Teacher contract negotiations in 3 Massachusetts towns stall
GLOUCESTER - A day of negotiations between the Gloucester teachers union and the school committee ended at a standstill on Saturday. Meanwhile teachers in Marblehead filed a suit with the state's Department of Labor Relations, claiming that school committee refused to negotiate, leaving families in Gloucester, Marblehead and Beverly wondering if there will be school on Tuesday.
Unable to reach fair agreement
The union said that they had presented proposals to the committee, but weren't able to reach a fair agreement.
"Tonight, we are still on strike," Co-President of the Gloucester Teachers Association Rachel Salvorex said. "We were told that the school committee does not want to bargain throughout the night or tomorrow morning to get this deal signed."
Educators in Gloucester and Beverly have been on strike since Thursday night. Marblehead teachers authorized a strike at the end of the school day on Friday. They are hoping to get a contract with better pay, 10 weeks of paid parental leave, and more prep time.
"However today, the union decided we would not move forward with those issues and instead focused on issues like email response time and personal days," Gloucester School Committee chair Kathleen Clancy said.
Students in Gloucester, Marblehead, and Beverly may still be out of school after the three-day weekend.
"Our goal is to be back in school as soon as possible to be with our kids. They can get this deal done today," Co-President of the Beverly Teachers Association Andrea Sherman said.
Negotiations resume on Sunday
The teacher's union says the committee is stalling. But the school committee says the negotiations are ongoing. Both sides understand the stress that parents may be under due to school closures.
"We love our students," Salvorex said.
"We care deeply about the situation that they are in," Clancy said.
Negotiations were set to resume at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. Educators say that the goal is to reach a fair agreement that will allow students to go back to school on Tuesday. But the union says that if a fair contract is not reached, they will continue to strike.
"Until they act with the same urgency that we are, we will continue to hold the line," Salvorex said.
In Marblehead, educators filed suit over what they allege is the school committee's refusal to bargain. The Marblehead Education Association filed an unfair labor practice charge with the state's Department of Labor Relations on Sunday morning.
The state has appointed a mediator and ordered both sides to bargain to prevent a strike from Marblehead educators. The MEA is seeking safe schools, paid family leave, fair wages and adequate lunch and recess time for elementary school students.
Teachers strike illegal in Massachusetts
Teacher strikes are illegal in Massachusetts. The union could face fines, which would go to the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations. The city or town can also charge the union for police details and overtime due to the strike.
