Union hopes for progress with collective bargaining agreement
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 13.8000001907349px;">The Port Authority of Guam and the Guam Federation of Teachers are at odds over collective bargaining.</span>
January 26, 2015Updated: January 26, 2015
By KUAM News
By KUAM News by Krystal Paco
Guam - The Port Authority of Guam and the Guam Federation of Teachers are at odds over collective bargaining.
Although a hearing was held this morning with GFT requesting the court to issue a writ mandating port general manager Joanne Brown push the CBA forward to the AG's Office for review, port legal counsel Mike Phillips contends the court doesn't have jurisdiction. "What they're really asking is for a step to take place that will not result in a legal contract. They don't have a contract and that's their extreme frustration and so without the governor's signature, without the AG's signature, and without any further movement by the board of directors, they don't have a contract," she said.
But GFT counsel Joshua Walsh argues the CBA has been four years in the making and that the writ is necessary to push the papers to the right parties. "The collective bargaining agreement is signed by the Port management, been ratified by the port board, ratified by Tim's [Fedenko] membership. It's a done deal except for the need for some review by the attorney general. And there's a need to send it out to the governor's office after that review for signature," Walsh explained.
Judge Michael Bordallo has taken the matter under advisement.
Guam - The Port Authority of Guam and the Guam Federation of Teachers are at odds over collective bargaining.
Although a hearing was held this morning with GFT requesting the court to issue a writ mandating port general manager Joanne Brown push the CBA forward to the AG's Office for review, port legal counsel Mike Phillips contends the court doesn't have jurisdiction. "What they're really asking is for a step to take place that will not result in a legal contract. They don't have a contract and that's their extreme frustration and so without the governor's signature, without the AG's signature, and without any further movement by the board of directors, they don't have a contract," she said.
But GFT counsel Joshua Walsh argues the CBA has been four years in the making and that the writ is necessary to push the papers to the right parties. "The collective bargaining agreement is signed by the Port management, been ratified by the port board, ratified by Tim's [Fedenko] membership. It's a done deal except for the need for some review by the attorney general. And there's a need to send it out to the governor's office after that review for signature," Walsh explained.
Judge Michael Bordallo has taken the matter under advisement.