Board rejects contract accord Education association had ratified Warren Tech agreement. Thursday, September 20, 2007 • By SARA K. SATULLO •The Express-Times FRANKLIN TWP. | After a tense meeting Wednesday, the Warren County Technical School Board voted 4-2 against ratifying a memorandum of agreement -- the template for a contract -- with the education association. The association's members, who have been working without a contract since June 2006, ratified the agreement in May. The vote came after the education association's New Jersey Education Association field representative, John Ropars, was first told he could not address the board during public comment. "I came here in the spirit of trying to resolve this matter," Ropars said. In denying Ropars permission to speak, the board's attorney, Bruce Jones, and board President Harold Warne both cited a pending unfair labor practice the association filed against the board with the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission. But eventually Warne granted Ropars "60 seconds to speak." "We are going back to PERC (Public Employment Relations Commission) tomorrow," Ropars said after being interrupted by board members. "We tried to cooperate but you don't seem to want to." The board issued a statement saying the association refused to return to mediation despite the agreement stating the mediator held jurisdiction over ratification. The unfair labor practice filed against the board will continue to delay the contract, according to the board's statement. "The union has also engaged in illegal behavior and sought to enlist community support by providing the press and the parents of the tech school students inaccurate and incomplete information," it said. The statement also said the board no longer will keep the agreement's terms or how they were reached confidential. Ropars said the district wants to eliminate what is known as an "off salary guide increase," which is a raise given to employees who max out on the salary guide. Ropars says the move would create costly inequities in the pay system that could cause raises to freeze. "We aren't willing to do it," Ropars said. "This is outrageous behavior. I haven't dealt with this kind of behavior in 20 years." The association has not seen a pay raise since September 2005, he said, and everyone is owed at least $2,000 in back pay plus raises they should have received. Teacher Walt Menegus, who has been with the school for 32 years, said he is fed up with people not getting paid for an "honest day's work." "I think we could have negotiated a peace agreement with the North Koreans more easily than we could have negotiated a deal with this board," Menegus said. Reporter Sara K. Satullo can be reached at 908-475-2174 or by e-mail at ssatullo@express-times.com.