GLOUCESTER – As teacher strikes continue in Marblehead, Gloucester and Beverly, teachers unions and school committees report slow progress.
Why are teachers striking?
Teachers in all three communities have cited better wages, paid family leave, more preparation time and funding for paraprofessionals as reasons for their separate strikes.
Teachers in Gloucester and Beverly have been on strike since the night of Thursday, November 7. Marblehead teachers authorized a strike at the end of the school day on Friday, November 8.
Because it is It is illegal for teachers to strike in Massachusetts, a judge ordered the Gloucester and Beverly teachers unions to strike to pay $50,000 if the strike was not called off. The fines will increase by $10,000 for each day the strike continues.
The Beverly Teachers Union has filed a complaint with the Department of Labor Relations, accusing the school committee of bargaining in bad faith.
In Beverly and Gloucester, school has been cancelled since Friday November 8. In Marblehead, school has been canceled since Tuesday, November 12.
Progress reported in Gloucester
Kathleen Clancy, chairwoman of the Gloucester School Committee, said the district has reached a “tentative” agreement with paraprofessionals that would see them earn as much as $29 an hour in the final year of a three-year contract. Paraprofessionals would make $23.95 in their first year. The package presented would also offer a fourth year on the contract.
“We know these are difficult conversations. All our teachers work hard and the reality is that a range of complex factors are taken into account when determining salaries. Our first-year teachers are paid differently than ninth-year teachers. Annual paraprofessionals are paid differently than more seasoned paraprofessionals. Our teachers with bachelor’s degrees are paid differently than teachers with master’s degrees,” Clancy said in a prepared statement.
According to Matt Lewis, co-chair and vice president of the Union of Gloucester Educators, the only agreement reached was paraprofessional development. Lewis posted a video update on the UGE’s Facebook page, noting that the UGE had spoken personally with management on Saturday. He cited “equal pay for equal work” for paraprofessionals and paid parental leave as areas still under negotiation.
“We are committed to ensuring that all of our proposals and any changes reflect the needs of this association and the needs of the students we serve,” Lewis said. “We need them to meet our needs before schools reopen.”
Bill Melvin, chairman of the school committee’s negotiating team, said the school committee offered a comprehensive package for paraprofessionals that would increase wages, professional development, sick days and paid parental leave.
“We have great respect for our teachers and we are trying to show this by offering significant increases to their current pay,” Melvin said on the school committee’s Facebook page. “We try to be creative with solutions, but there are financial realities that cannot be ignored.”
Tensions in Gloucester have escalated Mayor Greg Verga was caught on video making an obscene gesture in front of a singing crowd as he left contract negotiations Thursday night. He has since apologized for the incident.
Teachers in Beverly say prepare for ‘long fight’
Rachael Abell, chair of the Beverly School Committee, said the school committee would review responses from the Beverly Teachers Association and make any counterproposals the BTA wanted it to consider Saturday afternoon.
“We look forward to hearing from the BTA and are hopeful that we can quickly reach an agreement that is fair to all parties and gets our students and teachers back in the classroom Monday morning,” Abell said.
However, on Saturday evening the BTA posted a video statement on its Facebook page, saying: “Today’s update is that management has indicated they want this to be a long fight.”
Julia Brotherton, co-chair of the BTA, said the city has said it cannot afford to raise wages “above the poverty level.” Brotherton said the BTA offered to wait an extra year for raises and extend teacher contracts to four years.
“The only way forward at this point is to get to that fourth year,” Brotherton said.
Marblehead’s tentative agreement on school safety
The Marblehead Education Association announced on its Facebook page that it had reached a tentative agreement with the Marblehead School Committee regarding school safety. However, negotiations between teachers and management continue.
“Now we must turn our attention to reaching agreements on other important issues such as parental and family leave, pay and training for our essential paraprofessionals and teachers, and bereavement leave,” the MEA said.
The Marblehead School Committee has not yet released a statement on the negotiations.
