A group of teachers in Massachusetts who have illegally closed down schools for over a week to strike are taking heat for hosting get-togethers at bars Wednesday, NBC 10 reported.
Fran Yerardi, a critic of the get-togethers and strike, referred to such gatherings as a “pub crawl,” the outlet noted. (RELATED: Faculty At Largest University System In US Launch Strike On First Day Of Classes)
As students in Newton remain out of school for the ninth day, striking teachers are battling a new lawsuit and a controversy over a planned event.https://t.co/iXsRMXwUyG
— NBC10 Boston (@NBC10Boston) January 31, 2024
“If you’re not doing everything you can to put kids in school, you should be ashamed of yourselves,” Yerardi told NBC 10. The Newton Teachers Association (NTA), the union behind the strike, confirmed that such gatherings are “scheduled” to be outside “contractual teaching hours,” the outlet reported.
“That’s an after-hours gathering, and I don’t see any profession where people are penalized or monitored for when they get out of work, going to a restaurant and hanging out with friends,” Ana Tellado, a Spanish teacher, told the outlet.
The NTA is seeking a more favorable contract for their members, NBC 10 noted.
“The NTA has spent every moment of this strike trying to reopen schools. But we can no longer accept working conditions that put students at risk or are not meeting their needs. We cannot return to our jobs until a fair contract is settled,” the organization in part told Fox News.
The rest of the statement sent to Fox argued that the current wages offered were not enough to make a living and that without social workers, a student mental health crisis could worsen.
The strike has garnered national attention as Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley has publicly backed the strikers and their cause. “Your work is essential, your livelihoods important, & your lives deeply valued by this Congresswoman. Proud to be in solidarity as you organize & mobilize for a just contract that values your labor AND your humanity,” Rep. Pressley wrote to the NTA in a tweet.
To our @NewtonTeachers—300+ of whom call the MA-7th home:
Your work is essential, your livelihoods important, & your lives deeply valued by this Congresswoman.
Proud to be in solidarity as you organize & mobilize for a just contract that values your labor AND your humanity. pic.twitter.com/eWL40q7TgV
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) January 25, 2024
Similarly, Rebecca Pringle, president of the National Education Association, voiced support for the strike and joined the picket lines Wednesday, NBC 10 reported. Two parents are suing the NTA over the strike. They want the court to issue economic sanctions and/or possibly arrest the president of the NTA for criminal contempt, the outlet noted.