WJCEA president tells board union will refile for collective bargaining this fall

Mark Osardi, president of the Williamsburg-James City Education Association and a James Blair Middle School teacher, told the board during public comment on May 20 that the union will refile for collective bargaining this fall.

Osardi said the association previously sought bargaining and that the board voted against collective bargaining last fall despite what he described as majority support from licensed staff. He urged board members to engage with union representatives and said association members are eager to help negotiate a long‑term contract to retain and attract educators. “WJCEA will be refiling for bargaining this fall and we will be reaching out to each member of the board to, once again, talk about how we can work together to effectively enact long term change for the common good,” he said.

Osardi also framed bargaining as a response to sustained staffing and compensation challenges and said bargaining would allow staff and board to work together on contract details that exceed what a single board can complete in one year. Board members did not take formal action during the meeting in response to Osardi’s remarks; the superintendent and board members acknowledged the comment and thanked him for his remarks.