The reward for experience in Perth Amboy? A salary freeze. And teachers in PAF-AFT are having none of it.

City public school teachers, members of the Perth Amboy Federation of the American Federation of Teachers, brought their demands and their signs to City Hall Circle on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, to urge the board of education to lift a pay freeze for employees with more than 10 years’ experience.

Laurel Brennan, secretary-treasurer of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, attended the rally on behalf of the state federation. She assured the PAF-AFT that their 1 million union brothers and sisters throughout the Garden State stand with them as they seek what's right for the dedicated faculty and staff.

PAF-AFT officers say that, even after more than a year of negotiations, the school board is still putting money into higher salaries for new teachers by cutting step increases for teachers and staff with more than a decade of experience.

AFT member Helmin J. Caba, a City Council member and longtime community activist, joined his PAF-AFT sisters and brothers to stand up for them and the city's children. Caba said the most important issue -- always -- is to ensure that students get a good education.

At the rally, PAF-AFT members made clear that loyalty and dedication should be rewarded, not punished by the board. "Teachers deserve fair pay," one of their signs said, "because students deserve teachers who stay."