By JOSEPH FITZGERALD

BURRILLVILLE — The School Committee Wednesday rejected the Burrillville Teachers Association’s proposal to enter into binding arbitration and, instead, directed its attorney to schedule negotiations with a new state mediator as soon as possible.

With hardley any public discussion — the matter had already been discussed in a closed-door executive session with legal counsel Benjamin Scungio prior to the vote — the committee quickly voted down the union’s Oct. 17 request, saying it was prepared to renew contract talks under a new state-appointed mediator.
Union officials wanted to go directly into binding arbitration to resolve the two-year contract dispute, saying the protracted stalemate has led to nothing but hostility and mistrust. Neither Burrillville Teachers Association President David Sheehan nor Thomas R. Landry, executive director of the National Education Association, could be reached last night to comment on the school board’s decision.
The teacher’s union, a unit of the National Education Association with more than 200 cardholders, has been working without a contract since Aug. 31, 2007.
Scungio, who is representing the school board in the contract talks, had little to say about the union’s offer when it was made last month, but he did say at that time that he had notified state labor director Sandra M. Powell to request that another state mediator be appointed to the negotiations.
Scungio made that request shortly after the two sides were unable to come together on a contract proposal drafted by former mediator Bruce Kogun.
See TALKS, Page A-2
Kogun’s proposal was rejected by the School Committee in September, which drew sharp criticism from union officials who said the committee rejected it hours after it was ratified by the union membership even though the union was led to believe the school board would approve it.
Scungio disagreed, saying union leaders knew three days before the union ratified it on Sept. 9 that the committee would reject it that night.
At last night’s meeting, Committeewoman Mary Karmozyn raised the question as to whether or not the new contract talks would be scheduled before or after newly-elected School Committee member Debra Stockwell takes her seat on the board.
School Committee Chairman Raymond Trinque said the election results have yet to be certified because incumbent School Committeeman Peter Lambert, who lost the seat to Stockwell by 22 votes, has requested a recount. Trinque said he is hopeful that will be resolved before negotiations start up.
Union officials have said that attempts to resolve the contract dispute through mediation have proven unsuccessful and that the protracted stalemate has led to a level of animosity and distrust between parties not previously seen.
In his letter to the committee last month, Landry said the teachers union believes the only way to reach a settlement now is with binding arbitration. The union has also told the School Committee it would be willing postpone all pending arbitration scheduled for the remainder of this year if binding arbitration is agreed to.
“The parties past attempt to resolve this dispute through non-binding mediation not only resulted in the loss of considerable cost, time and trust, but ultimately proved unsuccessful,” Landry said. “In difficult economic times such as these, it seems grossly unfair to all involved – as well as the taxpayers of Burrillville – to put themselves through the time and cost of another similar effort unless it is clear from the outset that the process will result in a fair resolution of the contract dispute that both parties must live with.”