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August 27, 2008
AFT AND VIRGIN ISLANDS GOVERNMENT REACH TENTATIVE AGREEMENT, NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS CONTINUES At the request of the American Federation of Teachers Union, mediation talks between the Virgin Islands Government and the AFT continued this afternoon in the hopes of reaching an agreement on a new contract for public school teachers. According to Education Commissioner Dr. LaVerne Terry and Chief Labor Negotiator Jessica Gallivan, the parties have reached a tentative agreement that must now be ratified by the membership of the union and the Governor. Gallivan noted that the tentative agreement includes a four-year agreement encompassing a number of issues. “We are pleased to have reached this next step in the negotiations process. Both parties have been discussing the terms of an agreement in good faith and have now settled on this temporary agreement. We look forward to continuing the effort in order to bring about a contract agreement that works well for both parties,” Gallivan said. Talks had broken down and stalled after the AFT leadership refused to sign an agreement on a contract proposal offered by the Government which totaled more than $25 million dollars. The AFT has scheduled ratification meetings that will be held on Friday, August 29, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. in both districts. The Government’s representatives in today’s negotiations included Chief Labor Negotiator Jessica Gallivan, Education Commissioner Dr. LaVerne Terry and Assistant Education Commissioner Donna Frett-Gregory. The mediation proceedings with the AFT recommenced on Monday, August 25, 2008. |
