MTA statement on Gloucester contract settlement
MTA statement on Gloucester contract settlement
Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page and Vice President Deb McCarthy issued the following statement following ratification of a new contract for the Union of Gloucester Educators:
The Massachusetts Teachers Association congratulates the Union of Gloucester Educators on winning a transformative contract. UGE’s solidarity and determination in the face of out-of-touch political leadership and vindicative legal maneuvering is inspiring.
UGE mounted a righteous fight and earned the community’s support. The UGE not only fought for and secured better wages for paraprofessionals, but in doing so elevated for all to see the issue of poverty wages too often being paid to crucial educators in districts across the state.
Thank you, UGE, for standing up for students, educators and public education.
Likewise, securing seven weeks of paid parental leave acknowledges the importance of treating hard-working and dedicated educators with the same kind of respect and dignity accorded to their peers working in the private sector. We must, however, continue fighting for all educators in Massachusetts to have access to the full provisions of the Paid Family and Medical Leave law, which is not extended to municipal employees.
Educators should not have to go on strike to negotiate fair wages and humane working conditions. Our unions are navigating a broken legal system that allows negotiations to drag on, with only workers exposed to consequences when a bargaining reaches a stalemate. This must change.
Cities and towns must bargain in good faith with their educators, and the state must provide the funding communities need to have the public schools all students and families deserve.
Thank you, UGE, for standing up for students, educators and public education.