Boston (AP) On Tuesday, teachers from three striking unions gathered on the steps of the Massachusetts Statehouse, urging Democratic Governor Maura Healey and lawmakers to assist them in finding a solution.
The educators came from three towns north of Boston: Marblehead, Gloucester, and Beverly.
Teachers in Gloucester schools have been operating under an expired contract for almost 500 days, according to Margaret Rudolph, a paraprofessional who has worked there for the past 18 years.
She informed other educators outside the Statehouse that the union had been negotiating for months with little success. Our last resort was this strike.
Healey stated that although she has a respect for teachers and staff because she is the daughter of union members and public school teachers, her main goal is to get students back in the classroom.
The closure of Marblehead, Gloucester, and Beverly schools for almost a week is intolerable. In a written statement released on Tuesday, Healey said, “I’m urging both parties to reach an agreement as soon as possible for the good of our kids, families, educators, and staff.”
Judges last Tuesday fined the Gloucester and Beverly unions $50,000, which they stated would rise by $10,000 for each day the teachers continued to strike. Since the unions’ vote to approve a strike on November 7, schools have stayed closed.
Because public sector workers are prohibited from striking by state law, teacher work stoppages are uncommon in Massachusetts.
The 4,500-student district’s reduced class sizes, 12 weeks of paid parental leave, and a livable wage for paraprofessionals or teaching assistants—whose starting pay is $20,000—are all demands made by the Beverly Teachers Association.
Teachers knew that there would be repercussions for unions, but Ruth Furlong, a special education teacher in Beverly for the past ten years, claimed that open union-busting does not serve justice.
According to Furlong, school officials allowed enough time for court-ordered fines to take effect by proceeding carefully with discussions.
According to her, management is not penalized for not negotiating in good faith at any point during the process.
Beverly school administrators are still hopeful that a solution may be found. Rachael Abell, the leader of the Beverly School Committee, stated on Tuesday that the work action has cost students seven days.
According to Abell, we already have to make tough choices about whether to postpone senior graduation or give our other kids time off in February, April, or on the weekends in order to meet the 180 days of education required by the state.
The 2,800-student Gloucester district’s union has requested eight weeks of fully paid parental leave, with two weeks at 75% and two weeks at 50%. Additionally, it calls for increased preparation time for elementary school instructors, better surroundings for pupils, and large pay raises for paraprofessionals.
Republicans criticized the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the state’s largest union, for what they described as its excessive power and demanded that teachers return to the classroom.
According to MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale, the MTA’s careless and unlawful actions are holding families hostage. In order to stay at home with their children, parents must either skip work or pay for childcare out of pocket.
The Associated Press, 2024. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. It is prohibited to publish, broadcast, rewrite, or redistribute this content without authorization.
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