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American Morning

Dozens of New Jersey Public Schoolteachers Learning Very Tough Lesson in Civics

Aired December 05, 2001 - 07:40   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning dozens of New Jersey public schoolteachers are learning a very tough lesson in civics. They are waking up behind bars, sent there by a judge for defying his order to head back to work amid contract negotiations and hundreds more could be headed for lockup.

CNN's Brian Palmer joins us now with more from Freehold, New Jersey. Good morning Brian.

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Paula. Forty- seven teachers have been sent to jail by a superior court judge for defying his back to work order. Judge Clarkson Fisher (ph) is essentially working his way through a list alphabetically and asking the teachers a simple question - will you go back to work. If they say no, they go to jail. If they say yes, they don't go to jail.

Today we're joined by one of those teachers who suspect she will be going to jail today, Diane Giersch. She is an English teacher at Middletown South. Good morning ...

DIANE GIERSCH, ENGLISH TEACHER: Good morning.

PALMER: ... Diane. Now the strike is in its fifth day today. About 1,000 teachers are involved. What's at issue here?

GIERSCH: Our issues are medical benefits, reclassification of some secretaries, salary, and most importantly of fairly negotiated - sorry, negotiated settlement - fair negotiated settlement and the Board is totally uncooperative.

PALMER: Now negotiations went late into last evening. What is the status of the negotiations? Are the teachers and the Board near any kind of agreement?

GIERSCH: I expect not. I received a call this morning at 5:30 saying that the negotiations had broken down and that we in fact were still on strike and we needed to be here to be called by the judge, and I will be one called today.

PALMER: Are you ready to go to jail?

GIERSCH: I am. PALMER: Well that's the word from an English teacher here. Now two judges will actually be hearing the cases of the various teachers. DENF teachers will be - being heard before a judge down the street and the seize will continue here at the Hall of Records in Freehold -- Paula.

ZAHN: So in the end, if people don't answer the question the right way as far as the judge is concerned, how many people could wind up in jail?

PALMER: A lot - there are 1,000 teachers and the jail has capacity for about 750 people. So there's your answer.

ZAHN: Keep us posted. Brian Palmer, thanks for that update.

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