Update: Moon, Teachers Reach Tentative Accord in Labor Dispute

The yearlong contractual impasse between the Moon Area School District and its teachers union may be one step closer to a resolution. 

The Moon Area Education Association announced it has reached a tentative agreement with the district regarding a labor dispute between the two parties.

Union spokesman Butch Santicola said in a statement early this morning that the district and union have reached a tentative accord on against the school district earlier this year. 

"Details will follow after both parties meet to vote on the resolution," according to the union statement. The school district also confirmed that a tentative resolution has been reached.  

District spokeswoman Megan Gallagher said that both the district and union would vote next week on the accord. If an agreement is approved, the union will withdraw its unfair labor charges and the teachers contract will be settled. 

In February, the union said it would pursue unfair labor charges against the district through the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, contending that the Moon Area School Board violated state labor practices because it did not vote in public on an arbitrator's contract proposal for the district's teachers.

The district and union were scheduled to appear before the labor relations board on July 12. 

Nearly 300 teachers, counselors and school nurses are working under terms of a contract that expired nearly one year ago. The district and union have clashed over such issues as length of the workday and employee health-care contributions. 

In December, the union and district took part in two nonbinding arbitration hearings in an effort to resolve the contract dispute. Teachers voted to approve the arbitrator's contract proposal. The board

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