Freetown-Lakeville

A strike by the Educators’ Association of Freetown and Lakeville began with work-to-rule actions that ran from Nov. 9 to Nov. 30. The conflict escalated into a full-blown strike on Dec. 1, when 192 of the approximately 220 teachers scheduled to work were absent, according to the Massachusetts Labor Relations Commission. The strike and picketing continued for 11 days, finally ending on Dec. 17.

The main issues were salaries and working conditions in the Freetown, Lakeville and Freetown-Lakeville Regional school districts, particularly guaranteed preparation time. What stood out was the vitriol on the part of Freetown-Lakeville School Superintendent Nancy Sullivan, who, according to MTA Today, “sent letters of reprimand to all the teachers on the first day of the strike. A second letter informed teachers of the administration’s intention to conduct dismissal hearings.”

The situation worsened when the School Committee offered the Educators Association of Freetown-Lakeville a package on December 10 that was regressive, providing less than what had been on the table before the strike. As reported in MTA Today, “Teachers were further enraged by the second round of retaliatory tactics when, on pay day, the superintendent sent $1 paychecks to most of them along with bills for deductions normally taken out of their checks, some as high as $160.”

In the end, the EAFL contract included salary increases of 18.6 percent over three years, longevity payments, guaranteed prep time and a new Health and Safety Committee. The union was fined $4,000 a day and bargaining team members were fined $20 a day.