Over the last week, there has been some, but not enough progress made in the negotiations between the Marblehead Education Association (MEA) and the School Committee.
As of Wednesday at noon, the MEA sent out a press release stating that the School Committee plans to take legal action against individual MEA members, specifically MEA co-presidents Sally Shevory and Jonathan Heller, and bargaining team co-chairs Hannah Hood and Alison Carey.
This notice comes after the MEA presented a proposal Tuesday night that they believe would bring both parties to an agreement and reopen schools on Thursday. This package included lowering proposals to the bare minimum that would still address the crisis in Marblehead.
The Department of Labor Relations conducted a hearing Wednesday at 4 p.m., and the MEA believes these complaints have been brought on by the School Committee.
The press release stated, “[Thatcher] Kezer, [Liz] Valerio, [Jenn] Schaeffner, and [Sarah] Fox are willing to break the schools and break apart the community in hopes of damaging educators and their union.”
The package has a 16 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase over the next four years with an additional 4 percent increase if the override passes. This has been reduced by more than $3 million, making the wages only $2.3 million apart over four years.
The MEA’s proposal for paid parental leave of twelve weeks has been adjusted to twenty days paid leave by the employer in year one, thirty days in year two, and forty days in year three.
The MEA also took out their proposal for smaller class sizes as it has been consistently rejected over the last nine months.
The MEA has accepted numerous of the School Committee’s counterproposals and took out several proposals altogether to focus on what is most important to educators and students. Their hope is that schools are reopened by Thursday.
On Tuesday night, the School Committee held a press conference presenting its side of Tuesday’s negotiations. The School Committee mentioned that it will be reviewing the MEA’s 56-page proposal, which included changes to all five units. They continue to hope that Wednesday’s negotiations will progress towards an agreement.
The MEA organized a rally at Glabicky Field for 1 p.m. on Wednesday, and a candlelight vigil in front of Marblehead High School at 4:30 p.m. later that afternoon.
Unless an agreement is reached before negotiations wrap up Wednesday night, school will be expected to be closed once again on Thursday as negotiations continue.
