MASSACHUSETTS TEACHERS HAVE BEEN WINNING ILLEGAL STRIKES

 As we are fighting here in NYC to just maintain our health benefits while trying to stop illegal working conditions for some teachers, in Massachusetts teachers have been waging illegal strike activities in various school districts and winning. 

This is from Malden, Mass:

The Malden Education Association and Malden School Committee have reached a tentative agreement on a contract, bringing an end to a teachers strike in the Massachusetts city.

The strike started Monday after the two sides could not reach a deal following 11 hours at the negotiating table on Sunday.

Malden Public Schools canceled classes on Monday with educators walked the picket lines in the morning before holding a rally in the afternoon, as union leaders resumed negotiations with the School Committee that were ultimately successful.

Some details on the settlement:

Deb Gesualdo, president of the MEA, said 97 percent of the union’s more than 700 members voted to approve the contract, which she claimed includes raises for teachers and administrators and an entirely new pay scale for paraprofessionals that will “move them closer to a living wage.”

Haverhill, Mass educators also walked off the job last month:

School was in session Friday in Haverhill for the first time all week, after the teachers union and city officials reached a tentative contract agreement late Thursday night.

The agreement ended a four-day strike that began Monday. Teachers walked off the job over issues including low pay, school security and staffing levels.

The settlement:

Under the agreement, Haverhill educators will receive 3% to 4% raises annually through the 2025 fiscal year. Average teacher salary in Haverhill as of 2020 was about $75,000, which is about $10,000 lower than the state average.

The MOU also establishes a joint task force on school safety that will develop an electronic monitoring system for student disturbances and will expand on efforts to promote diversity and fight racism in the district.

The signed return-to-work agreement includes a commitment that neither the city’s school committee nor the union will take disciplinary action due to individuals’ conduct during the strike.

Their anti-public sector strike law up in Massachusetts is similar to the NYS Taylor. Unions and striking workers are fined quite heavily. Teachers over there, however, have said enough already. When will militancy come back to NY?