BUFFALO, N.Y. — A neutral third party is standing with BPS after offering a recommendation to bring an end to three years of contract negotiations.
But to the Buffalo Teachers’ Federation, the ruling was anything but impartial.
“You go into fact-finding feeling there's got to be something for either side, that either side is going to agree or disagree with, but this thing here was completely one-sided,” BTF President Phil Rumore said.
In a 22-page report, the fact finder proposed suggestions on a number of issues the two sides couldn’t agree on.
He sided with BPS on the majority, including wages, recommending the district’s $225 million proposal as opposed to BTF’s $1.6 billion plan that the fact finder referred to as “unaffordable.”
It was that language that led Rumore to believe the findings were biased, pointing to Page 9 of the document where the fact finder said his salary recommendations were “as proposed by the district.”
“If the district doesn't realize that this is a one-sided fact-finder's report, then there's something wrong,” Rumore said.
The teachers' federations’ issues with the findings extended beyond the salaries. Its president expressed frustrations with the way the third party judged other issues like health insurance, pensions, and additional student counseling — the final of which the fact finder deemed wasn’t necessary.
“Looking at what's going on in this country and in the city today, if you don't understand why we need more school counseling, then there's something wrong with you,” Rumore said. “Maybe you need a counselor.”
Buffalo Public Schools issued this statement stating that, after analysis, the fact finder found they “offered a fair package to our teachers making it amongst the most competitive in the region.”
They are “hopeful they will form a blueprint for a settlement for the immediate future.”
But BTF rejected the recommendation Tuesday evening, sending the two sides back to square one and leaving Rumore and his federation more unsure about their future than ever.
When asked if the two sides could strike a deal at some point in the future, Rumore said, “Right now? I don't know. I was more confident before we got this fact finder.”