BEVERLY, MASS. (WHDH) – Into students’ third week of missed classes, the teachers unions in Beverly and Marblehead will head to the State House Tuesday to discuss the strikes with Gov. Maura Healey.
Students won’t be in class, as negotiations appear to still be far apart.
Emotions from a the weeks-long strike flowed into a Beverly city council meeting, as outside the Beverly Teachers Association vowed to continue to fight for a better contract, even though the school committee has announced it is done negotiating.
The school committee is waiting for a court-ordered fact-finding arbitrator to step in. Until then, they’re urging teachers to return to the classroom and are planning to dock their pay.
A spokesperson for the school committee said they’re millions of dollars apart, writing in a statement:
“The BTA continues to inappropriately withhold our students’ education as a bargaining chip to gain financial terms for its members that will necessitate reductions in force and will also impede the district’s ability to provide a curriculum/program that Beverly residents and students are accustomed to and deserve.”
In Marblehead the school committee is accusing the teachers union of harassment after failed negotiations Sunday night.
“We were surrounded by members of the public as we were headed to our car, we had to have a police escort,” said Marblehead School Committee Co-Chair Jenn Schaeffner. “If the teachers want to come back to school, the doors are open. They can come back tomorrow. We ask them to come back and we will continue to negotiate with them.”
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