NASHUA, N.H. (AP) – The school board and superintendent have taken legal action to try to prevent a teacher strike planned for later this month.
Superintendent Christopher Hottel filed a request for a temporary restraining order Friday against the Nashua Teachers Union, which announced last week that they would strike March 31 unless the city approves a contract. The restraining order was filed to prevent the union from taking any job actions until a hearing can be held before the Public Employee Labor Relations Board, Hottel said.
Hottel also sent a letter to teachers telling them that if they strike, he will recommend they be fired.
“While I find it very difficult to write this letter because of my high regard for you, and for the entire teaching staff in Nashua, I find it equally difficult to understand why our teachers would decide that an illegal strike was the right action to take,” he wrote.
The teachers have been working without a contract since September 2006. It is illegal for public employees to strike in New Hampshire.
There is a negotiation session scheduled for Tuesday involving representatives from the union and the school board.
School board member Rick Dowd said he his optimistic that some kind of agreement will come out of that meeting, but he said the steps taken Friday were necessary.
“I think there have been discussions at least on our side where we can go to reach some middle ground,” he said.
Bob Sherman, the union’s president, said the court filing and superintendent’s letter make it all the more crucial that an agreement is reached Tuesday. He wouldn’t comment further on the filing because the union’s lawyers hadn’t had time to examine them.
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Information from: The Telegraph, http://www.nashuatelegraph.com
AP-ES-03-22-08 1221EDT
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