Teachers OK One-Year Pact Unanimously

THE NEW Your want ad The Zip Code is easy to place 4 for Linden is -Phone 686-7700 which became a Suburban Publishing Corp. newspaper on July 2, 1964 An Official Newspap^’> + FPor o r The City of Linden 07036 Subscription Rate $6.00 Yearly Published Each Thursday by Suburban Publishing Carp. J a y 20 Cents Per Copy LINDEN, N.J., THURSI SEPTEMBER 6, 1973- Second Class Postage Paid of Linden, N.J. VOL. 19 NO. 54 •J1P North Wood ova.. Linden, N.J. 07036 ESSO HAS DATA Teachers OK Linden air quality look*n^ Anyone who doubts that air quality over records a wealth of information concerning the Linden has improved in recent years would cleanliness of air over the local facility. one-year pact face the obstacle of research data compiled by As an example of air quality, from a pollution ERAMS-the Esso Research Air Monitoring standpoint, instruments now register ac Station, which has become one of the first ceptable regulatory levels for the sulfur dioxide privately-opera ted air quality monitoring units content of the atmosphere in the area, says Bob in American industry. Confer, Esso research associate involved in the Operated by the Linden company’s Medical unit. “ Five years ago,” he adds, “ we were unanimously Research Division, ERAMS gathers and frequently recording much higher sulfure dioxide levels.” About 250 teachers approved by a unanimous Linden teachers worked without a contract To prove his point, he flipped through a decision Tuesday a one-year contract which throughout U*e 1972-1973 school year, although binder containing air quality data from as far will provide them with about a five percent the board adopted a salary guide last summer, back as 1968. salary increase, binding arbitration and tuition with a minimum pay of $8,500, so that some < ERAMS was established to evaluate air reimbursement for additional studies. There guidelines would be available for hiring new quality instruments and to provide company are about 450 teachers in the school system. teachers. The LEA never approved the guide PERCHED ATO P th e 50 fo o t scientists and engineers with readily available publicly, but indicated they realized the board ERAMS air monitoring tower The final vote was taken at a ratification air quality information for use in connection meeting Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 in the needed a salary guide to work with when hiring at Esso is Bob C on fe r, w h o with environmentally-oriented research Linden High School auditorium. Prior to the teachers. conducts a periodic projects then underway. Based on this need, meeting, the leadership of the Linden During the course of the long negotiations, maintenance of the wind the decision was made to establish a Education Association, under the presidency of the LEA went through three presidents: Carl speed and wind direction monitoring facility on site to furnish data on a Michael Gaines, recommended approval of the Landolfi was head of the group in December, continuous basis to company personnel, says transmitter. A life belt pact. Gaines said, “ Your negotiating team has 1971, when negotiations began ; Arlene Friscia Dr. Bob Eckardt, director of the Medical secures Confer in his location. gained what we feel is an equitable contract.” took over in the spring of 1972, and Gaines Research Division. The tower plays a key role in The contract will cover salary and all issues became president when elections were held this spring. “ We want a system that would help us determining Linden’s air for the 1973-1974 school year. According to evaluate air quality in our area and assist us in q u a lity. Gaines, the LEA had been negotiating for a There were no indications that the teachers evaluating air contaminant trends, par two-year pact, but since the 1972-1973 school would ever go out on strike, although several ticularly as they relate to new control year is over, the membership voted for the one- teachers picketed in front of School One earlier methods,” explained Dr. Eckardt, a physician year pact instead. Negotiations will resume on this year, and there were several shows of unity who specializes in occupational medicine. He a possible two-year contract to cover the 1973 to at individual schools throughout the year when pointed out that ERAMS also provides com 1975 school years in about a month, Gaines said the teachers would all walk into school in a ERAMS CALIBRATION is checked by Tony pany technical personnel with the opportunity after the vote was taken. group at the same time. These moves, Veverka at Esso. The particular to evaluate various instruments used to The newly-elected LEA president noted that however, were interpreted as a display of instrument shown is the dewpoint measure and record air quality data. “ the pact was about as fair and equitable as a support for the LEA negotiating