work", the Board has not responded in kind! It is time that the "work" required to settle our differences in the contract talks take place for the benefit of all! E.A.P. patience is running out for our business as usual professionalism. We now expect the Superintendent and the Board to sit down at the table to complete the negotiated settlement of the contract.

Steve Boudalis, E.A.P. President