Teacher contract talks continue as WBS, WBEA meet

A bargaining session held between West Bloomfield School District administration representatives and the district’s teacher union, the West Bloomfield Education Association (WBEA), on Tuesday, Jan. 18 failed to resolve an ongoing contract debate.

Another session is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 1.

The district’s 411 teachers are currently working without a contract after their previous contract expired on Aug. 31.

The lack of a contract has led to district teachers picketing outside recent school board meetings, as both sides struggle to come to an agreement.

There was no word on whether any progress was made regarding negotiations at the session.

This comes after a fact-finding report regarding negotiations was released by the Michigan Employee Relations Commission, including recommendations on what course should be taken.

The report recommended an immediate across-the-board 10 percent reduction in the salary schedule, which has been proposed by the district administration, along with two furlough days for the 2011-12 school year.

The report also recommended the implementation of the WBEA’s proposal for an increase in the health insurance deductible to $300/$600.

Both sides have previously indicated that they will continue to work with each other in order to come up with a new contract.