Teachers in 3 Massachusetts communities continue strike over pay, paid parental leave
BOSTON — Teachers in three Massachusetts communities fighting for new contracts advanced their demands Monday, as parents braced for the possibility of more classes being canceled Tuesday.
Teachers in Beverly and Gloucester voted to authorize a strike on Thursday, and schools were closed on Friday as teachers in both districts rallied over pay, paid parental leave and other issues.
In a third community, Marblehead, teachers voted Tuesday to go to the picket lines. School officials in Marblehead, about 16 miles (25.8 kilometers) north of Boston, have already announced that schools will be closed Tuesday and there will be no extracurricular activities or sports.
School officials in Gloucester also announced Monday that classes and extracurricular activities will be canceled Tuesday, although breakfast and lunch will be available to students.
Schools were closed Monday for Veterans Day.
Educators from all three communities participated in a meeting Monday afternoon in Gloucester, about 35 miles (56.3 kilometers) north of Boston. Hundreds of teachers waved signs and listened to speeches.
In Gloucester, the union in the district of 2,800 students is asking for eight weeks of fully paid parental leave, two weeks at 75% and two weeks at 50%. It also wants significant pay increases for paraprofessionals, safer conditions for students and more preparation time for elementary school teachers.
Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga said Monday evening that the city has put forward what he described as realistic proposals. He faulted the union for not putting forward a counter-wage proposal, saying the current proposal would require a $400 per year tax increase for the average taxpayer or cuts to other services.
“It is critical that we work together to find common ground, but unfortunately we have not seen the progress we need,” he said.
Union officials said they want to tackle small issues and get them out of the way before moving on to bigger issues like salaries in Gloucester.
Officials in Beverly, about 25 miles (41.8 kilometers) north of Boston, said discussions with teachers were ongoing. Officials said they would provide an update Monday evening on whether the school will be open Tuesday.
Even if school is canceled, officials say they are prepared to continue negotiations.
The Beverly Teachers Association said in a statement last week that they are pushing for smaller class sizes in the 4,500-student district, 12 weeks of paid parental leave and a “living wage” for paraprofessionals or teacher assistants with a starting salary of $20,000.
Julia Brotherton, co-president of the Beverly Teachers Association, accused the school committee in a written statement of refusing to agree to everything from expanded lunch and recess for students to allowing teachers to use their earned sick time to care for the sick and dying family members to care for. .
Rachael Abell, the chair of the Beverly School Committee, criticized the strike for “unfairly” disrupting students’ education.
“We call on the BTA to end their illegal strike and join us in working with the mediator to negotiate in good faith,” Abell said last week.
Teacher strikes are rare in Massachusetts, in part because state law prohibits public sector workers from striking.
The last time teachers struck was earlier this year in the Boston suburb of Newton, where an 11-day strike ended after the two sides reached an agreement. The strike in Newton was the sixth teacher strike in the state since 2022 and the longest.
The two sides agreed to a cost-of-living increase of about 13% over four years for teachers, pay increases for classroom assistants and 40 days of fully paid family leave.