Woburn Public Schools closed Monday due to teacher strike
WOBURN -- After more than a year of negotiations and roughly two dozen meetings, there is still no deal between the teachers and the city of Woburn.
The latest round of failed negotiations ran for eight hours Sunday. By 6 p.m., the city said it was forced to notify parents that teachers were planning to strike, and classes would be canceled Monday.
The Woburn Teacher's Association said they are asking for increased pay for teachers, with a focus on paraprofessionals, along with smaller class sizes, and increased gym time for elementary school students.
Eric Scarborough is a spokesperson for the WTA. "It's unfortunate that we have to do this, but you get to a point when you have been pushed too far. We have not been able to get a contract. We don't see the mayor or school committee as taking negotiations seriously," he said.
Mayor Scott Galvin spoke to reporters Sunday evening in his office at city hall. The WTA could be heard rallying outside.
Galvin said he had sat with the WTA more than 25 times over the past year and reached a signed agreement with the union in October, but union members rejected it.
Galvin said the city offered a 10.75% raise over three years, but the WTA countered with 14.75% raises over the same period.
It is a counteroffer Galvin called "outrageous."
"It would have terrible consequences for the school budget," said Galvin. "It would cause funding problems going forward. It would be a bad deal for our taxpayers. They still plan on striking tomorrow, which will have terrible effect on our over 4,200 children and their parents."
Galvin said the average teacher pay in Woburn sits at $85,000 a year.
Teachers said they planned to strike in front of every public school on Monday morning before moving to city hall in the afternoon.
The Mayor, School Committee, and the Woburn Teachers Association plan to resume negotiations Monday morning.
The city is planning to file an injunction in Superior Court Monday, which the city argued could force teachers back into the classrooms or be ordered to pay fines.
