MONROEVILLE, Pa. — Teachers at a local career tech school say they plan to strike.
The Forbes Road Education Association (FREA) represents about 30 teachers across various fields at Forbes Road Career and Technology Center in Monroeville.
The union and school have been negotiating a contract since January, with the previous contract expiring June 30.
Tuesday, the FREA told the school that members will strike Dec. 1 if they can’t reach a contract.
Teachers hope to secure competitive wages that will attract new educators and reduce turnover.
According to the FREA, nine sending school districts determine the CTC’s budget.
Union President Philip Greene says a strike should be the last resort.
“We realize we are a smaller CTC, but the programs we provide bring so much value to this community and to the students we serve,” said Greene, a multimedia teacher. “We make sure that our students are ready to join the workforce immediately after graduating, and we can do that because we are both educators and industry professionals. But the fact is, our wages have not kept up with our counterparts. Instead of falling further behind, we’ve approached negotiations as an opportunity to catch up our teachers and ensure our school and programs continue to be successful.”
In a statement published on its website, Forbes Road CTC said it has made “ongoing efforts” to negotiate an agreement with the union.
“While we respect employees’ rights under the collective bargaining process, our foremost responsibility remains ensuring that students continue to receive a high-quality career and technical education,” the statement reads in part.
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