Union and Turnbull administration negotiators have tentatively agreed on a new contract for the territory’s teachers, according to Karen Andrews, the government’s chief negotiator.
In a release Thursday evening, Andrews said the agreement still must be ratified by members of the St. Croix and St. Thomas/St. John chapters of the American Federation of Teachers and by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull. Andrews said she couldn’t give any details on the agreement but did say the issues of attracting new teachers and retaining experienced teachers through higher salaries were addressed "within the limited resources available."
St. Croix AFT president Cecil Benjamin couldn’t be reached for comment early Friday. He had said on Wednesday that he and other union leaders were pleased with the way negotiations had been progressing. He cautioned, though, that any agreement would have to be approved by teachers, para-professionals and support staff.
Neither Andrews nor Benjamin have said when teachers might vote on the agreement reached Thursday.
The agreement with teachers means the administration can now turn its attention to negotiations with other unions. Turnbull has maintained that education would be dealt with first, followed by health and then the police. Andrews noted that other unions have threatened job actions if teachers are given raises.
"The governor said, and he said very strongly, that he wanted to put the children first, and that is exactly what he did," Andrews said. "I implore other public employees to respect that. This does not mean we have forgotten them."
The agreement with teachers coupled with wide-scale renovations at the territory’s schools should provide for a new school year with a "minimum of obstacles," Andrews said.
"The children at most of our schools will be the school year in improved facilities and with no job actions by our teachers," she said.