Photo: James Rojas / WBZ NewsRadio
WOBURN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — On Monday, a judge ruled in favor of the Woburn School Committee and the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board to issue a preliminary injunction, ordering striking Woburn teachers to return to the classroom. Despite the court order, union members say they'll continue to be on the picket line.
Tuesday marked the second straight school day canceled at Woburn Public Schools because of the strikes. WBZ's James Rojas spoke to morning demonstrators and Woburn Teachers Association President Barbara Locke.
"It's just too much, we need to have a livable wage for our paraprofessionals, so we're just going to keep going back to that. As far as the community, hang in there because WPS will be a better place because of this," Locke said.
Locke goes on to say paraprofessional salaries start at $22,000 a year.
Negotiations were scheduled to continue on Tuesday. The WSC said in a statement to WBZ NewsRadio that Middlesex Superior Court Judge Maureen Mulligan agreed with the school district that Woburn students will be harmed as a result of canceled classes.
“We urge the WTA and its members to comply with this ruling as we continue negotiations on a successor contract. The Committee remains committed to bargaining in good faith, in the best interests of the children of Woburn, our faculty and staff, and community stakeholders," a spokesperson for the WSC said.
Read More: Woburn Teachers Strike, Cancel School While State Files For Injunction
According to the Massachusetts Teachers Association, Woburn teachers have been working under the terms of a contract that expired in September of 2022, claiming that Sunday negotiations ended with Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin and the WSC walking out of the room and using "delay tactics" in later sessions.
The James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club in Woburn is helping out working families by taking in kids that would normally be at school.
WBZ's James Rojas (@JamesRojasNews) reports.
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