Oil City High School - Oil Can Yearbook (Oil City, PA)

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Strike news headlines The Derrick. The negotiating team discusses the contract proposals in one of many meetings. Strike captains, Mr. and Mrs. Hardy, exchange ideas with Mr. Stevens. Kneeling, Mr. Rick Fletcher leads the team's discussion of the tenative settlement. 16

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HOMECOMING COURT: Patti Stevenson, Jeff Womer, Laura Lundquist, Chris Culbertson, Scott McMullen, Susan Stephens, Dave Speece, Lisa Settlemire, Matt Eufy, Traci Zillifro. Yelling Give me an O , Mark Niggle tries to get students in the cafeteria fired up for the big game. Signaling 1, Brad Quattro brought the seniors to their feet during the pie-in-the-face contest. Homecoming Queen Susan Stephens and her escort, Scott McMullen. Friday evening began with the annual Homecoming Parade through downtown Oil City. It was preceded by a reception at the Holiday Inn for the court and other invited guests. Before the game against Kennedy Christian, the court was introduced and then the football team ran onto the field while the Oiler Marching Band played O.C.H.S. Fireworks were set off and some 500 helium-filled balloons were released into the air. This fantastic finale will always be a special memory to all those who witnessed it. AH Nerds Tom McGreevy and J.R. Emanuele display their stylish fashions. 15

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Teachers' Strike Closes District Schools Students had an unplanned vacation this year, the result of a teachers' strike. It was the second one in almost fifteen years. Fortunately, it was much shorter than the previous one which lasted for a month. Negotiations for the new contract began in January 1985, and continued without a settlement. The teachers' old contract expired on June 30, but in a general membership meeting in August they agreed to return to school in September under an extension of their old contract. The teachers' negotiating committee headed by high school art teacher Rick Fletcher was given the power to call a strike by the district's teachers. During the meeting, it was also decided to bring in a state mediator to help with negotiations. During the last talks before the strike, it seemed neither the board nor the teachers' negotiating team would budge. The talks were at an impasse. On October 7, at a general membership meeting, the teachers were told by chief negotiator and union president, Rick Fletcher, not to report to work the next day. The strike put the district's 2,900 students out of school, and affected janitors, secretaries, maintenance and cafeteria workers. The last strike staged by Oil City teachers was in 1971. It lasted for about four weeks. There were fifteen negotiating sessions between the school board and President Palmer Montgomery and union president Ray O'Neil. Fourteen years later the Oil City school district was shut down by another strike. Terry Duespohl and the school board, with Rick Fletcher and the teachers' negotiating team worked diligently to end the strike quickly. After a marathon negotiating session late Thursday, October 10, a settlement was agreed upon. School would resume the next Monday. A memorandum was written up by both sides, translating what had been agreed upon verbally to paper. In a meeting on Sunday, October 14, the teachers overwhelmingly accepted the new contract. A compromise had been reached that seemed to satisfy both the school board and the teachers. On Monday, October 14, classes resumed after the four-day strike. Most students felt relieved that the strike was over and the school year was back on track. JWB