Striking Massachusetts teachers criticized for ‘pub crawl’ amid contract negotiations
As Massachusetts teachers with the Newton Teacher Association (NTA) prepare to sign newly negotiated contracts after an illegal strike, some locals are criticizing the teachers for planning a “pub…
As Massachusetts teachers with the Newton Teacher Association (NTA) prepare to sign newly negotiated contracts after an illegal strike, some locals are criticizing the teachers for planning a “pub crawl” while disrupting their students’ lives and education.
“If you’re not doing everything you can to put kids in school, you should be ashamed of yourselves,” Francis Yerardi, a Newton native and local businessman, told NBC10 Boston.
The union responded to the criticism in local media, saying, “there are social events scheduled outside of our contractual teaching hours to allow members to process – and be together inside, in the warmth, away from the rain, cold and snow we’ve experienced over the last 12 days.”
Meanwhile, union members have been promised new contracts that include a 12% pay raise over the course of four years, alongside other concessions made by the city. Despite the costly agreement, however, NTA members are now concerned with the impact that making up for class time lost to strike days will have on their planned vacations.
“It’s really hard that we will be losing February break as part of working 11 additional days to make up lost days and to earn this year’s full pay,” said Mike Zilles, NTA president, in a statement over the weekend.
“For all that we learned, shared, and for all that we grew, and, yes, celebrated our power, those days on strike, for us, were work days, hard days standing out in the cold, not knowing how much longer we had to hold the line. And now we must work 11 more days. It’s really hard, especially because making up the days will cut out our February vacation, and force us to cancel most prior plans, with a few exceptions.”
The NTA strike has been ongoing since Jan. 19, with teachers demanding concessions on wages and support staff that city leadership says it cannot afford.
“I am increasingly worried that the union leadership is losing sight of the fact that their decision to strike is really, really hurting youngsters,” stated Mayor Ruthanne Fuller in a Jan. 28 press release.
“As one parent wrote, removing the school routine is wreaking havoc; children are feeling isolated at home; cancelling extracurriculars is removing joy and hurting mental health; high schoolers are feeling anxious and stressed out.”
