WOBURN – The Woburn School Committee and Mayor Scott Galvin wish to provide the following update regarding ongoing contract negotiations between Woburn Public Schools and the Woburn Teachers Association:
“Today, the Woburn Teachers Association (WTA) voted to go on strike starting on Monday, Jan. 30. This action by the WTA is illegal, disruptive and unnecessary.
“The School Committee and Mayor Scott Galvin have been negotiating in good faith for more than a year with the WTA to reach an agreement on a successor collective bargaining agreement. Throughout this process, it has been our mission to develop a contract that is fair for our students, staff and residents of Woburn.
“Representatives from both the Committee and WTA did reach a tentative agreement in October 2022. However, the WTA did not ratify that agreement. Despite this, the Committee remained committed to working towards reaching a resolution on the contract. Since that time, the Committee has met regularly with the WTA to try to reach agreement.
“The latest proposal made by the Committee on Jan. 18 is a fair and highly competitive offer that allows for reduced class sizes, additional collaborative professional development, increased instructional time for students, and a generous wage increase that is in addition to the step increases that approximately 50% of our staff received at the start of this school year. The WTA has yet to meet with the Committee to respond to this proposal even though the Committee proposed multiple times to meet this past week. We are currently looking to schedule a meeting with the WTA this Sunday morning.
“On Tuesday, Jan. 24, the Committee filed a petition with the state Department of Labor Relations (DLR) to investigate an illegal strike after learning that the WTA was planning to hold a vote to strike. The Committee thought that it was imperative to take action in the hopes of preventing any learning disruptions for our students. A hearing took place yesterday and we are currently awaiting a decision from the DLR with respect to our petition.
“Please know that the Committee respects the tremendous effort, talent, and dedication of our teachers, but a strike is both illegal and counterproductive. The Committee remains firmly committed to bargaining in good faith with the WTA and working toward a resolution that is fair to all stakeholders and ensures high-quality education for the students of Woburn. Illegal work stoppages do not help either party in achieving that goal.”
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