After three years of argument and stalemate, the Massapequa Board of Education and the Massapequa Federation of Teachers ratified a new six year teacher's contract.

The new contract will replace the last contract which expired in June, 1995. The agreement makes provisions for major changes in the district's internal policies for grievances, teaching assignments, and employee placement. Also included is a new set of salary increases in the amounts of 2.5, 2.5, 2.85, 3, 3.65, and 3.75 percent for each year of the contract.

The increases provided for the first three years of the new agreement will be paid retroactively in three payments during the month of May.

In addition, the new contract stipulates that the teachers will now be required to pay 10 percent of their health insurance premiums. The previous contract provided that the district would pay the full costs for health coverage.

The agreement went before the MFT membership in a secret ballot last Friday in which it was ratified 381 to 147.

The school board ratified the agreement the following Tuesday in a 5-0 vote.

The MFT has no polling breakdown of how teachers voted, but according to MFT Vice President Don Nobile, "more veteran teachers vocalized displeasure to me than younger teachers."

Nobile added that he sensed displeasure in certain circles of the membership. "We would like to have gotten more and have given less," said Nobile.

After the union vote, Nobile made a comment which caused a great deal of discussion throughout the district. In commenting upon the past three years of the negotiations Nobile said, "the board of education ripped out the hearts of the teachers and secretaries and stepped on them for 33 months."

Nobile made similar comments to Newsday.

"I'm disappointed at his comments because the time has passed for looking behind us. We should all now look for ways to restore the normal environment and cooperate," said Superintendent James Brucia.

"I'm concerned because one man can not overrule the majority of the union," said school board President Robert Thompson. 'I'm assuming that his opinion, which is very negative, does not reflect the views of the membership."

Nobile disagreed. In commenting on his statement he said, "it accurately reflected the mood in the buildings as I perceived it."

Nobile added, "The board of education was heartless and gutless through all this and they showed no care for their employees."

"I take extreme exception to that," said Trustee Mike DiDonato, wen asked to respond to Nobile's statement. "It was the board of education that stood up to four hundred [or more] angry employees month-after-month."

DiDonato added, "I think Mr. Nobile is doing this for political purposes."

Nobile said that the union compromised because they saw an unwillingness by the board of education to change their stance on the issues. "It became obvious to us that the board of education was going to be adamant in their position," said Nobile.

Former school board Trustee Rich Krebs argued that his experience during the first two years of the negotiations was different. "While I was on the school board the only people who compromised their positions were the school board," said Krebs. "I never saw anything from the union."

To attempt to repair the damage caused by the three year long stalemate, Brucia said that the administration has programs planned to address the tension in the schools. "We have too many talented people for this to have any long-lasting effect," said Brucia.

Before Tuesday's vote by the school board, Brucia referred to the dispute as "the longest, most difficult, most bitter negotiations process we've ever seen."

Brucia added, "I'm pledging that this contract will be implemented fairly and cooperatively as it's presented to me."

Nobile said that for every step the district takes to improve the relationship between the two sides, that the union would make an equal step.

An agreement still has not been reached with the secretarial unit of the MFT. Secretarial Union President Claire Quirk said that the unit is waiting for a response from the board of education from their last negotiations session.

Nobile said that the teachers union will continue to protest by wearing MFT shirts on Mondays and black clothing on Fridays until the secretaries settle. "The MFT does not have a settled contract with the district until the secretaries settle," said Nobile.