The Marblehead Education Association held a march and rally ahead of and during Tuesday’s bargaining session between the union and the School Committee.
The march was prompted by School Committee Chair Sarah Fox’s statement that the MEA had refused to schedule additional bargaining sessions this summer at a committee meeting.
More than 130 union members marched and chanted to advocate for “safe schools, higher wages, paid parental leaves, and a fair contract.”
“We are united, we are strong, and we are here today to bargain in good faith as we have done in each and every session,” Union Co-President Jonathan Heller said.
Lisa Vied, a fifth-grade teacher from the Village School, said the march and rally demonstrated the union’s sense of solidarity, and said they show how its members are acting in the best interest of the district’s children.
“It’s great to see everyone show up,” Hannah Hood, a fourth-grade teacher at Village Elementary School, said. “We all stand behind fair wages.”
Connor Ryan, an English teacher at Marblehead High School, said he was hoping the School Committee would be willing to negotiate for a fair contract.
“It is time for the district to show us the respect we deserve,” Kristen Grohe, a fifth-grade special-education teacher at Village School, said. “Our working conditions have deteriorated, the asks have grown, and we have been asked to accept pay that has not even kept up with inflation.”
The School Committee Bargaining Subcommittee had a “productive meeting” with the union on Tuesday night, according to a press release from the subcommittee.
“Both parties agreed there is room for improvement to benefit some students requiring additional supports. The subcommittee and union also exchanged wage proposals,” the release reads. “The union presented a wage proposal that included a 40% wage increase over three years for members of the Unit A and a 50% wage increase for all other units over three years. Today’s bargaining session came to a close after both parties agreed to schedule multiple bargaining sessions over the summer. The subcommittee continues to be open to schedule more dates in hopes of coming to an agreement for all employees.”