BEVERLY, Mass. — Eighteen days later, Beverly teachers are still on strike. But teachers claim they are “this” close to a deal with the city, once they can get agreement on pay increases for paraprofessionals.
Just one problem: the School Committee stopped negotiating late Sunday night.
“About an hour ago our state appointed mediator informed us that bargaining today is cancelled because management is refusing to show up,” said Andrea Sherman, co-president of the Beverly Teachers Association. “They walked away from us. They walked away from the city and they walked away from the kids.”
The School Committee “walked away” in deference to a state-mandated fact-finding process that kicked in at 6 p.m. Sunday. That process could take more than a week to complete. Teachers said they will not be participating.
“It is not effective,” said Julia Brotherton, also a Co-President of the Beverly Teachers Association. “What the fact-finder will most likely say is that both sides need to return to the bargaining table. So we’re already here.”
Here, on Monday, was the site of previous negotiating sessions -- the Hannah Elementary School. Hundreds of BTA members joined Sherman and Brotherton at an impromptu press conference after it became clear the school committee wasn’t showing up.
“We have predicted this would happen for the past 17 days,” said Sherman. “The Mayor, Chair (Rachael) Abell and the other members of the school committee negotiating team have used every delay tactic possible against the BTA.”
They’ve also used something else: the withholding of pay. Starting this week, striking teachers will be docked -- that’s in addition to the hundreds of thousands of dollars the union has been fined.
“Cutting off pay right before Thanksgiving and the upcoming holidays is clearly a tactic designed to bully educators and force the BTA back to work without a living wage for paraprofessionals,” said Brotherton.
Late Monday, the Beverly School Committee returned an inquiry by Boston 25 News regarding the status of the negotiations.
In a statement, the committee said the BTA had no desire to reach an agreement.
“Despite an in-person session yesterday, the BTA made no significant movement from the financial demands,” Abell wrote. “We have no reason to believe that will change.”
Abell said on wages alone, the BTA proposal is more than $3 million more than the city can afford and that negotiations are suspended with the union until they follow court orders to return to work. If they do, Abell said substitute teachers will be hired to take the place of teachers on the negotiating team.
That does not seem likely to happen. Teachers said returning to work without a contract agreement is something they will not do.
Monday evening, teachers took the negotiating table to City Hall -- literally -- setting it up on the sidewalk as the centerpiece of a raucous rally. It was a stunt, of course. There was no expectation the school committee would actually show up and bargain. But it was taking place in advance of a non-binding city council vote, scheduled for 7 PM, that, teachers said, would affirm the city has the funds to make a deal.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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