Teacher-board Me Diation Set Aug. 13

Meetings are scTieduled for Aug. 13 and 14 with the state expert called in to medíate the salary dispute between the Board of Education and the Ann Arbor Education Association (AAEA). Mediator Robert Blackwell said Aug. 13 is the earliest date he can come to Ann Arbor. "My schedule is pretty f uil," he said. If his services are needed beyond Aug. 14, Blackwell said arrangements will probably be made to extend his stay. Blackwell has been in Saline mediating contract talks between the Saline Board of Education and the Saline Education Association. He is also assigned to medíate talks in a number of other cities this summer, ing Midland and Flint. A tentative agreement has been reached at Saline. Blackwell will be sent to Ann Arbor by the State Labor Medi-I ation Board. He is a special f mediator for that body. Negotiators for the Ann Arbor school board and the AAEA jointly requested a state mediator Tuesday after attending a bargaining session which made no progress on settling the salary dispute. The two sides are about $800,000 apart in their proposals for a 1968-69 contract. The school board is offering a $353,000 package, while the teachers are requesting a package totaling $1,155,000. The professional mediator --■ ... i tries to assist the parties in arriving at a settlement. He does not usually make recommendations, and if he does, they are not binding. The next step after mediation is fact-finding, during which recommendations are made to both parties. Again, these recommendations are not binding. In fact, according to well, there is no form of bind-j ing arbitration in teacher talks.i Negotiators for the Board ofj Education and the teachers' association will continue to meet regularly until Aug. 13, mainly to discuss non-economie items. There are a number of these yet to be resolved. The next negotiating session s slated for Tuesday.