Woburn faculties will likely be closed for a second day as a result of educators’ strike, as contract negotiations stalled out round 8 p.m. Monday.
“We strongly felt that a contract could have been resolved tonight and that our educators would return to doing what they do best: teaching our Woburn students,” mentioned WTA President Barbara Locke after negotiations ended, arguing the School Committee had stalled negotiations all through the day.
The union, comprised of 550 educators and faculty employees, has been and not using a contract since August. The union and School Committee met for negotiations 25 occasions earlier than the escalation to a strike this week.
Negotiations had been scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. however shortly halted as a result of a dispute in regards to the WTA’s “silent representatives” within the negotiating room. The WTA mentioned in a launch it has at all times had a bunch of union members within the room to “strictly observe and listen.”
“Ellen Crowley and the mayor’s School Committee came into the room at 10 a.m. and told us that they would not meet with us,” Locke mentioned at a press convention at 11 a.m., calling the delay “unacceptable.”
Negotiations restarted round 2:30 p.m. and continued for almost six hours.
Locke mentioned the negotiators had made “significant progress” on paraprofessionals’ wage enhance — a major sticking level — earlier than negotiations ended. The beginning wage for a paraprofessional is about $22,000.
The WTA has listed priorities together with the increase for paraprofessionals, elementary college bodily schooling lessons twice every week and smaller class sizes.
At a noon rally on the Woburn Common, educators and neighborhood members held indicators with messages like, “70+ vacant positions in the district” and “Woburn teachers are not ‘replaceable.’”
The School Committee and Mayor Scott Galvin beforehand referred to as the strike “illegal, disruptive and unnecessary” and filed a authorized injunction towards the academics to halt the strike.
A Middlesex Superior Court choose heard arguments in court docket Monday however didn’t concern a ruling.
Under state legislation, it’s unlawful for public workers in Massachusetts to go on strike. If a choose points an injunction, the WTA could face hefty fines for every further day on strike.
The WTA mentioned they’re hopeful “a settlement can be reached by the end of the day” Tuesday.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”