Lawyer disappointed at reversal of teacher furlough ruling

by Sabrina Salas Matanane

Guam - Guam Federation of Teachers legal counsel Robert Kutz will be meeting with the union on Monday to discuss the recent decision issued by the Supreme Court of Guam. "Obviously, GFT and more importantly all the teachers that have been affected by this case there is almost 2,000 of them. It's extremely disappointing that the Supreme Court decided they are not entitled to get paid because they were never furloughed," he expressed.

The Supreme Court this week shot down decisions by the trial court and the Civil Service Commission related to an alleged teacher furlough in 2003. The Guam Federation of Teachers has been arguing for several years and the lower court and the Civil Service Commission agreed that DOE teachers experienced a furlough in 2003 when the start of the school year was delayed. The lower court had order the payment of retroactive pay, but the Supreme Court reversed the judgment and issued by the Civil Service Commission was likewise vacated for lack of jurisdiction.

Kutz says he will be meeting with GFT on Monday to discuss the decision and its implications.