Teachers on the North Shore of Massachusetts are back on the picket line this weekend as no deal has been reached.
After a week of strikes there's is still no deal in sight as we expect to see more rallies and negotiations across the area during the weekend.
A rally was expected in Beverly City Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with bargaining to resume Saturday at noon.
In Marblehead, parents and student athletes were relieved that their high school's varsity team was able to play their game against the Grafton Gators despite missing a week of school over the strike.
The Marblehead Education Association said on Friday that they were feeling hopeful as they remained on the table.
The Gloucester School Committee announced a similar move on Friday allowing high school sports and extra curricular activities.
In a message to the Gloucester School Community Saturday, the school committee said they were pleased to report they had continued to make "important progress" working with the Gloucester Association of Educational Paraprofessionals.
"We are committed to working together to end the illegal strike and get our children back in the classroom with access to essential services," the school committee said, adding that they agreed on number of proposals Saturday, including a comprehensive plan to improve paraprofessional training and preparation.
"Our proposals to the GAEP have offered significant wage increases over the course of the three-year contract, and today, we presented a package proposal that adds a fourth-year salary increase to the contract," they added, noting that they increased their salary offer for the ninth time since March 2023.
"We know that these are difficult conversations. All of our educators work hard, and the reality is that a range of complex factors are taken into account when determining salaries. Our first-year teachers are paid differently from ninth-year teachers. Our first-year paraprofessionals are paid differently than more seasoned paraprofessionals. Our teachers with bachelor's degrees are paid differently than those with master's degrees," the school committee continued. "We deeply respect the work our paraprofessionals do, and our contract proposals reflect this. We remain at the table with the union negotiators. And while we might disagree on some issues that are before us while negotiating, we will always bring with us the utmost respect for our paraprofessionals and their work."
The school committee said they remain focused on finding solutions that improve student learning and achievement while remaining "financially responsibly for the city."
"We love our community, our teachers, and our children," they wrote, concluding their message by saying that they are cautiously optimistic about making more progress Sunday.
In Massachusetts, it's illegal for public employees like teachers to go on strike, so the unions in those three communities will be racking up fines for this labor activity.
Although each community is different, common issues include pay for teachers and paraprofessionals as well as parental leave.
