WORCESTER, Mass. - Thousands of educators across Worcester were outside of school buildings this morning calling for a fair contract.
Staff from every school in the city, totaling more than 3,000 members of the Educational Association of Worcester, took part in the stand out. EAW President Melissa Verdier, said Worcester is falling behind compared to what other school districts offer.
Worcester educators have been working without a contract since the start of the school year and have been negotiating with the school committee for a new one for more than a year. Verdier said they want a contract that will recruit, retain and prioritize educators in Worcester.
"We have stipends for many different things in the city that haven't been raised in decades, so we are raising some stipends," Verdier said. "We are trying to get the elementary educators a fifth prep, they only have four preps, whereas the secondary educators all have five. Some safety and healthy building language and just some things around sick days, so we have a lot. There are a lot of proposals, there is a lot going on."
When asked if the union would go on strike, Verdier said members are getting frustrated and they will continue to escalate actions until they settle a contract.