Teacher contract negotiations could be headed to mediation

By Adam Swift

Contract negotiations between the Winthrop Teachers Association and the school committee could be headed to mediation.

School committee members stated they are committed to continuing to meet with the Winthrop Teachers’ Association while the mediation process is initiated.

At Monday night’s school committee meeting, dozens of teachers and parents attended. During the public speaking portion of the meeting, a number of those urged the school committee to head back to the negotiating table, noting that the financial position between the two sides is not that far apart.

Four bargaining units – teachers, nurses, educational support professionals, and secretaries – have been without a contract for nearly a year during the negotiations between the two sides.

The school committee held an executive session at the end of Monday night’s meeting to discuss negotiations, but did not return to a public session.

On Thursday, April 23, the Winthrop Teachers’ Association was informed that the School Committee intended to file for State mediation, rather than agreeing to the Union’s request to return to the bargaining table. According to a statement from the WTA, this move by the School Committee is not in the best interest of the district or the educators.

“From the beginning of this process we’ve been clear about the things in our district that need to change,” said Alexis McEvoy, a member of the Union’s bargaining team and a teacher at Gorman Fort-Banks and a WPS parent. “Our veteran teachers are leaving. Our lowest paid workers are struggling to make ends meet. Our special education staff are stretched to their breaking point. Instead of getting back to the table to fix these issues, the School Committee leadership is giving ultimatums and using the law to avoid talking to Winthrop’s educators.”

In a statement, WTA leaders said they feel like agreements for the four contracts could be within reach, and are confused as to why the School Committee abruptly refused to continue negotiations.

“The idea that this crisis can’t be resolved by continued negotiating, collaboration, and creative thinking is ridiculous.,” said John Cross, the Union’s Vice-President and a WPS parent. “We have held seven bargaining sessions for our teachers over 12 months, far fewer than that for our support staff units. We’ve held a total of two bargaining sessions this calendar year.”

While the School Committee continues to say that the hurdles to agreements are solely budgetary, Union members stated otherwise.

“Our Union thinks these contracts could be resolved for $40,000-$50,000 total over the three year contract- not the millions of dollars that the School Committee would have the public believe,” said Daniela Foley, a teacher at the Arthur T. Cummings. “The reality is it does not cost a dollar to give every worker a copy of their job description. It doesn’t cost any money to give special educators a voice in how their days are scheduled. There is no cost to treating educators with respect, dignity, and trust.”

The WTA encouraged educators and the public to visit the WTA Bargaining Headquarters for information related to bargaining at https://bit.ly/WinthropHQ.

On Tuesday afternoon, the school committee released its own statement on the negotiations process, stating it remains committed to reaching an expedient resolution to the collective bargaining process with the Winthrop Teachers’ Association.

“The Committee’s goal is for a resolution that results in a fair contract for our school staff while meeting our obligation to provide a quality education for our students, ensuring the long-term financial stability of the district, and avoiding any cuts to staffing and/or programming,” the statement read. “After almost a year of bargaining, including 20 in-person bargaining sessions and numerous proposed dates for additional bargaining sessions, emails, and phone calls with Winthrop Teachers’ Association leadership and bargaining team, we hold the position that obtaining fair and impartial outside mediation is the best way to bring this process to a swift conclusion.”

The school committee stated it was  grateful to the teachers, staff, and members of the community who attended the April 27th School Committee meeting.

“Their voices were heard,” they stated. “In an effort of continued good faith, the School Committee will continue to meet with the WTA while the mediation process is initiated, and dates have been proposed to the WTA for the next bargaining sessions to WTA leadership.”

 The School Committee maintains that the April 14 proposal to the Winthrop Teachers’ Association, inclusive of 47 new benefit/contract language change Tentative Agreements across the four WTA units, reflects a significant investment in overall compensation and addresses key priorities raised by the WTA during negotiations and is the maximum level of sustainable investment without impacting staffing, programs, or services

“We will continue to provide transparent, detailed, and accessible information to our negotiation partners and the public about the projected costs and financial impact of our proposals, including salaries, benefits, and other contract changes,” the school committee statement read.

The school committee has its hub for information on the collective bargaining process on its page of the Winthrop Public Schools website.