Marblehead Teachers Strike: 'No Progress In Bargaining'

MARBLEHEAD, MA — While the football game will go on, the classrooms remain closed in Marblehead for a fourth straight day on Friday as the Marblehead Education Association faces the first day of escalating fines imposed by an Essex County Superior Court judge for violating the Massachusetts law against public sector strikes.

The fine begins on Friday and increases by $10,000 each successive day the teachers remain on the picket lines and out of school.

"We are aware of the fines and right now we are focused on what is best for Marblehead education," Marblehead teacher Hannah Hood said during a Thursday night news conference. "We are not going to stop because of the fines. We need to stand up for what is right."

• Marblehead Teachers Strike: School Closed For 4th Straight Day Friday

Hood said there was "no progress in bargaining on Thursday" and accused the School Committee and Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer of "stalling" as a tactic to force the MEA to "suffer the fines."

The Marblehead School Committee announced schools would be closed on Friday at about 6 p.m. on Thursday with "no signs of the strike ending."

"We continue to participate in mediation to reach an agreement that is sustainable and meets our students' educational needs," Marblehead School Committee Chair Jennifer Schaeffner said.

MEA co-President Jonathan Heller said the state mediator concluded negotiations for the night before 8 p.m. as the sides remained at a stalemate.

"The pace of bargaining is maddeningly slow," he said Thursday night. "We believe this is intentional to allow court fines to hit the MEA. This is the vindictive spirit we've been fighting for months."

• Marblehead Teachers Strike: 'No More Games' As Strike Cancels 3rd Day

Lawyers for the striking districts of Beverly, Marblehead and Gloucester argued in court this week that the fines are, indeed, intended to be "coercive" as a way to force teachers back into the classroom while a new bargaining agreement is negotiated.

The Marblehead High football team will be able to take the field, however, for its playoff game this weekend despite the ongoing teachers' strike after Superintendent John Robidoux reversed an earlier decision to suspend all extracurricular activities for the duration of the work stoppage.

Robidoux said in a statement on Thursday that the activities can continue "utilizing non-teacher, non-union personnel to support these activities."

• Marblehead Teachers Strike: School Closures 'Deeply Disappointing'

The extracurricular ban threatened to force the high school football team to forfeit its playoff game against Grafton this weekend. Parents had sought a court order to allow the team to be able to play.

Robidoux had previously said that since the strike effectively suspended the collective bargaining agreement all those activities should be canceled while the sole focus turned to getting students and teachers back in the classroom.

Heller praised Robidoux for that amended decision Thursday night.

"We are thrilled that Superintendent John Robidoux did the right thing and reconsidered a decision that had a negative impact on students," Heller said.

Robidoux said in a statement earlier in the day the change of heart came after he did his "due diligence" and met with his team and athletic department leaders.

Robidoux called the reversal of course "just a small step in normalizing the student's experience during these challenging times."

(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.)