A militant academics’ union following a playbook of confrontation and unlawful strikes in opposition to incompetent college districts is a nasty mixture that’s leaving 1000’s of Massachusetts college students out of the lecture rooms.
The sample of walkouts and strikes has been repeated throughout the Commonwealth over the previous couple of years and can proceed to hurt college students until directors, academics and the state work collectively to resolve their points.
The newest strikes in Beverly, Gloucester and Marblehead — which have stretched previous two weeks – are clearly a coordinated effort by the Massachusetts Lecturers’ Union realizing it has the backing of outraged dad and mom and college students.
They’re much like a academics’ strike in Newton earlier this yr, which was lastly resolved after two weeks.
The playbook goes one thing like this: complain about pay and huge class sizes and threaten to strike, march on the State Home steps, harass the college committee, conduct candlelight vigils and scholar walkouts and eventually refuse to indicate up for work regardless of being fined by the courts.
The union is aware of this can be a profitable technique that can have the help of most dad and mom and academics, till finally the college district caves and the courts dismiss the fines.
However what concerning the college students who’re being pressured to overlook weeks of faculty? Who’s obtained their again?
Clearly not the directors and city officers who would moderately give the finger to academics than cut price in good religion.
It’s not the union which is all too prepared to interrupt state regulation to get what they need.
And it’s not Gov. Maura Healey, who ought to be ponying up extra money to native college districts as a substitute of issuing bland statements calling on each side to bend to get college students again to class.
If the state has $1 billion to spend supporting migrants it will probably give you additional cash to extend instructor pay and appeal to and retain extra educators to allow them to afford to purchase their very own properties.
Lecturers face an more and more tough state of affairs within the faculties, together with shortages of academics and provides and the specter of violence. They face extra dangers than ever making an attempt to do their jobs.
Demonizing them as a result of some earn a median wage over $100,000 a yr isn’t going to cease the strikes. The general public are on their aspect anyway.
Police and firefighters get fixed pay hikes of their contracts, together with fats additional time checks, as a result of they’re considered as important first responders and threat their lives day by day. It’s time we checked out academics the identical manner.
Let’s decide academics by how a lot they work and never simply because most get the summer season off.
College districts and city officers must cease screaming and moaning about instructor pay will increase busting their budgets. And cease the animosity.
Gloucester Mayor Greg Varga ought to resign instantly for his moronic obscene gesture apparently aimed toward putting academics.
An apology isn’t sufficient.
“My frustrations got the best of me, and I responded to the nastiness being hurled at me as I was trying to make my way home to my frightened wife,” Varga mentioned, whereas accusing the academics’ union of “engaging in intimidating behavior.”
That’s not an apology, it’s an excuse.
Even when the unlawful strikes in Gloucester, Beverly and Marblehead finish, it gained’t alter the playbook the union is all too prepared to behave out. It’ll solely embolden academics in different communities to go on strike, too.
It’s time for all the edges to behave like adults and consider the scholars first.
billion-plus for migrants however not for educators. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)
