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SUSQ
Vol. 76 No. 44 November 3, 1976,
Photo shows Barb Landis, daughter of the school board
president, supervising a classroom at Riverview
Elementary School last Weds. after teachers went on
strike. The strike was called so suddenly that kids
Susquehanna Times & The Mount Joy Bulletin
MARIETTA & MOUNT JOY, PA.
arrived at area schools before they learned of the
walkout. High-school seniors supervised the elementary
classes until children could be sent home at noon.
photo by Corky Flick
Why did Donegal teachers call the strike?
Why did the Donegal
teachers’ strike occur?
Less than $5,000 separ-
ated the two sides on the
day the strike was called.
This amounts to about one
thousandth of the districts’
$4 million budget.
Just before the strike,
negotiators had reached an
informal agreement, but
the school board cut that
agreement by about $4,400.
Ten teachers would have
been affected by the cut.
Board members suggest-
ed that the other teachers
give up $30 each to help
the 10 teachers whose
salaries were affected.
Instead of replying at the
negotiating table "to the
board’s proposal, the
teachers answered by call-
ing a strike.
Money had very little to
do with the teachers’ move.
In fact, two days after they
walked out, the teachers
signed an agreement which
gave them about the same
amount of money that was
contained in the board’s
original offer. (They got
their salary demands, but
gave up equally expensive
fringe benefits.)
Neither side claimed
union.
‘‘victory’’ when the strike
ended. With such a small
amount of money at stake,
such a claim would have
been a bit absurd.
So why did the strike
occur and what did it
accomplish?
DEA president Ted Grei-
der said, ‘‘This was not a
strike to get more money
for the bulk of the teach-
ers. We believed in a
cause. We believed in
unity. Some of our people
just weren’t being treated
justly, fairly or equitably.”
“We sat at the negotiat-
ing table for 10 months and
nothing happened. Nobody
was listening. All we got
was no, no, and no.”’
Mr. Greider feels that
the strike demonstrated the
power and unity of the
Teachers whose
support for the union had
seemed lukewarm became
enthusiastic union backers
when the strike forced
them to take sides.
Apparent divisions be-
tween elementary and high
school teachers seemed to
disappear during the strike.
The teachers printed a
button which read ‘‘Now
We Are One’ to celebrate
the new sense of solidarity
they felt.
Some more opinions a-
bout why the strike occured
and what it accomplished
follow:
From a teacher—‘‘The
board pushed us into it
because they didn’t think
we could do it. They
thought it would break the
union.”’
From a parent- ‘‘Those
teachers just wanted to let
off steam- like a bunch of
little children.”
From a school board
member- ‘‘Frankly, I don’t
know why they walked
out.”
From a taxpayer- ‘‘The
board wanted an excuse to
raise taxes and the
teachers wanted a chance
to raise ———."’
From union negotiator
Lon Heibeck— ‘If there
were one iota of trust
around here, this would
never have happened.”
One thing the strike
seems to have accomplish-
ed was a swift negotiated
settlement to the 10 month
old contract dispute. After
the agreement, spokesmen
for both sides seemed
hopeful that future negoti-
ations could be conducted
more peacefully.
Ted Greider said, ‘I
hope both sides have
learned a lesson. It takes
good faith in negotiations
on both sides of the table.”
‘Boy
Scout’’
fraud
Local Boy Scout leaders
were surprised to learn that
youngsters have been so-
liciting orders for flares in
the Marietta area. The
youngsters, who claim to
he raising money for the
Scouts, have been asking
for cash in advance.
No member of Boy Scout
Troop 93 is currently taking
orders for anything. For
more information call Mike
Moyer at 426-1432.
DID YOU HEAR...
Robert Libhart of Mari-
‘etta bagged a wild turkey
in Lycoming County this
weekend.
We.
UEHANN.. « IMES
oy
FIFTEEN CENTS
Councilman charged
Mount Joy police charg-
ed the vice-president of
Borough Council with dis-
orderly conduct last week.
Charges were filed after
a quarrel allegedly occured
between James N. Heisey,
vice-president of Borough
Council, and pigeon racer
Robert Kline.
Kline and Heisey both
attended a zoning hearing
board at the Borough Hall
on Oct. 15. The alleged
quarrel reportedly occured
outside the Borough Hall
after that meeting.
Mr. Kline has been
“by Mount Joy police
fighting a legal battle with
the borough for months.
Last December, the bor-
ough ordered Mr. Kline to
remove his 70 prize racing
pigeons from the town
limits. Kline wants to keep
the birds.
At the meeting, Mr.
Kline obtained a post-
ponement of a zoning
hearing for a variance on
the lot where Borough
Council told him Le could
not keep the pigeons.
Mr. Heisey, who lives
near Kline's pigeon coops,
wants the birds to go.
Teachers’ strike ends
3 days after it began
representatives.
The board's modification
The 2nd teachers’ strike
in the history of Lancaster
County ended as suddenly
and unexpectedly as it
began last week.
Donegal teachers walked
out last Wednesday after
the school board modified
an unofficial agreement
between School Board
President Dr. William B.
Landis and state union
$4,400 in
cost of
trimmed about
salaries from the
the agreement.
The cut would have
affected 2nd year teachers,
who would have lost $400
each. Teachers rejected the
modified package, and cal-
led a strike.
[continued on page 2]
Mr. Brooks carries a sign that sums up teachers’
reasons for calling a strike.
photo by Corky Flick