Jeffrey Sultanik was quoted in The Philadelphia Inquirer article "More Labor Peace in Schools." While the full text can be found in the August 25, 2013, issue of The Philadelphia Inquirer, a synopsis is noted below.
As the school year approaches, something unfamiliar is in the air in several large school districts: labor peace. Numerous high-profile contract battles have come to an end in recent months, including a squabble in Neshaminy, which lasted five years.
According to Jeffrey Sultanik, rising pension obligations and health care costs, lagging state funding and legal limits on tax increases left little room for maneuvering. In some cases, union members had incentive to work without a contract at their existing salaries and benefits, Sultanik added.
"Very frankly, the teachers' unions find themselves in situations where they are sometimes better off in living with the current contract because they don't have to make any concession if they don't settle," said Sultanik.
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