State teachers' union urges members to follow Hempfield, take pay freeze
Intelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era
Updated Mar 16, 2011 13:51
By BRIAN WALLACE, Staff Writer
As goes Hempfield, so goes the rest of Pennsylvania?
The state teachers' union is urging its members to "seriously consider" accepting a pay freeze next year -- something Hempfield teachers agreed to Monday.
The 420-53 vote by Hempfield Education Association is believed to be one of the first, if not the very first, vote for a freeze next year by teachers in Pennsylvania.
Unionized teachers in other parts of the state have recently considered pay-freeze requests but rejected them.
Hempfield officials said the freeze will save about $1.5 million in salaries and benefits and help reduce the threat of layoffs as the district seeks to balance its 2011-2012 budget in the face of a multi-million-dollar deficit.
On Wednesday, James Testerman, president of the 191,000-member Pennsylvania State Education Association, said he has asked members of PSEA locals to "enter into discussions with their school boards about a pay freeze or other cost-saving measures to maintain class sizes and academic programs."
"Such cooperation can help to preserve the academic gains made in Pennsylvania's public schools over the last decade," he said.
Gov. Tom Corbett, in his budget address last week, asked all public school employees to consider wage freezes next year.
Eight school districts in Lancaster County plan to freeze employees' wages next year, mainly administrative salaries.
Hempfield is the first to agree to a teacher pay freeze, although teachers in several other districts are considering it.
bwallace@lnpnews.com
Read more: http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/362940#ixzz1GnbFRk4F
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