Swanton teachers authorize strike
The night before the start of the new school year, employees in the Swanton school district unanimously voted to authorize their bargaining team to send a 10-day strike notice to the Swanton Board of Education, according to Steve Brehmer, a member of the Swanton Education Association (SEA).
This means the Swanton teachers' bargaining team now has the authority to set a strike date, should the Swanton Board of Education "continue to be unwilling to reach a fair and reasonable contract settlement with its teaching staff," Brehmer said in a written statement Wednesday, released on the second day of the district's new school year.
The current contract between SEA and the school board expires Aug. 31.
The 88-member SEA and the Swanton Board of Education have been in negotiations since April. According the Brehmer there's "no sign of a contract settlement in sight."
The two parties received mediation assistance from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services. This has been unsuccessful, Brehmer said.
"Swanton teachers have the lowest across the board starting salaries of any school district in Fulton County, the lowest bachelor's level maximum pay, and the second lowest master's maximum pay," the Brehmer said.
The association's 88 certified classroom teachers, guidance counselors, librarians, media specialists, nurses, psychologists, and others employed in the district voted Monday evening to initiate the action.
Both Brehmer and Swanton Superintendent Paulette Baz did not immediately return calls for comment.
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