Schools’ Union Chief Rejects Wage Concessions

After weeks of successfully asking to be admitted into the budgeting process with the Bridgewater-Raritan School Board, Mr. Steve Beatty, President of the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association revealed last night that he refused to take the Board’s offer to his membership for a vote.

The B-R BOE had requested the BREA to “reduce its scheduled raise from 4.35% to 2%, and to forgo $403,000 worth of tuition reimbursements.” In exchange, the B-R BOE “offered to submit a budget calling for a $1.7 million tax-levy increase beyond the 4% cap.”

The Board had further committed that the resultant savings would be applied to the last round of budget cuts. The effect of this, according to a statement by B-R BOE President, Jeffrey Brookner, is that it would give “the teachers’ union the opportunity to save over $3 million worth of teacher jobs in exchange for givebacks worth approximately $1.7 million.”

No deal!

Instead, Mr. Beatty addressed the School Board at the Middle School last night, acknowledging that he “felt awful when he left school Friday,” and that he had been ”flip-flopping about it on Saturday.” (The B-R BOE Negotiations Team and school bargaining units had met on Saturday.)

Emphasizing that he would not accept what had been proposed, Mr. Beatty claimed that the “teachers would be losing $1800 per year, a grossly disproportionate burden on the back of the staff,” while taxpayers would be asked to shoulder only a $288 tax increase. (These numbers have not been verified by the B-R BOE.)

He went on to say that “It is a band aid and would not save Tier 3 cuts.” He confirmed that although he “accepts it in principle” (the Board’s proposal), he “does not agree with the math.”

Mr. Beatty claimed that “it is a bargain for the taxpayers,” and that the B-R BOE “is more concerned with the Town Council.” (This is because, should the budget be defeated on April 20th, it would be remanded to the municipalities of Bridgewater and Raritan for resolution.)

The BREA Chief affirmed that he was “ready right now” to “personally” go with an “offer that is fair and right . . . so don’t tell me that I am unreasonable.” He concluded with, “I will suffer the slings and arrows and hold my head up high.”

Later, in response, Mr. Brookner explained why the B-R BOE could not accept the BREA’s plea to pass on all cuts to due to the loss of state aid to the residents of Bridgewater and Raritan. Probably the most notable of his comments is, “A tax levy of 7% (or more) would go down in a blazing ball of glory.”