Beverly Teachers Strike: Progress On New Deal Stalls At '11th Hour'

BEVERLY, MA — A sense of optimism over what the Beverly Teachers Association called a "significant movement" toward a new collective bargaining agreement turned into a second straight school day on the picket lines Tuesday after the BTA accused the School Committee of walking away from that progress at "literally the 11th hour" on Monday night.

On Monday night, the BTA called supporters to the site of negotiations in apparent hopes of ending the strike that was called late last week after the teachers had worked for more than two months without a contract.

• Beverly Teachers Strike: School Canceled Tuesday Despite 'Significant Movement'

But those hopes were dashed late Monday — with the BTA accusing the School Committee of either withdrawing or making "regressive proposals" on outstanding issues ranging from wages, to family leave, to support for elementary students and "dysregulated" students.

"Throughout the day, the bargaining team saw meaningful progress and saw a pathway toward a deal," the BTA said in a statement posted on social media.

• Beverly Teachers Strike: Rally Planned; Calls To End 'Illegal' Strike

The BTA said the state-appointed mediator dismissed the sides at midnight "because no more progress will be made" and that bargaining was set to resume late Tuesday morning.

The BTA held a joint rally in Gloucester on Monday with striking teachers from Gloucester and Marblehead.

The School Committee has sought legal pressure on the BTA to end its "illegal" strike. Public sector union strikes are against the law in Massachusetts with the BTA facing the possibility of escalating fines and other penalties each day it extends.

School Committee Chair Rachael Abell had previously said the sides were about $14.4 million apart on a new deal.

"The BTA indicated they were ready to begin discussing compensation for both educators and paraprofessionals," Abell said in an update. "The School Committee worked for two hours on a three-year, comprehensive package proposal that included an immediate average increase of 8.1 percent and a four percent cost of living increase each year for the next two years, increased paid parental leave, and a decrease in the number of days an educator must complete before they increase a step, among many other items.

"After receiving this latest School Committee proposal, the BTA indicated that they now wish to negotiate a four-year contract rather than the three-year contract we have been discussing for months. The School Committee is working with the urgency that our community deserves to end this strike."

Abell said School Committee members are "doing our part to get fair contracts finalized" and that "the BTA needs to do their part now by ending this illegal strike, working with us to reach an agreement, and letting our students get back to school."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)