MARS, Pa. — Teachers in the Mars Area School District are threatening to go on strike in two weeks if they don’t get a new contract.
The Mars Area Education Association issued a formal notice to district leaders on Wednesday night that they will go on strike if a new contract is not reached by Feb. 19.
MAEA leaders said their current contract expired on June 30, 2020. Teachers authorized the negotiating team to issue a strike notice at a general meeting in November. The team elected to continue the negotiating process with the district in an effort to reach an agreement.
“Regardless of those efforts, the labor dispute is ongoing and there is no resolution in sight,” the MAEA said in a news release.
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The union said district representatives ended a negotiating session Wednesday night after less than three hours.
Some of the sticking points are salary, health care, early retirement and working conditions, according to the MAEA.
Top school leaders met again Thursday afternoon to talk about what’s next and came up with a 4-year contract proposal that includes:
- $1,500 bonus year one
- 3.75% salary increase year four
- same healthcare benefits
- same early retirement plan
Teachers in the district have been in the classrooms since the start of the school year, even if students weren’t learning in person.
The MAEA just got the new proposal. The solicitor for the Mars Area School District says the teacher’s union is causing even more disruption to the community after what’s already been a tough 10 months for everyone.
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