Thursday marks the seventh day of the teachers’ strike and the third since the government and union officials returned to the negotiating table.
Now a full week into the strike, Tyrone Molyneaux, president of the St. Croix chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, said the picket lines are holding up close to 95 percent. As for the ongoing negotiations, he said the $11 million approved last week by the Legislature to fund raises wasn’t going to cut it.
"We’re pretty much talking about the same agreement that pushed us to strike," he said, adding that the $11 million "is not enough money to settle this teacher strike."
"We’re not close if they can’t come up with additional monies," said Molyneaux.
Meanwhile, Joyce Wilson, a strike captain on St. Croix, said a majority of AFT members, some 95 to 100 percent, are "still holding." She said the community and businesses are contributing to the strike effort by offering discounted food and other supplies.
"Our members are angry and are determined to stay out as long as it takes," she said.
On Friday, parents, teachers and students are expected to march to St. Croix’s Government House in support of the union. The march is scheduled to start at Bassin Triangle at 11 a.m., go through downtown and end at the Department of Education building.
Teachers and support staff are striking over salary issues and working conditions, said Molyneaux. He said the union’s last negotiated contract was in 1991 and that members are working on a 1993 pay scale. Additionally, members are owed retroactive wages from between 1995 and 2000.
