BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The Bloomfield Board of Education and the Bloomfield Education Association, the teachers union, reached a mediated agreement for a new contract the night of Wednesday, Oct. 30. Both organizations, under a directive by state-appointed mediator Anthony Bagliore, of the NJ Public Employer Relations Commission, are under an “information embargo,” according to BEA President Matthew Giordano.
The teachers union will meet Tuesday, Nov. 19 to consider the contract, after which a date for a ratifying vote will be scheduled and the BOE will follow a similar process, Giordano said.
On the night of the agreement, hundreds of Bloomfield teachers gathered outside the Bloomfield School District Administration Building on Broad Street where negotiations were scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Holding signs supporting a new contract, they moved restlessly about, at one time lining the curb facing Bloomfield High School shouting in response to BHS history teacher Rachel Goldberg’s bull-horned queries — “What do we want? Contract! — When do we want it? Now!” Cheers erupted when passing motorists sounded their horns.
When Bagliore arrived at around 7 p.m., a large crowd of teachers standing at the building entrance parted and more cheers erupted.
In an Oct. 31 email to The Independent Press, Giordano said, “We wish to thank all parties involved for their time and effort to bring this agreement to this point.”
About the Author
