The Long Beach Island Education Association has been working on an expired contract for 227 days and earlier this year entered into factfinding, the final step before super conciliation, which could require, among other things, 24-hour-per-day negotiations until a voluntary settlement has been reached.

“While it is not unusual for contract negotiations to go to mediation or even factfinding, it is highly unusual that a contract settlement would be held up due to grievance language,” Colleen…