Port, GFT heading to court over collective bargaining agreement
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 13.8000001907349px;"> It appears the Port Authority of Guam and the Guam Federation of Teachers will be heading to court over its collective bargaining agreement.</span>
January 12, 2015Updated: January 12, 2015
By KUAM News
By KUAM News by Ken Quintanilla
Guam - It appears the Port Authority of Guam and the Guam Federation of Teachers will be heading to court over its collective bargaining agreement.
As noted in a recent GFT newsletter, Port General Manager Joanne Brown was ordered last week by the Superior Court of Guam to forward the GFT collective bargaining agreement to the Attorney General's Office for review and appropriate action. The GFT states it "believed it had no alternative in fulfilling its mission and obligation of protecting and promoting the rights and welfare of the port workers but to obtain a court order to force brown to do what she was supposed to have done a long time ago."
In response, Port legal counsel Mike Philipps tells KUAM that he and port management will appear before the court and explain why it should not be ordered to comply with a non-existent contract. He adds the Port had previously met with GFT at their offices in an attempt to resolve the dispute, but was informed there would be no negotiations. Philipps says despite GFT asserting otherwise, there is no binding contract until the governor and the attorney general have signed off.
GFT says if brown does not follow the court order, then she will need to appear in court on January 26.
Guam - It appears the Port Authority of Guam and the Guam Federation of Teachers will be heading to court over its collective bargaining agreement.
As noted in a recent GFT newsletter, Port General Manager Joanne Brown was ordered last week by the Superior Court of Guam to forward the GFT collective bargaining agreement to the Attorney General's Office for review and appropriate action. The GFT states it "believed it had no alternative in fulfilling its mission and obligation of protecting and promoting the rights and welfare of the port workers but to obtain a court order to force brown to do what she was supposed to have done a long time ago."
In response, Port legal counsel Mike Philipps tells KUAM that he and port management will appear before the court and explain why it should not be ordered to comply with a non-existent contract. He adds the Port had previously met with GFT at their offices in an attempt to resolve the dispute, but was informed there would be no negotiations. Philipps says despite GFT asserting otherwise, there is no binding contract until the governor and the attorney general have signed off.
GFT says if brown does not follow the court order, then she will need to appear in court on January 26.