Newton

Newton Teachers Association members went on strike on Jan. 19, 2024, after 10 months of bargaining failed to lead to a settlement. According to MTA Today, the NTA was “trying to win additional staff to support student social and emotional wellness, while the School Committee wants to increase educator responsibilities for no additional pay and increase health care costs for educators.”

The NTA strike generated significant local and national press because it lasted 11 days and took place in an affluent community that expressed pride in its schools. The focus on student well-being and low pay for Education Support Professionals was a hallmark of this strike and several others in the 2020s.

Throughout the strike, NTA members and supporters pressed their case through picketing, chanting and rallies. Mike Zilles, president of the NTA, told Carrie Jung of WBUR, “It’s a lot more than just energy, it’s organization. And that organization just got stronger and stronger as the negotiations proceeded.”

The strike ended when an agreement was ratified by the NTA members on Feb. 4. The district agreed to hire five new social workers in the elementary schools and to significantly increase pay for ESPs. Starting wages for many ESPs were set to rise to $36,778 as of March 2027, a 30 percent increase. The district also agreed to double district-paid parental leave from 10 to 20 days and allow total paid parental leave of 60 days, up from 40.

The strike cost the union $625,000 in fines. To make up the missed days, the district planned to stay open during February vacation week and extend the school year.

The NTA strike was the longest among MTA locals since 1989, when Everett and Freetown-Lakeville educators also struck for 11 days. It was superseded by a 12-day strike in Beverly in November. The longest educator strike in the state’s history occurred in New Bedford in 1975. It lasted 23 school days over the span of a full month.