Everett
Everett teachers strike to enforce contract
Our contract was signed and sealed, but it was never delivered.
MTA Today reported in 1987 that the two-day strike in Everett that year was “unusual” since it was “the first time in Massachusetts history that a group of teachers struck not to gain a contract, but to have a contract implemented.”
The two-year contract with the Everett Teachers Association, previously ratified by both sides, called for an 8 percent wage increase each year. The school district balked at honoring the contract, taking out a full-page ad warning that the city’s schools would close in April if the raises were paid. The ETA denounced those threats as “scare tactics,” according to MTA Today.
The teachers picketed, holding signs reading, “You’ve signed the contract – now honor it,” and “Keep your word.” Ultimately, Everett Mayor John McCarthy agreed to fund the city’s share of the two-year contract and the strike was over.
