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Gloucester educators end strike after reaching ‘tentative’ deal
Teachers in two other North Shore communities remain on strike.
Gloucester educators and school officials struck a tentative agreement Friday, bringing an end to teachers’ 15-day strike.
Students are expected to return to class Monday after missing several days of school during the strike, which began Nov. 8.
“Gloucester educators are excited to return back to school Monday morning with a strong and fair contract that ensures our students have the best learning conditions possible,” Rachel Salvo Rex and Maryann Aiello, Union of Gloucester Educators co-presidents, said in a statement. “Today, our union unanimously ratified our agreement.”
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The deal covers “successor collective bargaining agreements” for both teachers and paraprofessionals, as well as a “satisfactory” return to work agreement, the union and the Gloucester School Committee shared on Facebook. Details about the scheduling of makeup school days are forthcoming, both sides said.
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In a statement of her own, School Committee Chair Kathy Clancy confirmed the deal included increases to paraprofessional and teacher pay, as well as new paid parental leave.
“These contracts reflect our deep commitment, appreciation and respect for educators and show a great investment in public education in Gloucester,” Clancy said. “We look forward to working together to best serve the students of Gloucester.”
Salvo Rex and Aiello said the contract “represents the greatest victories Gloucester educators have seen in decades,” and members now have “one of the best paid parental leave benefits in the state.”
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Teachers won a seven-week fully paid parental leave benefit from the district, and many of Gloucester’s educators will see about a 14% wage increase over the course of a four-year contract, union leaders shared during a press conference Friday.
“This contract fight was about working class educators, community members, students versus those that have power and wield it to maintain a broken system,” Salvo Rex and Aiello said in their statement. “The love for our students and our unending commitment to improving our lives fueled us for 15 long days in the rain, in the cold, and throughout this struggle.”
They also accused Clancy and Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga of stalling negotiations and paying a public relations firm to “put out disinformation” during the strike.
“The Gloucester School Committee and Mayor Verga are committed to keeping all low wage workers in the city underpaid and exploited,” they alleged. “This fight exposed that and proves that we have a lot more work to do here in Gloucester.”
Gloucester was one of three North Shore communities facing a teachers’ strike this month; educators in Marblehead and Beverly remain on strike amid ongoing negotiations. However, Beverly School Committee Chair Rachael Abell indicated Friday that Beverly could soon follow Gloucester’s lead.
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“The offer we have put in front of the Beverly Teachers Association (BTA) puts us in a position to be next up for finalizing a deal if the union is willing to back off of its unyielding financial demands,” Abell said.
According to Abell, the fourth year of Beverly’s proposed contract would see the highest-earning educator making $124,281 in base wages and the highest-earning paraprofessional making $42.77 per hour.
“We are urging the BTA to agree to our latest proposal so we can end this strike today and get our students back to school,” she said.
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