Schools

Comments by B-W Board Member Upset Service Employees Union

Chrissy Cortazzo responds to Martin Michael Schmotzer.

"We were surprised, and at the same time, appalled" were the words of Chrissy Cortazzo after hearing of Baldwin-Whitehall School Board member Martin Michael Schmotzer's comments at a school board meeting on Wednesday night. "But it's a pretty good indication of how these employees are being treated."

Cortazzo, The Pennsylvania State Education Association's UniServ representative and co-chief negotiator for the 246-member Baldwin-Whitehall Service Employees Association union (Local 95-02-11-8), reacted to Schmotzer's comments in a press release on Friday.

Cortazzo was referring specifically to Schmotzer's notion that union representatives have been unavailable to attend negotiations sessions for a new contract for the district's service employees.

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"A lot of the people in (the service employees) union negotiations have delayed these meetings and canceled them over and over and over again," Schmotzer said on Wednesday. "Because of old language—memorandums of understanding (MOUs)—there was a million of them that Willie McKain (B-W's assistant to the superintendent for finance and operations) and your union rep and Mr. (Ed) Lawrence (district solicitor) and Dr. (Randal A.) Lutz (assistant superintendent of elementary education) and Tammy Caponi (assistant for finance & operations), they have cleaned those MOUs up—and the language must have been incredibly difficult because it has taken them an incredibly long time.

"But we have no control if your (service employees) people are canceling meetings. I wanted to vote on that contract before I left this board; I'm not given the opportunity."

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Schmotzer is not running for re-election to the school board, and new elections take place in November. The district's service employees have been working without a contract since July 2010.

"It is apparent that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing as it relates to the school board's understanding of negotiations," Cortazzo said in Friday's press release. "Schmotzer’s comments were out of line and extremely misleading, and more important, his comments could hinder negotiations. He does not participate in negotiations and doesn't know what he's talking about.

"Our membership is very unhappy with Mr. Schmotzer's comments. But one thing he did unknowingly was unify our members.

"Interestingly, no school board member, not even Mr. Schmotzer, comes to negotiations sessions. In addition, the district has canceled at least three meetings while, at other times, the district has slowed the process because a member of their team could not negotiate. Therefore, nothing was accomplished. Apparently, Mr. Schmotzer has been receiving incomplete information."

Cortazzo's press release noted that five negotiations sessions are scheduled from October through December.

"The union is interested in negotiating a fair contract," she said. "We will not be intimidated by someone who has not been part of the process. We regret this unfortunate occurrence."

The union has requested that a state mediator participate in negotiations.

"The union is hoping that, with the addition of a mediator, negotiations might go at a quicker pace," Cortazzo said. "It should certainly stop the district from adding new proposals to their demands. The presence of a mediator might entice a school board member to take the time to attend a negotiations session."


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