The Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled in favor of New Milford teachers in a contract dispute case with the Board of Education.  The justices decided unanimously in the 4-year old case, that the Board of Ed violated the terms of the collective bargaining agreement by improperly extending the workday for teachers on multiple occasions. 

New Milford was required to compensate members of the New Milford Education Association for 20 hours of additional time they were required to work without pay. 

The dispute began in 2015 when the union filed a grievance, and an arbitrator ruled in the union’s favor.  The board filed an application to vacate the grievance arbitration award in Litchfield Superior Court, which also ruled in favor of the union. The case then ultimately made it to the Connecticut Supreme Court.

CEA Legal Counsel Adrienne DeLucca says the drawn out legal battle caused four years of declining teacher morale and confidence in the Board of Education, as well as the loss of thousands of dollars that could have been used for educational needs of the District.