TOWANDA AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT FACT FINDING

Questions and Answers about Fact Finding
Towanda Area School District and Towanda Area Education Association have agreed to enter into Fact Finding to help resolve the current contract dispute. During fact-finding, a neutral third party, called a fact-finder, examines both the School Board’s proposal and the teacher’s union’s proposal. The fact-finder then issues a report containing recommendations for a contract. The FAQs below provide more details on the fact-finding process.

Q. What is fact-finding?
Fact-finding is an option for both sides to pursue when negotiations are at an impasse. In the process, a neutral, third-party person called a fact-finder is assigned by the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) to examine both of the proposals on the table and make recommendations based upon those proposals.

Q. How long does fact-finding usually take?
Once the request for fact finding is received and the PLRB appoints a fact-finder, he or she has 40 days to issue a report containing recommendations for a contract. Once both sides have received the fact-finder’s report, they then have 10 days to notify the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) as to whether or not they accept the report in its entirety. If one or both of the parties reject the report, the report is made public. No less than five days and no more than 10 days after the report is made public, each side must again inform the PLRB as to whether or not it accepts the report.

Q. Is the fact-finder’s report binding?
If accepted, the fact-finder’s report is binding and becomes the contract to which both parties must adhere. If the fact-finder’s report is rejected, it still could be used by both parties as a framework for a contract which they could continue to negotiate.

Q. Could the teachers’ union go on strike during fact-finding?
During the fact-finding process, teachers’ unions ARE NOT allowed to strike.

Q. Could the teachers’ union go on strike if the fact-finding process does not result in an agreed-upon contract?
The laws that govern collective bargaining allow a strike to occur if a settlement is not reached. In this case, the union is required by law to deliver written notice of an intent to strike to the superintendent no later than 48 hours prior to the start of the strike.

Q. How long can teachers strike for?
The maximum length of days teachers are permitted to strike depends upon when in the year a strike is initiated. This is because schools are legally required to complete 180 instructional days.

School districts have the option of turning vacation days into instructional days in order to fill this state requirement. Thus, strikes which occur earlier in the year, when there are more vacation days available, could last longer than those which occur toward the latter part of the school year.

Steven Gobble
Superintendent