team. sensor. Several years ago the U.S. Environmental contract can be.” Protection Agency (E P A ) published a com “ New avenues have been opened up to us, prehensive set of standards regarding air and we look for a better contract for next quality. “ Th is^ave us nationally recognized year,” he added. Revaluation criteria by which we could better evaluate and The final settlement was reached after interpret our own local readings,” Confer said. nearly two years of negotiations, which started Based on federal standards, ERAMS has noted at bargaining tables between the Linden Board significantly lower levels of some pollutants- of Education and the ALEA negotiating team , is extended such as sulfur dioxide and went through mediation with an impartial ticulates-within the past few years. arbitrator, and ended in the hands of a fact When first established, the station measured finder assigned by the Public Employment only ambient sulfur dioxide levels. However, Relations Commission (PE R C ). until Oct. 26 with the acquisition of new and improved Following submission of the fact-finder’s monitoring equipment, it now records con report, the LEA Leadership, at the board’s July The revaluation of Linden property which is meeting, announced its acceptance and ap 95 percent complete has been extended until centrations of seven different significant air pollutants and measures five meteorological proval of the repprt. The school board never Oct 26. acted on the fact-finder’s report;'which was not parameters as well. Councilman Joaeph Bartus, head of the binding, tml approved ah agreeable salary Council committee which bandies-the matter, Qneof tSie most important pieces of ERAMS guide at its August meeting, which set the pace said some iagi-nunuta «w g s required ad apparatus is a 50-foot high tower attached to for ratification of the entire pact by both sides. ditional itapfttfJNartfc American Associates of the outside of Building 6 On it are mounted According to a spokesman for the LEA, the ParamMfT instruments that record the speed and direction final contract followed many of the recom At the Aug. 21 Council session, the governing of the wind and an intake line that conducts air mendations of the fact-finder, although board body granted the extension and this was later into the laboratory some 30 feet below, as spokesmen insist they were not influenced by approved by the Division of Taxation in recommended by the EPA. Through this line his report. Several negotiating sessions were Trenton. According to Bartus, the late snafu comes a continuous sample of ambient air held after submission of the fact-finder’s involved computer labels for tax cards. containing all pollutants present in the at report, and the settlement was finally reached. Summit Trust Co., Summit, did not turn out the mosphere over Linden. All parties concerned called the contract labels in time, so the data prepared by North Other equipment includes a high-volume “ excellent” and “ fair.” Abrham Rothberg, American could not be processed. sampler, a fallout container, a Weather board finance and education chairman, said Delays during a revaluation survey are not Bureau-type shelter that houses devices to the board was happy about the settlement unusual, Bartus said, but Linden posed “ a measure temperature and dewpoint and a The salary guide provides an $8,900 unique problem” because when the borough bucket to measure rainfall. ERAMS began minimum salary for teachers—those with and city merged in 1925, certain tax numbers measuring the pH of rainfall starting in mid- bachelor’s degrees and no prior Experience. on property remained the same, thereby 1972. It was found to be slightly acidic with a pH Teachers holding bachelor's degrees can reach meaning duplication of a ratable listing. This of about 4, caused largely by dissovled carbon a maximum salary of $15,000 through 14 in had to be changed before the tax maps could be dioxide. crements. started and those maps are now being awaited, “The weather has an important bearing on New teachers holding master’s degrees begin Bartus added air quality,” said Confer. “ We try to keep track with a salary of $9,Q00 and can reach a The city has until Jan. 1 to submit all its tax of degree days, humidity, barometric pressure, maximum of $16,485 in 15 steps. For those and survey data to the Union County Tax wind velocity and direction and other factors.” teachers holding master’s degrees plus 32 Board. The county board last fall ordered all Thanks to a wind that, for the most part, FALLOUT SAMPLES ore collected on the ro o fto p of the Esso building by Confer, credits, the minimum salary is $10,350 and the Union County communities to conduct a prevails from a westerly direction, ERAMS company research associate who is involved in th e ERAMS monitoring unit.

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