President Rector discussed the current status on teachers’ negotiations with Ray Gibson on K57 this morning. President Rector emailed DOE Management team’s Chief Negotiators Barry Mead and Robert Koss informing them that GFT’s team will withdraw their objections of using an Assistant AG as mediator. To summarize:
1. GFT accepts DOE’s Negotiating Team’s choice of an Assistant AG to act as Mediator
2. GFT will negotiate at any time DOE’s team chooses
3. GFT will negotiate at any place DOE’s team chooses
4. GFT is ready to continue as soon as possible
Initially, GFT did not accept the Assistant AG as a mediator due to the fact that they are not a neutral third party. However at this point, it is urgent that negotiations resume immediately. DOE’s team has made it clear that they have no intention of extending or renewing the current contract should the negotiations not be concluded by November 6, 2011.