School is canceled Tuesday in three communities on Massachusetts' North Shore, as teachers strikes in Beverly, Gloucester and Marblehead continue.
Union representatives for all three towns were expected to speak at a news conference Monday night about a perceived lack of urgency from the towns' school committees to open schools.
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"Please know that our mediation efforts are ongoing and are starting early every morning and continuing late into the night," Gloucester Superintendent Ben Lummis said in a statement Monday evening. "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."
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Similar sticking points have plagued the three contract negotiations, including paraprofessional pay increases, extended leave benefits, staffing levels and class sizes.
“If it could have been prevented, it would have been prevented by management coming to the table in good faith to bargain a fair contract for us," Beverly special education teacher Caroline Nyada said.
The bargaining committee in Beverly says they’ve been at this for nine months and they’re still no closer to reaching a deal.
Educators in Marblehead have filed an unfair labor practice charge with the state, alleging the school committee is refusing to have face-to-face negotiations with them.
“We have made countless concessions to our original proposals that they have rejected and said come back with something different," Marblehead kindergarten teacher Hanna Partyka said. "That's not negotiating.”
In Gloucester, the school district had taken the teachers to court to begin fining them for the illegal strike.
“The consequences of this strike are already being felt. I recognize the strain it’s placing on our families, our students, the community, and our teachers,” Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga said.
“The Union of Gloucester Educators team is thoughtfully creating counterproposals and responding to the items that school committee is asking us. And their responses are reject, reject, reject," Gloucester teacher Rachel Salvo Rex said.
The Gloucester School Committee released the following statement Monday morning:
“At 10 a.m. the Gloucester Teachers Association and the Gloucester Association of Educational Paraprofessionals defied the state court order to end their illegal strike and return to work tomorrow. The unions now face further action from the court. The Gloucester School Committee hoped that the unions would put students first and end this harmful disruption to learning while continuing with the mediation process. However, that is not the case. The School Committee will continue to mediate throughout the day and remains committed to reaching an agreement and getting students back in school tomorrow where they belong. Every day matters.”
Teachers from all three communities held a solidarity rally at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester on Monday afternoon. Some students there showed support for their striking teachers.
"I think it’s fine missing school because this is more important," said Amarryah Lane, a Gloucester High School senior.
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— Mary Markos (@maryathanasia) November 11, 2024
Educators, students and families from Beverly, Marblehead and Gloucester are gathering at Stage Fort Park for a solidarity rally as their strikes continue and classes tomorrow hang in the balance. pic.twitter.com/VFpwczeZPe
