Newton Teachers To Protest, Then Go Silent, For Contract

NEWTON, MA — The first thing teachers will do when they get back to school Aug. 28 is head to Newton City Hall, decked out in red T-shirts. The current one-year collective bargaining agreement for the teachers is set to expire Aug. 30. Union officials are in the middle of negotiating with the district.

A new contract is unlikely before schools starts and the Newton Teachers Association plans to send a message.

"We don't want business as usual," said Newton Teachers Association President Mike Zilles in a phone interview. "There's this culture in Newton of protracted contract negotiations where we don't seem to be able to agree on a new contract before the current one expires and we go on for a year or two. People really get demoralized by that."

The teachers would ordinarily make this statement at the opening day school ceremony, where the school superintendent, mayor and School Committee chair speak to the educators and welcome them back. But Superintendent David Fleishman canceled the long-time tradition.

Although Fleishman said the format needed a rethink, union officials said it seemed to them that district officials didn't like how often the union used the time as an opportunity to make their own statements. This year, Ailles said they're taking the fight to City Hall and then teachers will head back to their schools and be silent during principal led meetings.

Zilles asked teachers to go silent on opening days Aug. 28 and 29 whenever the principal gathers staff to talk. He also asked teachers to go silent once a month beginning in September.

"People don't want to do this," Zilles said. "They want to start their year with a sense of renewal after the summer. It's not pleasant to go back and beginning the year with a job action. But it's also really important we don't allow the schools to go on as if this were the order of business."

Zilles asked teachers to not be disrespectful, do other work during the meeting, or defy a directive. The silent action is only for large meetings and not intended interfere with getting their job done, he said.

"If a supervisor tells you to do something, tell them you would prefer not to and ask if they are giving you a directive," reads a memo he sent to the union.

The union has been in contract negotiations for more than a year. Union officials argue that Newton salaries are lower than neighboring districts. Teachers say their needs have been neglected in the last couple of contracts because of the economy, so they're feeling this is an opportunity to negotiate a generous contract.

And while School Committee officials say they understand that, it's a complicated contract year. There are some 57 items — ranging from cost of living in crease to how many minutes various groups of people should work — to negotiate.

"It's a range of every issue you can think of is on the table and that makes it long and complicated," School Committee Chair Ruth Goldman told Patch. "And most do cost something. It's not a simple contract negotiation."

About 85 percent of the school district budget is used for salaries for its 2,000 employees. The district has a strong track record of attracting and retaining teachers. Last year, the district agreed to a one-year "bridge" contract because the city had a budget surplus.

"We've been hard at it for a year," Goldman said. "I think the union would say the same thing."

The two sides have met more than 12 times, and they've settled a few items, including full-day kindergarten, she said.

"I think the intentions on both sides are good," Goldman said. "But it's just taking a while, partly because there's so much there to discuss, and we do have limited finances — our allocation is going down slightly. So unfortunately we can't afford the sun the moon and the stars."

Goldman said she felt the two sides had a productive relationship and was confident in a resolution.

Zilles seems to agree.

"I do think we have a supportive School Committee," Zilles said. "The mayor's made it really tough. The budget allocation she gives to the School Committee is significantly lower this year- she's projecting increases in the budget allocation that are historically lower than the average."

The school budget's historical average during the past 20 years has gone up about 4.6 percent, according to Zilles. Under the mayor's proposal, it is slated to go up over the next three years only 3.25 percent, he said.

"That puts a real squeeze a real pinch on the schools and it puts a real pinch on what Ruth can do," said Zilles.

"It kind of comes down to our resources being limited and the union having a lot on the table and taking a lot to find that common ground," said Goldman. "The union is doing what unions do."

What does a contract expiration mean in practice? Do teachers not get paid? Under Massachusetts law, public sector union contracts always remain in effect, even past the expiration date.

"That means in a profession where people get raises every year, called steps, those steps continue," said the State Board of Education's Matt Hills, who is also a former Newton School Committee chair. "Any benefits remain in effect, even if there's no contract."

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).