Mass. teachers strikes drags on. Here's what to know
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The picket scene in Beverly. Photo: David L. Ryan/Boston Globe via Getty Images
Teachers in Beverly, Gloucester and Marblehead are entering their third week of illegal strikes. There's no resolution in sight, and the financial and educational consequences are mounting.
Why it matters: Over 1,400 educators have been on picket lines in the three towns for over two weeks, closing schools for approximately 10,000 students.
- While teachers strike, court-imposed fines are piling up into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Teachers are demanding higher pay with better benefits and safer school environments.
Reality check: All the missed class time means extending the school year into the summer, potentially delaying senior graduations.
- Districts may also have to cancel breaks and vacations, or hold school on weekends, to meet state-mandated school days.
Friction point: Districts and unions are also at odds over how much to pay paraprofessionals, aides who help manage classrooms, work with students with disabilities and provide one-on-one support.
- Nearly 85% of paraprofessionals in Massachusetts made $30,000 or less last year, way below what teachers earn, according to the Globe.
Between the lines: The unions' show of force isn't localized to just the three striking towns.
- Members of the Boston Teachers Union held "walk-in" protests before school to protest a lack of progress in contract negotiations with the city last week.
- Teachers unions have a lot of mojo at the moment, coming off their win on Election Day to end the MCAS exam graduation requirement.
The latest: An Essex County Superior Court judge gave the unions until 6pm Monday to settle on a deal to go back to work.
- If there's no agreement by then, a court-appointed third party will take over negotiations.
- Gov. Maura Healey called the standoff "unacceptable" last week and urged both sides to make a deal to get kids back into class.
State of play: Negotiators were close to an agreement in Gloucester Wednesday night before talks collapsed.
- Marblehead and Beverly were further from a resolution at the end of last week.
- Beverly's school committee offered a new compensation package last week, but teachers said it's insufficient.