by Krystal Paco

Guam - On Tuesday the Department of Education announced it would no longer meet with the Guam Federation of Teachers to discuss a collective bargaining agreement. That may soon change as both parties are easing their way back to the negotiating table.

Despite a month-long battle between the GEB and the GFT to agree on a collective bargaining agreement that sets the working conditions for teachers, both parties appear to be making their way back to having such discussions. GEB member Barry Mead told KUAM News, "We're just asking for respect and for the ceasing of aggression."

Mead feels negotiations have become unprofessional between the board and the union, but he believes a mediator will settle their differences. "The mediator will hopefully get us through our personality problems to the action of actually negotiating a contract," he added.

Although the original plan was to request a U.S. Department of Labor mediator from Honolulu to be named, the GEB has established a list of seven potential local mediators for the GFT to select from. "We realize the time it will take for the USDOL to send a mediator to Guam; could be months. We don't want to take months to do this - teachers need to have a contract in place because it is their security," said Mead.

Until a mediator is named, all negotiations are at a standstill. The current CBA is set to expire on November 6. Failure to renew or extend the contract could result in the decertification of GFT as a union, member withdrawal, and the potential for a new union or employee organization to represent teachers. "This contract is not about the Guam Education Board, me, Matt Rector, or anybody else," Mead stated. "It's about the teachers and as I told you yesterday, the final effect is on their students."

"We agree we need to get back to the table and get this done."