Newton Teachers Push Again For Job Contract, Boycott Volunteering

NEWTON, MA — More than two months after their old contract expired, teachers are demanding a new contract by curbing their involvement in city and district related volunteer positions - from helping to hammer out literacy curriculum to developing a program for having teen leaders in the middle schools.

"Much of the work that gets done is done because teachers step up and volunteer to help out," said teacher union President Mike Zilles. "We will not contribute to the district's ability to advance its initiatives until negotiations are complete."

The one-year collective bargaining agreement for the teachers expired at the end of August. Union officials and district officials have been negotiating for more than a year. The idea is to have as little an impact on students as possible, but at the same time, put pressure on the district to come to agreement.

Newton teachers have showed up en mass at School Committee meetings, they've marched at City Hall and then went silent on opening days in August and continue to do that at "nuts and bolts" meetings when the principal gathers staff to talk.

"Part of what we're trying to do is send a message to the district - not just for these negotiations but future negotiations. It's become common not to settle a new contract before the last one expires. "We're not going to accept that anymore."

Beginning last week, teachers started boycotting their involvement in district related-volunteer activities.

How long will it last? "It's hard to know," he said. Zilles is optimistic, saying in the past week the union feels its message is being heard. Several negotiating sessions are scheduled for the next several weeks.

What's been the hold up?

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 increase 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 in August. "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-some employees. The district has a 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.

The two sides have met more than a dozen times, and Goldman characterized the relationship as productive: The two have settled a few items, including full-day kindergarten, she said.

Zilles blamed the budget allocation the mayor gave to the School Committee, as significantly lower this year.

Mayor Ruthanne Fuller has said aspects of budget allocation are complicating the negotiations.

"While it is only one factor, enrollment has a big impact on the budget allocation," she said as Patch previously reported. "We now have had two years when the enrollment increases have leveled off, and even declined. That matters when we put together a budget allocation."

She said the School Committee asked her to put together a base level for the school allocation when she became mayor last year. She determined she could guarantee a 3.25 percent increase each year regardless of outside economic conditions.

The school budget's historical average during the past 20 years has gone up about 4.6 percent, according to 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," Goldman told Patch previously. "The union is doing what unions do."

Under Massachusetts law, employers are required to pay their employees under the last public sector union contract - complete with any built in "step" raises- in operation, even if it's expired. State law also says that unions can only negotiate contracts that are only good for up to three years into the future, according to Matt Hills who used to chair the Newton School Committee.

The uptick in job action in Newton follows the three-day all out teacher strike in Dedham. That concluded with a new contract agreement.

The Newton teachers watched closely what happened in Dedham.

"They got a pretty good contract, they got a contract that broke out of the mold," he said, noting that cost of living increases have been low after the Great recession. "School committees have been expecting unions to reach agreements that were still recessionary in terms of how low they were, and Dedham broke out of that pattern. Somerville did it, too....We no longer have to accept austerity"

Previously:

• Newton Mayor Responds To Teacher Protest - Patch
• Newton Teachers To Protest, Then Go Silent, For ... - Patch
• Dedham Will Have School As Tentative Teacher Contract ...
• Dedham School Committee Votes Unanimously To ... - Patch

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)