North Andover Teachers Union To Hold Rally At School Committee Meeting

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — The North Andover Teachers Association (NATA) is holding a rally Thursday during the School Committee meeting. The teachers union initiated a "work-to-rule" job action a few weeks prior in an effort to spur bargaining with the School Committee.

The union and its supporters will begin the rally at 6:30 p.m. outside of North Andover Public Schools offices at 566 Main St.

Leaders from the Massachusetts Teachers Association and other educator unions from the area are expected to join the rally, according to a statement from NATA.

At 7 p.m., members and supporters will march into the School Committee meeting to demand the district return to the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith.

North Andover educators have been working since Sept. 1 without a contract.

The work-to-rule vote "means that until progress is made in bargaining, members of the NATA will only fulfill contractual obligations and end voluntary participation in meetings and programs falling outside of the parameters of the contract," according to a statement from the union.

The two sides of been working to reach a new agreement since December of last year. The School Committee said in a statement that they have offered "what we believe to be a fair and competitive salary proposal."

"The past three negotiated agreements have averaged just over 6% for each three-year period, and our initial offer in these negotiations was in line with the past agreements," the School Committee wrote in a statement. Since then, the committee has increased its salary proposal twice. The current offer would bring teacher salaries in line with neighboring districts, according to the School Committee.

However, Juliette Darmon, president of the North Andover Teachers Association, noted that "North Andover teachers currently earn substantially less than their counterparts in other similar districts... North Andover is one of the few districts in the region where a starting teacher earns under $50,000. The School Committee’s 12.5% salary offer over three years would still leave North Andover educators far below the median salary for similar area comparable districts."

Darmon added that when "educators can receive significantly better pay and benefits in nearby communities, North Andover will lose its ability to attract highly qualified educators into the public schools or retain excellent veteran educators.”