Woburn Mayor Galvin: Teachers Refused 'Very Fair' Contract

Teachers in the city of Woburn want a new contract. Mayor Scott Galvin says a “very fair” deal has been on the table for some time. Negotiations have since become heated. Graduating seniors have become fed up with lack of progress in contract talks.

As a result of stalled contract talks, teachers have enacted a “work-to-rule” policy, according to a letter posted on Twitter by anonymous members of Woburn’s 2016 class. Teachers have suspended extra-help sessions and have made it impossible to obtain recommendations for college applications.

Work-to-rule is an industrial action in which employees do no more than the minimum required by the rules of their contract, and precisely follow regulations in order to cause a slowdown, rather than to serve their purposes.

“This whole mess isn’t because teachers suddenly decided they are menacing forces of destruction; it’s really not the teachers’ fault and we understand why they voted to put this policy into effect. Work-to-rule has been enacted as a last resort so that teachers can put themselves first for once and have the wages and benefits they need so they can provide us with a quality education,” a section of the letter read.

Mayor Galvin responded to the Twitter post on Facebook, defending his stance on contract negotiations with the city’s teachers.

“I represent 39,000 people. I was elected to do what is in the best interest for all. The Woburn teachers association has been offered a very fair contract which they have refused to accept,” Galvin wrote.

Both the teachers union and Mayor Galvin have gone back and forth on contract talks since September of 2014. Woburn students say they understand that Mayor Galvin might want to be fiscally responsible, but feel academic success is more important than a budget.

“It should be evident that the gates to higher education and success are far more important than a budget,” the students wrote. “By not settling, it is hurting the students and hurting how Woburn looks academically.”

Galvin did offer to write letters of recommendations for each high school senior if the teachers would not do so themselves.

“I find it very hard to believe that teachers, who care about students success, would use the class of 2016 as pawns in their contract negotiations with the city,” Galvin wrote.