Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
BEVERLY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Days after one North Shore teachers strike ended with a done deal, there is mounting pressure for two others to do the same.
Teachers in Gloucester reached an agreement with the school committee on Friday after a 15-day strike. The new contract will see teachers salaries increase nearly 16 percent over four years, while paraprofessional salaries will grow by nearly 40 percent over five years. All educators will also be guaranteed seven weeks of paid parental leave.
Classes in Gloucester will resume Monday.
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Beverly and Marblehead educators remain at the bargaining table with their school committees. Teachers there have been on the picket lines for more than two weeks, canceling school for thousands of students.
In a statement Saturday, Gov. Maura Healey said it was "unacceptable" that students have been out of school for so long, adding they "need to be back in school on Monday."
"I have spoken to all parties, and I believe they are at a place where they should be able to reach an agreement this weekend, and they should do so," Healey said. "If they don’t reach that agreement, they should ensure that students can return to the classroom on Monday while these negotiations continue."
Educators reacted to Healey's statement at a rally at Beverly Middle School Sunday.
"My opinion is, yeah, the kids do have to go back to school, but we’re not gonna give in right now," teacher Seton Wood told WBZ NewsRadio. "We’ve been putting on a good fight. This is for the kids, this is for the community, this is so that education can continue in the future."
In an update Saturday night, the Beverly Teachers Association accused Healey, Beverly Mayor Michael Cahill, and the school committee of continuing a "union-busting crusade."
"I think the idea is that they’re trying to bust the union right now by putting us off and putting us off and hopes [sic] we’ll roll over," Wood said.
"They have been stalling on purpose throughout this whole process," another Beverly teacher said.
Beverly School Committee Rachael Abell also issued an update Saturday, saying the school committee had a "very strong offer" on the table. Abell also warned about an impending fact-finding order from the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations, which would delay a resolution to the strike even further.
"As you know, an Essex County Superior Court Judge ordered that if a negotiated deal is not reached by Sunday at 6 p.m., the Committee and the Beverly Teachers Association (BTA) will be required to begin an arduous state-led fact-finding process," Abell said. "While we appreciate that this has been expedited and would move quicker than the typical hearing process, unfortunately if we do not reach a deal by tomorrow night a fact finding hearing may not even be held until December 2, locking us into a holding pattern that would hurt students and cause greater harm to families who have struggled over the last two weeks to find child care. If the BTA continues its strike after the court-imposed deadline, our students could be out of school for four more days or longer."
Meanwhile, Kimberley Coelho, another member of the Beverly School Committee, vented her frustration with the ongoing talks in a Facebook post Saturday.
"My position as a sitting member of the Beverly School Committee provides a unique perspective to these conversations," Coelho said. "What I see happening is disgusting and compels me to speak out publicly for the first time."
Coelho accused some of her fellow members of "not wanting to settle a contract" with the Beverly Teachers Association. Instead, Coelho said, these members are more concerned about "breaking the union’s spirits and dividing our community."
"As a mom of 2 BPS students, I encourage my fellow elected leaders in Beverly to stand up to this madness and implore the Mayor to settle a fair contract with the BTA this weekend," Coelho said. "Please let us get our children back to school, our educators back to work, and our families and communities on the path of restoration and healing."
WBZ’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.