"Negotiations" aren't going to start again until WHEN?

I just saw a report on the news that there are going to be no "negotiations" (and yes, I meant to put the quote marks there) until next Thursday! So what I want to know is, whose bright idea is that? And is there anything the union can do to speed up the process — or, since the district keeps threatening to do it to us, can we take the district to court to actually bargain???