Bargaining was under way here today between spokesmen for Shaarey Zedek Congregation and the Hebrew Teachers Association on a new contract, after an all-day meeting averted a threatened strike by the Hebrew teachers in the synagogue’s religious school.
A committee of the congregation rejected an overwhelming vote by the entire congregation to sustain the board and its education committee in the firing of two veteran Hebrew teachers. The committee negated the dismissals and restored the teachers, Sol Panush and Jacob Golany, to their classes at Shaarey Zedek, one of the largest Conservative synagogues in the United States.
The Hebrew Teachers Association had filed a complaint of unfair labor practices against the congregation with the State Labor Mediation Board, the first action of this kind in the history of Jewish education in Detroit. The strike had been scheduled for October 23, and also would have been a first action of its nature here.
After strenuous talks Sunday, a statement was issued saying that the congregation and the Hebrew Teachers Association had reached agreement to rescind the dismissal of the two teachers, and to reinstate them. The union agreed to withdraw notice of intent to strike and the unfair labor practices complaint. The statement said bargaining would continue “until a satisfactory contract has been completed.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
