Monday, March 22, 2010

McGuffey Teachers Strike Until Wednesday

Teachers of Washington County’s McGuffey School District are on strike following a 15 months of failed contract negotiations with the school board.

High school English teacher Andrew MacBeth says the strike will only last Monday and Tuesday to accommodate state regulations on student attendance.

MacBeth says the last negotiation, on Friday, was mediated by a state employee to no avail. He says earlier, a state fact-finder’s impartial proposal was accepted by the teachers, but rejected by the school board.

The major battle has been fought around how much teachers should pay for health care: teachers are willing to pay more, but the school board wants educators to contribute half of health care cost increases.

This is the first strike in McGuffey's 50-year history.

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