Teachers strike in Boston suburb enters its eighth day, with tensions fraying
NEWTON, Mass. — A teachers strike in suburban Boston entered its eighth day Tuesday — one of the longest in recent state history — with both sides still unable to agree on salaries and other issues and tensions flaring.
The Newton School Committee said Tuesday that it has made another revised offer to the Newton Teachers Association, which it described as “a fair and competitive offer that addresses the concerns expressed by the NTA to the bargaining team and publicly.”
“Throughout the duration of the strike, we have presented increasingly competitive (cost-of-living adjustment) proposals, even compared to the highest-paying peer districts,” the commission said in a statement.
The union has said it is seeking living wages for all workers, more paid family leave and a guarantee that social workers are placed in every elementary and middle school.
The school committee’s proposal addresses union priorities, including 12 weeks of paid parental leave, smaller class sizes and more support from social workers for students, according to the school committee.
The union did not immediately respond to an email or phone call requesting comment on the latest offer.
It is illegal for government workers, including teachers, to strike in Massachusetts. Newton has more than 87,000 residents.
For every day the union strikes, the court faces a fine of $50,000. In total, the union is now owed $475,000 for the strike that began on January 19, according to The Boston Globe.
Tensions are starting to rise.
Lital Asher-Dotan filed a lawsuit in Middlesex District Court on Monday. The Newton mother of three — two high school students and an eighth-grade student — is asking the court to force the teachers union to end the strike.
In the lawsuit, Asher-Dotan said one of her children is facing adversity during a crucial school year that could jeopardize her chances of college admission. She said her children also missed part of the hockey season and opportunities with the ski team club.
“The prolonged strike exacerbates these problems, especially for students with special needs,” the lawsuit said.
Other parents have started an online petition urging the union and the city to “continue your negotiations while allowing students and teachers to return to the classroom.”
“Our children are being deprived of their right to education. We believe that the NTA and the city are so mired in their drive to advocate for their perspectives that the interests of the children have become secondary to the need to win,” the petition said.
The district educates nearly 12,000 students across more than 20 schools.