Norfolk
Norfolk elementary teachers’ one-day action leads to parity with high school
The nearly all-female teaching staff at Norfolk’s elementary schools was angry about being paid less than teachers at King Philip Regional High School when it decided to boycott the superintendent’s opening day meeting in 1987.
This work stoppage was the culmination of a year of protests by Norfolk Teachers Association members. They had leafletted during an school open house and at the town dump, and had held an open forum at the library. They organized parents for a Town Meeting that added $150,000 to the school budget, according to MTA Today. They held demonstrations.
When the contract still did not settle, the staff of 41 female and one male teacher organized the work stoppage. They settled their new contract shortly after that. It included a new salary structure that increased pay each year until they finally achieved parity with their high school peers. They also won a new evaluation procedure and tuition reimbursements up to a maximum of $800 per course.