the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, first day of school for students was marked by teacher contract protests . The Ridgewood Education Association held a rally at 4:00pm at the Ed Center. The REA was hopping to garner more support from parents and students and pressure the BOE to settle. The union has implied the possibility of a strike .
That evening a negotiation session was held the Board of Education members and the REA negotiating team met with the state-appointed super conciliator for ten hours. According to the BOE progress was made, but a settlement was not reached.
The BOE in a letter to parents also went to great lengths to assure parents that in New Jersey it is illegal for public employees to strike. A 1967 NJ Supreme Court decision, In Re Block, confirmed this. Since then, teachers in districts such as Manville and Middletown have tried to strike and have had the county courts grant injunctions stopping them. Some teachers were arrested for civil contempt in violating the court injunctions. The NJ Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) has also re-affirmed that strikes are illegal and are not a protected union activity.
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