Newton teachers are finally back in classrooms this week, after striking for more than 11 days amid tense contract negotiations with that city’s School Committee. The lengthy dispute evoked memories of Peabody’s very own teachers’ strike in 1988.
On Sept. 7, 1988, 406 Peabody teachers went on strike for better pay and benefits, the Peabody Historical Society wrote in a blog post this week. Sept. 7 was also the first day of school for the year. Classes were taught by the city’s 40 school administrators in hopes of a short strike. By the next day, all eight schools were closed and the city’s 5,700 students remained home.
Negotiations continued. The teachers were asking for a three-year contract that would increase their salaries by 9% each year. The city countered with 5.5% annual increases. The teachers demanded pay in line with their regional counterparts in Salem, Beverly, Danvers, and Lynn. The teachers union was fighting for not only pay increases, but also smaller class sizes, more preparation time, and better health benefits. Neither side looked ready to budge.
The Massachusetts Labor Relations Commission ruled that the strike was illegal, as are any strikes by a public-sector employee, according to Massachusetts law. The teachers continued to picket, even when they were sent termination notices from the School Committee. Mayor Peter Torigian went to court, getting a cease-and-desist order from Essex Superior Court that ordered the teachers back to work.
Negotiations lasted until Tuesday, Sept. 13. After a tense overnight session, the teachers agreed to a new package that gave them a 22% raise over three years, along with smaller classes over time. The strike lasted three school days, as for two days the schools were closed for the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah. And so, the 1988 school year began.
