Academics in Gloucester, Beverly and Marblehead will stay on strike heading into one other college week as halting negotiations failed to succeed in a deal once more over the weekend.
Monday marks the seventh day on strike for the Gloucester and Beverly lecturers unions and the sixth day for the Marblehead educators.
Academics strikes are unlawful beneath Massachusetts state regulation and all three unions have been ordered to pay $50,000 fines a day plus $10,000 every day the lecturers stay on strike. If the strikes final by way of the work day Monday, Beverly and Gloucester unions face $260,000 in fines and the MEA faces $180,000.
Educators continued to specific frustration over what they known as stall ways meant to “punish” the unions with by way of the growing fines. Beverly lecturers mentioned they have been dismissed from negotiations by the mediator early Sunday night time.
“The community updates claim they want to bargain in good faith, but their attorneys say otherwise,” mentioned BTA co-President Andrea Sherman, referencing a court docket listening to scheduled Monday. “Tomorrow, the School Committee will argue they have no obligation to bargain with us. That’s been painfully obvious over the last 11 days. They’re waiting for the courts to punish educators. They want to stop the union. They don’t care that kids are being hurt.”
Academics have highlighted key calls for together with important wage will increase throughout the board and notably for lower-paid paraprofessionals and at the least eight weeks of paid parental depart. Different asks embody college security provisions, depart for sick members of the family and being pregnant loss and lunch and recess breaks.
Faculty committee updates over the weekend highlighted progress, whereas persevering with to press again on points like wages.
“Throughout the course of the day yesterday, we reached a conceptual agreement relating to class sizes, reflected in the graphic attached below,” the Beverly Faculty Committee Chair Rachael Abell mentioned Sunday morning. “However, we still remain far apart on compensation and other items with significant monetary implications for Beverly taxpayers.”
Marblehead educators mentioned Sunday night time they’re seeking to make their wages aggressive and maintain lecturers for greater wages in close by districts.
“Here’s the problem with what the school committee is offering, and even if we split the difference, Marblehead at the end of those four years would still be lower compared to 16 communities on the North Shore than we are today,” mentioned MEA co-president Jonathan Heller Sunday night time. “How do you dig out of a hole that’s even deeper four years from now? You don’t. It is a serious problem.”
