In Malden and Haverhill, educators for years have been raising issues related to pay equity, safety in schools, the need for smaller class sizes, the need for sufficient time to prepare coursework and collaborate with colleagues, the need for greater diversity in their education workforce, and the need to raise the pay of Education Support Professionals above the poverty level.
HEA and MEA Finally Said: ‘Enough is Enough!’
HEA and MEA Finally Said: ‘Enough is Enough!’
The following statement was issued today by MTA President Max Page and MTA Vice President Deb McCarthy:
Members of the Haverhill Education Association and the Malden Education Association are on strike. These educators did not take this step in haste. No educator wants to be out of the classroom. Educators want to teach their students, to whom they have dedicated their professional lives.
But it is not a step that surprises us.
Educators in Haverhill, Malden and several other communities north of Boston meet regularly to discuss their working conditions and their students’ learning conditions. Malden and Haverhill union members came to realize they shared many of the same concerns. And they of course subscribe to the greatest union value — solidarity.
In Malden and Haverhill, educators for years have been raising issues related to pay equity, safety in schools, the need for smaller class sizes, the need for sufficient time to prepare coursework and collaborate with colleagues, the need for greater diversity in their education workforce, and the need to raise the pay of Education Support Professionals above the poverty level.
These educators’ unions finally said: “Enough is enough!”
The unions in Haverhill and Malden have been negotiating with their respective school committees for months. These educators have been treated with disrespect and disregard. School committee members insult these professionals when they claim that they are being manipulated into taking action. Students, families and community advocates have shown up in support of these educators — proving to everyone that the educators are fighting the good fight.
Educators in both communities made it clear that they would bargain nonstop to settle contracts and avoid any work stoppages. It is unfortunate that their respective school committees have not demonstrated similar urgency.
We admire the dedication that Haverhill and Malden educators have to their students — the courage to stand up and say those students deserve better. They need more teachers. They need more paraprofessionals. They need safe and healthy schools.
And what do these educators want? They want to be back in their classrooms.
The school committees — and the mayors — in Malden and Haverhill can make that possible by bargaining in good faith and ending the delays in reaching fair contracts. Will they do their duty?