Three North Shore school districts cancelled school Tuesday after educators and the districts failed to reach a contract deal over the long weekend to avert teacher strikes.
Teachers in Beverly and Gloucester voted to strike Thursday, leading classes to be cancelled in both districts Friday. The Marblehead Education Association (MEA) voted to strike Tuesday if a deal could not be reached over the weekend.
All three school districts released advisories Monday stating school and after-school extracurriculars will be cancelled on Tuesday.
“We all stand at a critical juncture as our school committees refuse to bargain in good faith with educators across the North Shore,” said Andrea Sherman, co-president of the Beverly Education Association (BEA) in a joint press conference at 8 p.m. Monday.
The three unions have stated they’ve been involved in stalled contract negotiations for months and are seeking improved wages, especially for “grossly underpaid” paraprofessionals; paid family leave; school safety improvements and more.
The three current strikes followed strikes seeking similar contract goals in Andover, Haverhill, Malden, Newton, Brookline, and Woburn in recent school years, some of which lasted over a week. Teacher strikes are illegal under Massachusetts state law, and unions risk facing increasing fines after court orders go into effect.
Updates on the negotiations grew heated over the weekend, with the unions accusing school committees and mayors of employing deliberate “stall tactics” and delaying bargaining. Marblehead educators said they filed a labor practice charge with the state’s Department of Labor Relations after the school committee declined to bargain Sunday.
“Let me be clear, Beverly educators were prepared since our strike vote to bargain around the clock this whole long weekend to get a contract settled,” said Sherman. “We have been here for more than 30 hours. Instead, Mayor Cahill and his school committee relished the opportunity to punish educators for saying enough is enough.”
The unions held a raucous joint rally of support in Gloucester on Monday afternoon. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren also issued statements of support for the striking teachers read at the rally Monday.
Gloucester and Beverly Public Schools both stated they will offer grab-and-go meals for pickup during the school day.
“Please know that our mediation efforts are ongoing and are starting early every morning and continuing late into the night,” said Gloucester Superintendent Ben Lummis in a statement Monday night. “The School Committee is working tirelessly with the state mediator and the union to resolve this contract dispute with urgency so children can return to school as quickly as possible.”
Gloucester Public Schools said they will notify families whether school will be cancelled by 6 p.m. the night before going forward. Beverly Public Schools stated they will notify families by 7:30 p.m.
Steven Senne/ The Associated Press
Teachers and supporters rally in Gloucester Monday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
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