No School In Woburn As Teachers Continue Strike

WOBURN, MA — Classes were canceled for a second day in Woburn after contract negotiations Monday ended with no agreement between the Woburn Teachers Association union and school district officials.

The school district has called the strike "illegal" and Mayor Scott Galvin filed a lawsuit Monday in Middlesex Superior Court in an attempt to force teachers back to work.

WTA President Barbara Locke, meanwhile, said the school district walked away from negotiations Monday afternoon and refused to return.

The two sides have tried and failed to reach a contract over more than two dozen bargaining sessions in recent months. Woburn teachers have been without a long-term contract since 2020. A one-year agreement expired at the end of the 2021-22 school year.

One main sticking point in negotiations is pay for paraprofessional educators. Teachers have been offered a 10 percent raise, but are also asking the district to raise paraprofessional pay to a liveable wage.

"Significant progress was made [Monday] on improving wages for our paraprofessionals. We strongly felt that a contract could have been resolved tonight and that our educators would return to doing what they do best — teaching Woburn students," Locke said Monday.

It's unclear what negotiations will take place Tuesday as the district awaits a judge's decision on an injunction over the strike.

“The committee is steadfast in its commitment to conducting good-faith negotiations with the members of the WTA directly via its appointed collective bargaining team. We aspire to reach an agreement that’s beneficial and fair to all our stakeholders, first and foremost Woburn’s students, as well as faculty and our community at-large.”" the district said in a news release late Monday.