Westland (WWJ)  -- A teacher walkout in the Wayne-Westland School district has forced the cancellation of classes Tuesday.  Classes were scrapped Monday due to an ongoing contract troubles between teachers and the district. 

Talks took place Monday afternoon, but administrators called off Tuesday classes saying they didn't want to have the same problems as Monday morning when students arrived at school only to be told to go home.

Superintendent Greg Baracy told WWJ that there hadn't been a teacher work stoppage in the district since 1974.  "We're extremely disappointed that they chose this illegal action today," Baracy said.

The Wayne-Westland Education Association suggested over the weekend that parents should make day-care arrangements.  At a press conference Monday, Nancy Strachan, president of the WWEA, said "The WWEA expected this round of bargaining to be relatively simple."

The district's teachers have been without a contract since late August and have had several contract extensions, the most recent expiring last Thursday.
 
"At the end of the day Friday, we had completed a negotiating session that we thought was promising and had scheduled through the state mediator two additional negotiation times this week as well as next week," said Baracy.

A proposal from the union to extend the contract for a year with smaller class sizes was turned down.  Baracy said contract discussions seemed fruitful, with four meetings scheduled over the next two weeks.  Strachan, though, said, "Management claimed to need time to study whether small class sizes are good for students."

A sticking point has been health insurance, and whether the teachers would keep their own or be placed on the same plan as administrators.

The Michigan Education Association (MEA) said that several school districts were on their watch list for potential labor troubles.  Harper Woods, Woodhaven, Northville, Utica, Brighton, Redford Union and Pickney were all on the MEA's "critical list."  At Redford Union, the teachers' union has been without a contract for more than five years.

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