Ridgewood NJ, Students return to school on Tuesday and as the new school year begins the Ridgewood Education Association members are still working without a contract. The Ridgewood Education Association is looking for the public’s support to settle their contract dispute with the school board which up till now has been tepid at best.
The Ridgewood Education Association is asking the public to please support their members by demanding that the Board settles the contract. They want to make sure Dr. Fishbein knows that their contract is the number one priority. They are also asking residents to place a sign on your lawn to support the Ridgewood Education Association.
Readers agree that a contract settlement is needed but consider REA demands unreasonable , “Isn’t it obvious the NJEA is forcing the REA to make unreasonable demands and negotiate in bad faith with our volunteer BOE? Settle now.”
Many blog readers also do not share the REA’s enthusiasm ,”The REA thinks that just because Ridgewood schools have a “tradition of excellence”, that they are somehow excellent. That takes hard work. This current bunch of teachers seems to care more about their annual wage increases and health care benefits than they do about excellence for our school system. Shameless greed given a BOE budget already north of $100 million even though the population of Ridgewood is little changed since we did have top rated schools in the 1980s and 90s.”
This Tuesday September 6th, the first day of school for students, the Ridgewood Education Association will hold a rally at 4:00pm at the Ed Center. The rally is an attempt to pressure the BOE to give in .That evening there will be a negotiation session and union is looking to let the Board know that 434 days is too long to work without a contract. The REA is also asking residents to come and support your teachers and secretaries by wearing red.
There is an error-the REA IS working with a contract. It’s under the prior contract. They make it sound like they’re not getting paid or any benefits. Once they decide to settle and accept this generous contract offered, they will receive all back pay. Tell the truth, REA. Stay strong, BOE
Give them what they want…anything to stop the incessant whining.
And please take down the signs….you would think the teachers were hostages or something serious like that.
BOE do not cave to the unions.
So I guess they had the entire summer off “without a contract”. LOL
What a bunch of arrogant selfish cruel SOBs.
Teachers (the REA?) think they will turn around parents and get their support by threatening their children (“maybe coaches need to through in the towel . Take away extra curricular activities and you’ll see how fast parents put signs up on their lawn.”).
Bad strategy… also a telling one which exposes the teachers arrogance.
Maybe the teachers should learn something by looking to nature and seeing what happens when a mother’s young are threatened…
The teachers should realize that the current lack of signs means very few support the teachers. Where do we get a sign supporting the Board? The teachers ARE going to cut out writing letters and any extra time w/the students. The Board and the parents are going to have to take a stance and not give the teachers a thing. This has been how the teachers have always won their demands in the past. Parents have to support the Board for once. The teachers have more under their old contract than most communities. And contrary to their theory that they are the cause of Ridgewood’s supposed “Excellence”, they are not. And our rankings, contrary to what many people think, have gone quite a long ways down in the time we have lived here (over 40 years). We long ago reached the point that, unfortunately, a child will get a better education in the private schools–which most of us can’t pay for. A friend sent her daughter to IHA for 9th grade and then had to return her to Ridgewood for the following three. The child basically repeated her entire 9th grade year while she was actually in the 10th. And this was years ago–imagine the differential now!
Where can I get a job where I can tell the boss that I will not do anything outside my job description and not work a minute past 5 pm?
And do juvenile protests at work because my job review is late.
If I did this in my current job I would be fired.
The current union contract is unsustainable. So many industries have been here before too and we still haven’t learned. We either stand up to the union now or watch the Village go bankrupt later.
Give them what they want 8:41? Do you even care what they’re asking for? They disagree with $10 doctors visit co-pays and want average wage increases above the 2% property tax cap. Who will pay the 40% excise tax on their platinum health care plans from 2020? That’s why the REA would prefer to work under the terms of their expired contract, which is what they’ve been doing all this time while complaining endlessly and conducting themselves with utter disdain for our parents and children, These are serious issues, and our BOE is giving this serious attention. You should, too.
They supported the ACA so that should be there health care and put there pensions in a 401.
Why did the teachers support the aca?
They have private insurance.
Every Union supported ACA
Stand tough BOE! These teachers who are so unhappy with what Ridgewood offers them should leave and try another district. They are an embarrassment to the profession.
Every Union James, that’s bullshit and you know it.
name one that didst support Obamacare?
How about 4……..
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW)
United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers
UNITE HERE, a prominent hotel workers’ union
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) endorsed Obamacare so did the the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and Service Employee International Union (SEIU)
WRONG James………Read this
https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/300881-labor-unions-break-ranks-on-health-law
As a side note I didn’t say anything about the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) or the Service Employee International Union (SEIU), why did you feel it was necessary to mention them?
If they’re so miserable, then just leave and get a job somewhere else. There’s a line of well qualified candidates just waiting for you to do so.
Your silence is deafening…..