Haverhill, Malden public schools closed Monday as teachers strike

Haverhill and Malden public schools will be closed Monday amid teachers strikes after the respective teachers unions and the citys school committees have failed to reach contract agreements.

The Haverhill Education Association has been negotiating a new contract with the school department since May. Meanwhile, the Malden Education Association has been without a new contract since the start of the academic year.

Among other things, both unions are fighting for higher wages, smaller class sizes, safe working environments and more prep time.

The unions voted on Oct. 14 to strike if a contract agreement was not settled over the weekend.Read More: Haverhill, Malden teachers prepare for potential strikes Monday

The Haverhill School Committee is disappointed to learn that the Haverhill Education Association (HEA) has voted to hold a teachers strike on Monday October 17 in defiance of todays order by the Massachusetts Labor Relations Board not to strike, The Haverhill School Committee said in a statement.

The school committee claims that the states relations board authorized both parties to attend a mandated mediation session at 10 a.m. on Oct. 17. The Haverhill Teacher Negotiating Committee plans to join the mediator and HEA representatives to bargain in good faith over the contract negotiations.

Despite the upcoming strike, the Haverhill school committee still expects all employees to still come to work on Monday. The committee also stated it will file a plan to join the Massachusetts Labor Relations Board at Essex Superior Court in Salem to file an action against the union for violating the boards ruling prohibiting a strike.

Striking does nothing to bring us together to come to a mutual decision on a contract which is fair and equitable for our teachers, Haverhill families and taxpayers, said Scott Wood, Chair of the Haverhill Teachers Negotiating Subcommittee in a statement.Read More: As educators work without a contract, South Hadley teacher union plans protest

In Malden, teacher contract negotiations were halted after the Malden school committee members walked away from the bargaining table, according to MEA president Deb Gesualdo.

Gesualdo did not immediately respond to MassLives request for comment.

This maneuver by leaders of the Malden Education Association may be intended to send a message to school district leaders, but ultimately, it is our students and families who suffer the consequences of these tactics, the Malden superintendent of schools, Ligia Noriega-Murphy said in a statement.

Currently, there are 6,101 students enrolled in the Malden school district and 7,738 students enrolled in the Haverhill school district, according to the states department of education.

It is no coincidence that the educators in both Haverhill and Malden took votes today to authorize strikes if their respective contracts are not settled before Monday, both organizations said in a statement via Twitter.

The respective unions have made numerous proposals to address staffing shortages, racial and social justice, safety in schools, adequate time for educators to prepare and collaborate, and wages that have been chronically suppressed. The school committees in both communities are showing no interest in addressing needs we see as critical to our students success. We are saying enough is enough. Our students deserve better, our communities deserve better, and we deserve better.