Gov. Charles W. Turnbull will meet with the 23rd Legislature on Thursday at Government House to discuss the impending teachers' strike, according to Rina Jacobs McBrowne, Government House information officer. A release from Government House said the Fiscal Year 2001 Budget would also be discussed.
McBrowne said she expected the meeting would take place Thursday, because the governor was in a cabinet meeting expected to last past 3 p.m. Wednesday.
The governor met Tuesday with Education Department officials, his union negotiating team, and his financial managers. The governor was assured by his officers that the government has made a good faith offer to increase teachers' salaries.
"While we empathize with public employees who have not received negotiated pay increases that are well deserved given the high cost of living in the territory, the financial condition of the government requires that we take extreme caution to only promise what we can reasonably afford to pay," the governor said.
Until the FY 2001 Budget is passed, which includes revenue-raising and cost-saving features, the governor was told by his advisers that hoped-for government savings cannot be realized. The talks also highlighted potential problems in sustaining the revenue stream for future raises to public employees.
A proposal by Sen. David Jones to utilize the government's Insurance Guarantee Funds as collateral for a loan to pay step increases for various union employees was discussed in the Tuesday meeting. An analysis of the proposal is being developed by the governor's financial staff.
Though the governor and Senate President Vargrave Richards have been discussing holding a meeting since last week, no time has yet been announced.
Meanwhile, the St. Thomas-St. John American Federation of Teachers chapter is holding a general meeting at 4:30 Wednesday at Palms Court Harborview Hotel.
