Saucon Teachers Reject State Fact-Finder's Report

Saucon Valley teachers have rejected the recommendations made in a state Labor Relations Board-appointed fact-finder's report that was recently drafted to help settle a contract dispute.

The news that the teachers rejected the report came after the Saucon Valley School Board voted to accept the report's recommendations Thursday night.

"At 8 p.m. this evening, after the board meeting where the board voted 7 in favor and 2 no to the fact-finding report, I received notification that the PSEA Eastern Region UniServe representative Mr. Mark Lynn officially notified the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board that the teachers of Saucon Valley School District rejected the fact-finding report in their dispute with the district," school district superintendent Dr. Sandra Fellin said in an email.

The fact-finder's report is expected to be made public Friday, according to a story published by the Express-Times.

After the report becomes public, the teachers will have 10 days to reconsider the recommendations, vote to approve them, or resume negotiations, the article published by the newspaper indicated.

Saucon teachers have been working without a contract since June 30, 2012, and negotiations between the district and the teachers have been ongoing since January 2012.

The teachers union requested the assistance of the state-appointed fact-finder earlier this fall, due to a lack of progress in several key areas related to the contract talks.

According to an article published by the Morning Call in September, two of the issues that had become sticking points in the talks are a teacher retirement incentive program and the decision-making process for teachers who want to obtain a district-paid graduate degree.

Saucon teachers last struck in 2009, and also went on strike in 2008 and 2005.