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Trenton Teachers Demand Action on Contract and Health Plan Concerns

GovWire

TRENTON, NJ (GovWire)- The Trenton Education Association (TEA) members expressed their concerns about the delay in settling their contract and the impact of the new medical prescription plan on their lives during the Trenton Board of Education meeting.


Nicole Backlin, a teacher in the district since 2009, spoke about the changes made to the health insurance plan and the impact it has had on teachers. She quoted Maya Angelou, saying, "I've learned people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Backlin reminded the board that teachers are human beings with feelings and that they remember what the board did by switching their health insurance to save money. She stated that the new plan has led to an increase in out-of-pocket expenses for prescription medication, placing an additional burden on already underpaid and overworked teachers. The appeals process causes delays and potential harm to individuals' health and mental status.


Talithia Duncan, the president of TEA, addressed the delay in settling the contract for their members. She stated that their contract expired on August 31, 2022, and they are now entering month 15 without a contract, hoping to settle sometime very soon. Duncan mentioned that in the beginning, everything was going smoothly, and both sides were making progress. However, they hit a wall when the association did not accept the board's proposal, and they were threatened with being placed into the state health benefits plan.


The board rejected their counterproposal and informed them that they were pulling their original proposal and that they would be going into the state health benefits plan as of July 2023. Duncan considered this as negotiating in bad faith and stated that the current settlement on the table would result in a pay cut for approximately 33% of their members.


Dr. John Gindin, a teacher at MLK and the Co-chair of TEA's negotiations team, also spoke about the delay in settling the contract. He stated that they are currently working under an expired contract for the second year in a row and hoping to settle sometime very soon. Gindin mentioned that once they decided to go to mediation, they were hoping an outside person would help them reach a solution. However, they have had one mediation meeting and have not seen any progress. Gindin urged the board to settle the contract as soon as possible and stated, "Enough is enough. There is no reason we cannot settle this contract ASAP."


The TEA members' speeches highlighted the urgency of settling their contract and addressing the concerns raised by the new medical prescription plan. They urged the board to take action and ensure that their members receive fair compensation and a sense of security in their professional lives.


This article generated by GovWire AI

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