Burlington fuels debate over banning teachers strikes

As Burlington teachers walked the picket lines Monday afternoon, two state lawmakers said it's time to end teachers strikes altogether.

Two years ago, the Vermont House of Representatives narrowly rejected a bill that would have prevented teachers from walking out and prevented school boards from imposing working conditions. The state teachers union, the Vermont-NEA, led fierce opposition.

Rep. Kurt Wright, R-Burlington, plans to try again in January, and he thinks the odds are improving.

"Here in Vermont, public safety and state employees are considered essential services, and so we don’t allow strikes," Wright said at a news conference in Burlington's Contois Auditorium. "I think it's time that we acknowledged that teaching the kids of Vermont, the students of Vermont, is also an essential service."

More: Teachers, School Board to go back to negotiations

Vermont is the only New England state that allows teachers to strike.

Wright and Sen. Joe Benning, R-Caledonia, are planning to introduce identical bills that would ban school strikes and impositions. The bills would also set up a task force to discuss how to resolve stalled contract disputes.

Under the Wright-Benning proposal, all contract negotiations would be open to the public "unless both sides mutually agree otherwise," Benning said.

The bills are likely to reopen a contentious debate in Montpelier. Sen. Anthony Pollina, P/D-Washington, issued a statement calling the effort "an attack on a fundamental right and an attempt to undermine the strength and very existence of unions."

"First, the strike itself is likely the fastest path to an agreement," Pollina wrote. "Second, it is a dangerous precedent to take away a right under the law simply because citizens have decided to exercise that right."

Previous coverage from March-April 2015:

How a teachers strike ban nearly passed

Teachers strike ban scuttled

Labor panel calls teachers strike bill unbalanced

Bill to ban VT teachers strikes gains ground

Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, said he would give the bill "fair consideration" if it reached his desk.

"I've supported the right to impose contracts and the right to strike," Scott said in a statement Monday. "However, the disruption and strain a strike puts on students and parents is clear, and I understand the concerns Sen. Benning and Rep. Wright are working to address.

"If this proposal is passed by the Legislature, I'll give it fair consideration with the understanding that — however we move forward — we must ensure affordability, fairness and local accountability are central to any process regarding contract disputes," Scott said.

House Education Committee Chairman David Sharpe, D-Bristol, predicted that Wright's bill could not pass unless the teachers union and the Vermont School Boards Association reach some agreement about a new collective bargaining system.

"Perhaps this year," Sharpe said, "we’ll find a path forward."

Such an agreement appears elusive. The Vermont School Boards Association supports the idea of eliminating strikes and contract impositions, but only if there is some way to resolve disputes other than mandatory binding arbitration, said Executive Director Nicole Mace.

The Vermont-NEA is not ready to give up the right to strike, said spokesman Darren Allen. He said the current political mood leans against working families, citing a state budget that requires schools to reduce their budgets.

"Montpelier's already intruded enough this year into the bargaining process," Allen said.

Contact April McCullum at 802-660-1863 or amccullum@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @April_McCullum.

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