Teachers in North Shore communities continue to strike amid contract negotiations

NORTH SHORE — Teachers in multiple North Shore communities continue to strike amid contract negotiations.

Teachers in Beverly negotiated all day on Saturday and are back on Sunday afternoon.

A tentative agreement on school community health and safety, which covers topics such as student dysregulation, environmental concerns, and student and staff safety was reached, according to Rachael Abell, Chair of the Beverly School Committee.

As of Sunday night, the school committee is waiting for a response to package proposals submitted to the BTA.

“Over the past nine months, the School Committee put forth proposals to advance negotiations, with the ultimate goal of reaching a fair contract, Abell said. “The Subcommittee has kept the entire School Committee, which includes Mayor Cahill, informed during this process. From day one, we have been in agreement that our educators need and deserve a wage increase that addresses an increasing current cost of living and that has been reflected in our proposals. The Beverly City Council agreed, which is why they joined the School Committee and the Mayor by making budgetary reallocations that will strain other parts of our municipal government, she added”

In Gloucester, teachers bargained on Saturday and are back at the bargaining table on Sunday morning.

“We were hoping that today would include steps forward on the key issues that have divided us for over six months, the Gloucester School Committee said.

Those issues are salary, new benefits, and important collaboration time for the teachers. The GTA decided instead to focus on items like email response time and personal days, the committee said.

“In regards to wages, it is important to highlight that based on our current proposal, 65% of teachers will earn above $90,000 by the end of the proposed contract and 41% will be earning above $100,000 dollars. This competitive compensation does not include the longevity payments and stipends teachers also receive,” The School Committee said.

In Marblehead, teachers are continuing to strike on Sunday after the committee rejected all of their proposals in their bargaining agreement on Saturday.

“The MEA is simply trying to unify working conditions among all employees since every member of this union contributes to the success and growth of students,’ Marblehead Education Association said. “The education It is unjust and unfair to treat teachers and non-teachers differently: we are all educators,” they added.

The MEA voted Friday to authorize its bargaining team to call a strike on Tuesday if a contract is not reached by Monday night.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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