Woburn
Woburn educators strike a half century after the first time
Fifty-three years after Woburn educators became the first in the state to go to jail for striking, the Woburn Teachers Association struck for a second time. Although educators in Massachusetts haven’t been jailed for striking since 1980, the decision to strike is still fraught with personal and professional risks.
“We do not take our decision to strike lightly, and believe that we have exhausted all other options,” WTA President Barbara Locke told Boston 25 News. “We implore Mayor Scott Galvin and the School Committee to help us complete construction of a contract reflecting the quality of Woburn Public Schools and its educators.”
The five-day strike started on Jan. 30, 2023. At that time, it was the longest educator strike in the state since an eight-day walkout in Belmont in 1995.
In the end, the WTA won much of what the members had struck for, including a 40 percent hike in starting pay for paraprofessionals. For teachers, the settlement also led to “better cost-of-living increases than they have seen in many years, including starting pay for new teachers of $60,000,” according to MTA Today.
A union demand to expand physical education in elementary grades to two days a week made it into the contract as a recommendation, not a requirement. The agreement also extended the workday by 10 minutes.
The WTA was hit with significant fines, though the local association raised some of the funds through donations.
The WTA generated enormous support among parents and the community — as evidenced by a bake sale and fundraiser that raised nearly $25,000 in 90 minutes! When people start dropping $100 for an oatmeal raisin cookie, you know you have won the hearts of the community.
