There was no school for public school students in Newton, Massachusetts, Friday as the first full day of teachers' strike got underway.
Joined at times by colleagues from Boston and Somerville, Newton educators picketed outside of schools throughout the day, then held a rally outside City Hall Friday afternoon. The sides gathered for a mediation session but no agreement was announced — and on Friday evening, a judge issued an injunction ordering teachers back to their classrooms.
Middlesex Superior Court Judge Christopher Barry-Smith ordered the Newton Teachers Association to declare an end to the strike by Sunday at 3 p.m. and get teachers back to class on Monday.
Despite the ruling, a representative for the Newton Teachers Association tells NBC10 Boston that progress was made during negotiations on Friday, particularly on the issue of parental leave. Negotiations will continue on Saturday.
The union a statement Friday night:
"The NTA realizes that strikes come with disruption, but we believe the short term disruption is worth it to secure continued educational excellence for the students of Newton. We are dedicated to securing a contract that the students, parents, and educators of Newton need and deserve. Mayor Fuller can end the strike immediately by fairly addressing the issues we have been raising for years," the statement reads.
In other state teacher strikes, unions have incurred increasingly steep fines day by day after receiving similar injunctions.
"I know what a difficult day this has been for our students, our parents/caregivers, and our teachers. I empathize with everyone and I am fully committed to settling a competitive and sustainable contract," Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said in an email to the city Friday evening, after the ruling was issued.
The union and Newton's school committee have been trying to come to terms on a new contract since October 2022, with compensation the main sticking point.
"This is a last resort. I don't want to be here. I want to be in my classroom with my students," said Newton teacher Denise Cremin.
While the mayor insists they're offering half of the educators annual 6% raises, the teachers said that's disingenuous.
"Because she keeps saying she's already offering 6% increase to teachers, that is not true. She's conflating our step increases," Tellado explained.
"It's not just about fair compensation. It's also about student safety, it's about fully funding our schools, making sure we have all the programs that we need and that students need in order to have the best school system," Cremin added.
However, the school committee said they could have kept negotiating without walking off the job.
"This strike is a choice. It is a unilateral and willful action on behalf of the unions to close our schools. There will emerge no winners from this, only losers, and our kids will lose the most," said School Committee Chair Christopher Brezski.
Fuller said as long as the teachers remain on strike, the schools will remain closed.
A judge has ordered the teachers to call off the strike by Sunday afternoon and to return to work on Monday. If the teachers refuse, they're due in court Monday at noon.
