Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BEVERLY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Teachers in Beverly and Gloucester voted to go on strike this week after contract negotiations stalled.
Schools in both districts remained closed on Friday because of the strikes. Teachers on the picket lines are asking for better pay, benefits, and smaller, more manageable class sizes, among other demands.
According to the Beverly Teachers Association, educators have been working for nearly 70 days without a contract and participated in more than 30 hours of face-to-face bargaining sessions.
"We don't want to be out here on the lines, this is important to us, but we want to be in our classrooms. We are ready to get this contract settled as soon as possible so that we can get back to work," said Beverly High School teacher Stephanie Andrews.
Rachael Abell, the chair for the Beverly School Committee, said the district filed a petition with the Department of Labor Relations to prevent the walkout vote, but with no immediate success.
In Massachusetts, it is illegal for teachers to go on strike. The Gloucester School Committee said in a statement that similar demands from the Gloucester Teachers Association were "financially irresponsible and impractical."
"Accepting them would seriously risk tax hikes or service cuts for the district," said GSC chair Kathleen Clancy.
"This action will stall student learning, bring afterschool programs and athletics to a halt, and leave parents scrambling for childcare options with little or no notice," Clancy said.
“Management is not listening, if they were, they’d be agreeing with us, and this contract would have been settled before school started,” said Andrea Sherman, a Health and Wellness teacher in Beverly.
“Between the lack of support for our students and the poverty pay for our paraprofessionals, the educators in Beverly say enough is enough,” said Julia Brotherton, co-president of the Beverly Teachers Association.
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The BTA said that at the core of this strike, the School Committee has refused to fix the exploitive wages paid to paraprofessionals who work with students who need the most support.
Both unions will continue to rally and strike until a contract is reached.
Though they are not in the same stage, teachers in Fitchburg will hold a meeting next week to discuss a new contract-- including fair wages, better working conditions, and other benefits.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.
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