Jersey City teachers go on strike after contract impasse

JERSEY CITY — After an agreement between teachers and the Board of Education was not reached on Thursday night, teachers have called a strike.

"Because of the STRIKE called by the JCEA schools are open and will run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.," read a message on the district website. The Jersey City Education Association did not post about a strike on its social media accounts.

ABC 7 Eyewitness News posted a picture Friday morning of two JCEA members holding "on strike" signs.

Wearing red T-shirts with "JCEA" across the front, banging drums and holding signs, teachers crowded Thursday night's Board of Education meeting demanding that a deal be reached, according to ABC 7.

Mayor Steven Fulop in a message on Twitter called the strike "unfortunate + avoidable" and said he heard the last offer to the union--a 3.5 per cent raise in the first year and 2.7 per cent in the second--was fair.

The union also said on its Twitter account on Wednesday it would be "game over" if the BOE did not reach an agreement at the meeting.

According to the report, teachers and the BOE had been negotiating since May, but have not been able to reach an agreement on health care. They have been working without a contract since Sept. 1.

Messages for a city spokeswoman have not yet been returned.

Fulop on Thursday posted several messages on Twitter against a strike. but was critical of the union.

"I’m hopeful for a fair resolution but I also know the JCEA using name calling diminishes their own standing as responsible/mature + certainly doesn’t serve as a good example to students on how to act when you have a difference of opinion w/someone," Fulop tweeted.

"A strike hurts the teachers, the students, and the parents. If they cant get to a fair resolution at the negotiating table - call for an impasse and let an independent 3rd party decide and we will all live with it. I don’t understand what they are fearful of with that."

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ.

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