MEDIA ADVISORY
QUEENS, N.Y. Nov. 18, 2013 - Teachers and other education professionals at the Lexington School for the Deaf will gather Tuesday in protest of a decision by the school's administration to declare a contract impasse and end negotiations.
The rally will be held from 3:45 to 5:45 p.m. at the Lexington School at 30th Avenue and 75th Street in Jackson Heights, Queens.
Lexington administrators in September declared an impasse in contract talks with the 140-member Lexington School Teachers' Association. In doing so, the school imposed terms of its final contract offer, a move the union has declared as unlawful.
At the center of the contract dispute are base salaries, which have not seen an increase in eight years despite longer working hours being imposed on teachers and instructional assistants. Step increases at the Lexington School also have remained frozen since the 2007-2008 school year.
The Lexington School Teachers' Association is affiliated with New York State United Teachers.
NYSUT, the state's largest union, represents more than 600,000 teachers, school-related professionals, academic and professional faculty in higher education, professionals in education and health care and retirees. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.