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The educator strike in Newton is over after more than two weeks and 11 days of canceled classes, ending with a new contract that requires more social workers, modernizes the parental and family leave policy, significantly improves compensation for the incredible (and utterly essential) school aides, protects teacher prep time, and won a raise for teachers. This contract is an investment in our students and their learning environment to make the next few years easier after several very difficult years in the schools.
It is a tragedy that this bargaining was not accomplished at any point in the past 17 months through the normal channels and that it came to this. I know the past two weeks have been incredibly stressful and challenging for everyone, especially students and parents. The past few years have chronically been unimaginably stressful for those in the school buildings, and it had been getting worse. But, of course, the strike was acutely very hard for the students and every passing day was a greater, growing crisis.
Listening
I publicly supported the decision of 98% of the members to choose to strike because after a year of conversations with the union’s leaders and rank and file members (many of whom I have remained in touch with since I was myself an NPS student), I felt that they were not being heard on the state of emergency inside the schools, for both the adults and the kids, and that the lack of meaningful bargaining from Newton was indicative of a serious failure to listen and a massive breakdown in respect. This disagreement was always about so much more than any cost-of-living percentage points. They would not have voted to strike if it were an ordinary contract discussion. I felt strongly that the NTA was taking this step for the students and for the future of our city, not against the kids or against our community.
I also believed that our incredible educators deserved to have the public support of at least one elected representative of the community when exercising a last-resort option, and I believed that – given how many parents and other residents supported the teachers and aides in taking this step – the voters also deserved to have someone speak out in support of this position, even if not every voter shared my view.
Urgency this week
Nevertheless, I was anxious to make sure it was not dragged out any longer than absolutely necessary to reach a fair contract and a contract that addressed the student mental health crisis. Unfortunately it was also apparent to me that there would simply not be a deal if the strike ended without reaching one first.
I called Mike Zilles, the president of the NTA, late on Thursday afternoon to check on the status of talks (by that point it was very close), and I encouraged our union educators' bargaining team to move with all possible haste towards a successful resolution of the contract. He was in full agreement on that point and noted that he understood the extreme urgency of getting the kids back in class as fast as possible. I know every educator in the union felt the same.
Although some residents had begun to worry about how long the final deal elements were taking to hammer out, it was essential to close the final gap and iron out the last details on the return-to-work agreement to help begin putting the pieces back together. That was achieved over the course of today.
What’s next?
Classes will resume on Monday. I hope the students in the meantime learned a little bit more about workplace democracy and organized labor through the course of this situation.
Now we need to bring the community together again and move forward. There is a better way of doing things, and it doesn't have to play out as it did this time. But it's time to learn from this and to turn the page. It's time to grow and build – not to shrink and fade. Newton can be a community for everyone. Onwards towards a new chapter.