Warren County Technical School Board approves settlement in lawsuit posed by union president

Friday, March 19, 2010
By BILL WICHERT
The Express-Times

FRANKLIN TWP. | Following a closed-door meeting and a second vote, the Warren Tech school board Wednesday approved a settlement of the lawsuit filed last year by the head of its employee union.

Chief School Administrator Robert Glowacky and Edward Yarusinsky, president of the Warren Tech Education Association, declined to provide any details about the settlement after the meeting. Both men expressed relief the legal battle was over.

"I'm glad," Glowacky said. "We don't need to fight and be adversarial all the time."

Yarusinsky added: "I'm happy with the settlement and I'm glad it's over."

The school board originally voted 3-2 with one abstention during Wednesday's meeting to approve the settlement but failed to receive the necessary four votes for the settlement to be accepted. School board President Bradley Bartow and board member Harold Warne voted no, and board member Judith Chamberlain abstained.

School board attorney Bruce Jones then called for a closed session. The school board quickly returned to the public meeting and Chamberlain voted for the settlement in a 4-2 vote. Bartow and Warne voted no.

Chamberlain said Thursday she was advised by the school board attorney not to discuss the matter.

In the lawsuit, Yarusinsky alleged Bartow and Warne defamed him in separate instances between September 2007 and February 2008. The alleged incidents took place as the school board and employee union was engaged in a contentious round of contract negotiations.

The contract ultimately reached between the union and the school board expires June 30, and the two sides have begun negotiating a new deal.

Yarusinsky said a contract will hopefully be reached by June.

"I do see (the current round of negotiations) going more smoothly," Yarusinsky said. "It seems to be more cordial."

The negotiations at Warren Tech will be shaped by the legislative actions taken in Trenton, Glowacky said. For example, Warren Tech employees don't contribute to their health care expenses, but a proposed bill would force them to contribute at least 1.5 percent of their salaries toward those costs.

"If (Gov. Chris Christie) says you're going to contribute to health benefits, well, that's not going to be a negotiated item anymore," Glowacky said.