No School Friday As Newton Teachers Vote To Strike

UPDATED 6:45 p.m.

NEWTON, MA — Newton teachers were set to walk off the job on Friday morning after the Newton Teachers Association said that 98 percent of union members voted to authorize a strike late Thursday afternoon.

The Teachers Association announced the action via social media at 5 p.m.

All Newton schools were expected to close on Friday had the teachers voted to strike. Any days missed during the strike will have to be made up at the end of the academic year in June.

Speaking following the vote, in which union officials said 1,641 members voted in favor of the strike, leaders said they were "ready to settle this contract" and that the NTA will continue to bargain in good faith to get that done but that they are "prepared to do what is necessary to take care of our students and colleagues. ... The children of this city deserve more. The educators of this city deserve more.

"And for them, we fight."

"Mayor (Ruthanne) Fuller and the School Committee," said Newton North science teacher Arielle Miles, "put your money where your mouth is. We are the ones who make the Newton Public Schools excellent.

"Don't you think we, and don't you think our families, deserve better?"

Fuller responded during a news conference of her own: "Education is Newton's No. 1 priority. It's my No. 1 priority. And that's why I have always prioritized the budget of the Newton Public Schools."

The strike vote comes one day after a City Hall rally in which some parents and students joined the teachers at a time when union leaders said it had "reached a critical point in contract negotiations."

"Newton educators have spent the first half of the year working without a contract," the union said. "This is unacceptable."

The rally was the latest in a series of public events the union has held highlighting the impasse.

The union held a press conference in December to promote their request for a new contract that includes pay increases, better paid parental leave, increased mental health support for students, and guaranteed time to prepare coursework and collaborate with colleagues.

That event came five days after a "no-confidence vote" in the mayor and School Committee regarding contract negotiations that the NTA said resulted in 99.6 percent of its 1,600 members across all 23school buildings in favor of the "no-confidence" declaration.

Speakers said at the press conference that the proposed 2 percent pay increase does not come close to keeping up with recent inflation and does not provide a living wage in the city for paras and other support staff.

The union also said that the city's contract proposal includes increased medical costs in the way of higher deductibles and higher co-pays while charging that the city's proposal aims to add to teacher workloads without additional compensation and the elimination of guaranteed preparation time during the school day.

Check back with Patch for more details on this developing story.