FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 1, 2016
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Arbitrator to hear PT dispute By Suzanne Elliott Staff writer selliott@thealmanac.net
WHOLE FOODS SETS TARGET FOR OPENING OF NEW STORE IN UPPER ST. CLAIR PAGE 6
EMPTY BOWLS EVENT BENEFITS FOOD PANTRIES AND RAISES AWARENESS FOR HUNGER ISSUES PAGE 10
DEFENSE THE KEY TO SUCCESS FOR SOUTH FAYETTE GIRLS PAGE 27
The Peters Township School District and the Peters Township Federation of Teachers Local 3421 have posted their latest contract proposals and now it is up to a neutral arbitrator from suburban Philadelphia to decide at a two-day hearing March 3-4. The 285 district teachers have been working without a contract since Aug. 31, the first day of school for the 4,300 students who attend school in Peters. After failing to reach an agreement, the teachers walked off of their jobs Oct. 28 and remained out until Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving, without a new labor agreement. And that lack of a contract forced both sides into nonbinding arbitration. The arbitrator, attorney Timothy Tietze of Exton, Chester County, will rule on each issue separately and there will be no middle ground. He will either rule in favor of the district, or the union, on each issue. If the two sides fail to come to an agreement, then they will return to the negotiating table, which raises the possibility of a second strike. Prior to last year’s strike, the last time there was a work stoppage in the district was 2000.
CELESTE VAN KIRK/OBSERVER-REPORTER
Peters Township School District teachers shown picketing at the high school last fall. “We have adjusted our last position to secure success,” said Paul Homer, a staff representative of the union. “We believe we have a fair proposal and we will see what happens next.”
The two main issues between the two sides have been salaries and health care costs. The average teacher’s salary in Peters is in excess of $70,000 a year, the district said. The proposals, which were made available to the public 5 p.m. Friday, show the two sides are still apart when it comes to annual raises. The district is offering annual raises of $500 for teachers on salary Steps 1-16 and $200 a year for teachers on Step 17, the highest salary tier. The union, meanwhile, has proposed annual raises of $1,900 each year through the 2019-2020 school year. Teachers on Step 1 would receive a $1,200 a year raise. The union also said it did not want the work year to exceed 193 days. Under an individual Highmark PPO Blue Plan, or equivalent, union members would contribute $75 a month for the 2015-2016 school year. In each of the following four years, the contribution would increase by $5. For example, the monthly contribution the following year would be $80 and top out at $95 a month for the 2019-2020 school year. The public can view both proposals either online at the district’s website, www.ptsdk12. pa.us, or at the administration building, 631 SEE ARBITRATOR PAGE 3
Peters, school officials to discuss Rolling Hills By Suzanne Elliott Staff writer selliott@thealmanac.net
Peters Township officials plan to meet with the group of developers who are in the process of purchasing the now-shuttered Rolling Hills Country Club in an attempt to acquire some of the land for various municipal uses. That meeting is expected to take place in mid March, Michael Silvestri, township manager, said following the Feb. 22 council meeting. “We would like to meet formally,” he said. The club, which consists of 190-acres along East McMurray Road, would give the township the needed land to potentially build a swimming pool or expand its walking trails, projects that Peters residents indicated that they would like to see in their community. Also, the Peters Township School District has expressed inter-
HARRY FUNK / STAFF
Rolling Hills Country Club closed at the end of last year. Peters Township School District, as well as the Township, are interested in the property. est in the land as a potential site for a new high school. The township and district sent a joint letter
dated Feb. 11 to the club’s board expressing their interest in the land. The group buying the club includes the principals of Horizon Properties, one of the major developers of Southpointe. The purchase price is between $9 million to $10 million, Silvestri said. In other matters, council agreed to continue work on a final version of a lease with EQT Production Co. for subsurface drilling under township property from a well that will be built on Lutes Road in adjacent Nottingham Township. Peters could receive anywhere from $400,000 to $700,000, plus royalties from the project, Silvestri said. The well site is approximately a quarter mile from Peters, just off of Venetia Road. EQT plans to construct a well pad and drilling facility that would accommodate 24 wells, though SEE PROPERTY PAGE 3
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