No progress following school district, MEA mediation session

MANCHESTER, NH — The divide between the Manchester Education Association and the city’s designated negotiation team so far has not been bridged by mediation. A scheduled session held April 9, which had been previously canceled  by the district’s negotiation team when the mediator was unable to participate due to illness, ended with no resolution.

Two days of mediation were supposed to happen this week, according to Hannan’s statement, on April 9 and a second session as needed, April 11.

Her statement was disputed by the city negotiation team on Wednesday as a “blatant lie,” noting that the second date did not make the calendar as their attorney, Matt Upton, was not available.

According to MEA President Sue Hannan, the city’s negotiation team has “refused” to continue with mediation on Thursday.

The city’s mediation team, led by School Board member Rich Girard, asserts that the MEA has by virtue of requesting mediation, declared “impasse,” an assertion which Hannan has rejected.

Below are both statements released independently by School Board member Rich Girard and MEA president Sue Hannon. Until recently, the two had agreed upon issuing joint statements to the public following closed-door negotiations.

Maxine Mosely represented the MEA during Tuesday’s mediation, as Hannan was out of town attending a funeral.

Statement issued by Rich Girard on April 9

“Today’s mediation session with the Manchester Education Association did not yield the results we had hoped for.  MEA President Sue Hannan was not present because she was attending a funeral out of state and the session was cut short after MEA Vice President Maxine Mosely announced she had to leave for an MEA meeting.  The school board’s negotiations committee was neither informed that Mrs. Hannan would be absent nor that the meeting would have to end by 2:30 PM in advance of today’s session.

“Despite these obstacles, the committee agreed to consider an MEA proposed one year contract under the condition that it stayed within the city’s tax cap and did not perpetuate the equity issues raised by the MEA, which were addressed by the negotiation committee’s proposals.  Once the committee receives the proposal from the MEA, it will determine the next steps.