New Kensington-Arnold teachers' contract talks set for Monday

Contract talks between New Kensington-Arnold School District and its teachers union are scheduled for Monday.

The district’s 167 teachers have been working without a contract since Aug. 31, 2017.

Superintendent John Pallone said the state Department of Labor and Industry has assigned a mediator, and negotiating sessions must include the mediator, the union’s chief negotiator, the school district’s labor attorney and members from the district and union.

In a statement released at Thursday’s school board meeting, Pallone said the two sides have met 14 times during the past 20 months. He said that in June, July and August of 2017 the teachers team was not available to meet.

“In conclusion, it’s my pleasure to report that negotiations are progressing exceptionally well toward a reasonable and fair collective bargaining agreement,” Pallone said. “The last negotiating session held on April 11, 2019, was very productive.”

After Pallone’s statement, Connie Vita of the New Kensington-Arnold Education Association, said she didn’t want the impression that the union declined to negotiate in summer 2017.

She did not elaborate, and no other statements were made during the meeting concerning the protracted contract negotiations.

Neither side has been willing to publicly discuss details of the negotiations other than a union statement earlier this year that said wages and benefits were among the sticking points being hammered out by negotiators.