The Worcester School Committee filed a petition for a mediator after the Educational Association of Worcester rejected its latest offer in contract negotiations that it claims would provide an average salary increase of 18.3% for teachers, according to a press statement from Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty’s office and Worcester Public Schools.
The committee filed the petition with the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations on Friday after its offer for a teachers’ contract was rejected Tuesday.
The department will determine if the parties have negotiated for a reasonable amount of time and if an impasse exists. If one does exist, the department will appoint a mediator to assist the parties to reach an agreement, according to the department’s website.
The EAW did not offer a counter proposal, according to the mayor’s office, and has not moved forward with a contract agreement for paraeducators.
“The Worcester School Committee has repeatedly proposed sizable wage increases for our dedicated teachers and continuously engages in good-faith bargaining,” Petty said in a statement. “We are requesting a state-appointed mediator so that our hard-working educators do not wait any longer for the fair and competitive compensation package they truly deserve.”
Petty is chair of the school committee, which is responsible for contract negotiations with unions representing Worcester Public Schools’ faculty and staff.
MassLive has reached out to EAW President Melissa Verdier for comment.
The union has scheduled a press conference for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 5 at Worcester City Hall to “provide an update on the status of contract bargaining and related union activities,” according to a press statement.
Verdier previously told MassLive that if the union does not have a contract signed by Friday, May 5, they will take a vote of no confidence in school committee members and city councillors.
The union has worked without a contract since Sept. 1, 2022.
Membership is getting very frustrated and feels like the committee is not hearing what they’re asking for, Verdier told MassLive April 28, a day after a rally at Worcester City Hall drew more than 1,000 people to call for a fair contract for educators.
The no-confidence vote is to let people know the membership does not feel the school committee is working its hardest to get the union a fair contract, according to Verdier.
The offer the district made Tuesday included an additional $40.5 million in wage increases and benefits for teachers over four years, the mayor’s office and school district claim.
The $40.5 million would allow for raises between 15% and 19.4% for all teachers and additional compensation for educators with more than 10 years of experience.
The committee’s offer also included an increase in the hourly pay rate for school and summer work from $37 to $60 an hour.
The raises would be broken up over four years and the baseline 15% increase would be broken down to a 4% raise in the first year, another 4% raise in the second, a 3% raise in the third and a 4% raise in the fourth.
The district provided an example of what the raise in the latest offer would look like for a teacher with a master’s degree at the top of the salary scale who works 185 days a year. The teacher’s current salary of $85,647 would increase to $99,232 over the course of four years.
The offer also included an increase in longevity payments. Teachers who have worked for WPS for 10 years currently receive $1,144; that would increase to $2,000 in the latest offer. Teachers with 15 years in the district’s payments would go from $2,185 to $3,000; 20 years would increase from $2,185 to $3,000; 25 years would increase from $2,705 to $4,000 and 30 years would increase from $3,225 to $6,000.
The district’s offer also included new stipends for paraeducators for high-needs, specialized work during school hours, increased stipend payments to compensate for elementary class sizes and educator mentorship and increasing elementary teacher preparation periods from four to five per week.
The offer for paraeducators includes an entry-level salary increase of up to $14,000 annually, one-time payments of up to $1,500 for all paraeducators and an increase from $17.50 to $25/hour for summer work.
The district has also asked that the teachers work an extra two days a year for professional development outside of the classroom. It would increase the total number of days teachers work a year from 183 to 185.
According to the mayor’s office and committee, nearby districts work between 184 and 186 days.
Additionally, the district asked that new hires contribute 1% of their earning to the Other Post Employment Benefits Trust Fund “to address the city’s growing cost of supporting retiree health insurance.”
The last three-year contract the union had expired in 2020. The union signed on to a two-year contract that year, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, that was purely financial and kept all the same language as the previous contract, Verdier has previously explained.
The union is asking for an increase in wages for teachers, as current wages are making retention and recruitment “impossible,” she said April 28.
The union is also looking to increase stipends for educators performing work outside of their primary role and raise the hourly rate for work outside of normal school hours, for work during after-school programming and the summer.
“Teachers earn on average $10,000 to $13,000 less per year than comparable districts, including in districts right next door,” a form letter the union is calling for people to send to city officials reads. “This has created a retention and recruitment crisis as Worcester struggles to attract and retain highly qualified educators to our district and adequately staff the schools.”
Since January 2022, the Worcester School Committee and Worcester Public Schools have participated in more than 20 bargaining sessions with the union.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Cookie Settings
Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 7/1/2024).
© 2024 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us).
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.
Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.
YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here.
