On February 2nd, the Newton Teachers Association reached an agreement with the Town of Newton, ending a two-week strike that had resulted in an extended vacation for students of Newton’s public schools. The Newton Teachers Association, a labor union composed of teachers employed by public schools in Newton, had voted to strike on January 19th over a contentious disagreement with the town administration over teacher salaries. The contract resulting from the agreement that ended the strike increased the baseline salary of full-time teachers by 30 percent, expanded support for instructional aides in the classroom, and granted longer parental leave for staff. However, the strike has been a controversial topic for many.
For one, Massachusetts state law prohibits teachers from going on strike, which the Newton Teachers Association directly violated for two weeks. An astonishing $625,000 in state fines have accumulated during that period, which the union will have to pay back over time.
Additionally, many argue that students have missed out on crucial learning throughout this 2-week break and that parents have been unfairly forced to shift their plans to accommodate their children at home. This feeling of injustice went so far that multiple families filed lawsuits against the Newton Teachers Association in civil court to reopen schools.
This has led many to question whether the strike’s results were worth this massive fine in the first place. An editorial in the Wall Street Journal criticizing the strike pointed out that teachers in Newton already earn an average salary of $93,031 per year, which is 8% higher than the average in Massachusetts. The Boston Globe also ran scathing articles on the topic, stating that the union members “made themselves look silly” and that the strike “was about nothing.” Many interpret the union’s desire to increase the salaries of its members as selfish and unjustified.
On the other hand, poor investment in American public schools has been a major complaint of many for a while now. The Economic Policy Institute pointed out in 2022 that funding for public schools often relies on insufficient resources at the state and local level as opposed to the federal level, resulting in schools being starved of funding. Many Newton parents supported the strike for this reason, with one arguing that “the disruption was small compared to what was gained for the educators and our students.”
Regardless, many living in Newton are glad that the whole ordeal is over. Mr. Feldman, who has three children in the Newton school system, stated, “The longer it went on, the more complicated everyone realized it was. To be honest, it was such a relief that they eventually came to an agreement… From a parent perspective, I’m just glad that they’re back in school and they’re happy, and that the kids no longer seem impacted by any residual animosities.”
