Union Rallying For Suspended Swampscott Teacher

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Teachers from Swampscott and other public school districts represented by the Massachusetts Teachers Association were planning to rally at Swampscott High School at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The rally is to protects the suspension of Swampscott Education Association President Nancy Hanlon, a speech and language pathologist at the Stanley Elementary School who has been leading the unions negotiations with the administration for a new contract.

"SEA members are defending President Nancy Hanlon, whom was notified last week of the superintendent’s intent to suspend her," Scott McLennan, an MTA spokesman, said in an email. "The SEA contends that Hanlon is being targeted for her work as a union leader during difficult contract negotiations."

The Swampscott school committee canceled its meeting scheduled for Wednesday night, but SEA said the protest would continue as planned.

Last week, SEA said Hanlon's three-day suspension was "egregiously excessive" and "not a coincidence." Last month, the union started a work-to-rule action to protest the ongoing contract negotiations. Both sides have sent out fliers critical of the other, and the two sides cannot even agree on how much an across-the-board, three percent cost-of-living increase the Swampscott Education Association is asking for in the would cost taxpayers.

Swampscott Public schools said the 3 percent raise would cost the district $3.1 million over the three-year contract in the flier it released earlier this month; in its response to that flier a week later, the union said the cost was closer to $2 million.

Since negotiations began in April, the union has rejected every proposal from the school system because it did not include the 3 percent raise. The school district says more than half of its teachers already earn between $75,000 and $100,000 per year, and another third earn between $50,000 and $75,000. One-in-five Swampscott teachers earn more than $100,000 per year.

Dave Copeland covers Swampscott and other North Shore communities for Patch. He can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).