Rutland Town EA Pickets Before School, Implores Board Back to Table
Media Coverage of Picket, Imposition
Update: Even more people participated in Wednesday's information picket, including fellow Vermont-NEA members from across Rutland County. And, you can read here, the school board is apparently noticing Rutland Town EA's show of solidarity.
RUTLAND TOWN – Members of the Rutland Town Education Association picketed before school Tuesday morning in a show of solidarity aimed at getting the school board back to the negotiating table.
The teachers held signs along the road and at entrances to Rutland Town School, garnering the attention of parents, administrators and the community. The picketing will continue through the week, and was prompted by the school board’s decision last week to walk away from the bargaining table and impose working conditions on teachers.
The teachers have been without a contract for the entire school year, and have sought to compromise with the board. The board has refused to consider the teachers’ numerous offers that would have addressed the district’s economic situation and guaranteed an end to annual negotiations.
“We want to send a message to the board, and that is: talk to us, return to the table and make a deal that is fair to us, to the community and the students,” said Jodi Manning, Rutland EA president. “By imposing working conditions on us, the board is showing its contempt for the bargaining process.”
Here are some pictures from Tuesday, June 1.
