105 Days Without Contract For 800 Empoyees of Sayreville Schools
The teachers union says employees have gone more than 100 days without a contract and more than a year without a pay increase.
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More than 800 employees in the Sayreville School District are continuing to work under an expired contract, with union leaders raising concerns about how long negotiations have gone on without a new agreement.
The contract dispute has continued since The Sayreville Insider first reported on the stalled negotiations, with employees still waiting for a new agreement.
Kevin Bloom, president of the Sayreville Education Association, addressed the Board of Education during its Oct. 13 meeting, saying employees had been working without a new contract for 105 days.
“That’s 105 days of providing the children of Sayreville with an exceptional learning experience, one that the children deserve, one that we are proud to give, but one that is being delivered under an expired contract currently,” Bloom said.
The association represents more than 800 district employees, according to Bloom. He said those employees had also gone 408 days without a pay increase, dating back to Sept. 1, 2025.
Bloom pointed to the rising cost of living as another concern for union members. He cited a 4.3% increase in regional inflation since September 2025 and said recent contract settlements in other Middlesex County school districts had included salary increases of approximately 4%.
“We are only asking for what is fair,” Bloom said. “We’re only asking for what we deserve, and we’re only asking to stay in line with our surrounding districts.”
The contract dispute has continued into the 2026-27 school year. The district’s previous agreement expired over the summer, leaving employees working under its existing terms while negotiations continue.
The Board of Education also discussed negotiations involving the Sayreville Education Association during a closed session before the Oct. 13 public meeting, according to the meeting’s executive session summary. Details of those discussions were not made public.
Board President Eloy Fernandez thanked Bloom for speaking and emphasized the importance of residents and employees participating in public meetings.
“I think whenever the public participates, not only makes our meetings better; it makes our district and our community stronger,” Fernandez said.
The board did not announce a new contract or provide a timetable for reaching an agreement during the public portion of the meeting.
The next regularly scheduled Sayreville Board of Education meeting is Nov. 17.
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