Jan 18, 2016 2 min read

Peters Township School District teachers have been back on the job for more than a month, but some say they are still being harassed for going on a monthlong strike that started in October.

Matt Cheran, an eighth-grade teacher at Peters Township Middle School, told the school board Monday he received anonymous e-mails saying he should not have gone on strike. Additionally, Cheran said he was the recipient of obscene gestures.

“I never cease to be amazed by keyboard courage,” said Cheran, who received a standing ovation from the dozen or so teachers in attendance at the board meeting.

Cheran, who has taught in the district for 12 years and has two graduate degrees, said he has yet to crack the $60,000 salary mark.

“I feel attacked and unappreciated,” said Cheran, who said he left a more lucrative corporate job to become a teacher.

“Let’s dial back the vitriol,” he said. “We are all waiting.”

Peters teachers have been working without a contract since school started in late August. They went on strike in late October and returned nearly a month later after negotiations failed to produce a new agreement.

The dispute between Peters Township Federation of Teachers and the district has gone to a panel of three arbitrators – one selected by the district, one selected by the union, and a neutral, third-party member who has yet to be named.

According to the district, its average teacher’s salary is slightly more than $70,000 a year. The central issues between the district and its 285 teachers are salaries and health care costs.

Katherine Karolick of Venetia, who has school-age children, said economic times are tough, but parents trust the teachers. She questioned why district teachers did not reach out to the community earlier in an attempt to come to a resolution.

“We’ve been asking to have an open dialogue,” she said.

If nonbinding arbitration fails to bring an agreement, a second strike could take place. If another strike occurs, it would likely happen in the spring.