Salem teachers to rally as contract talks swirl around pay

The Salem Teachers Union plans to walk out Monday, seeking what they call “higher cost-of-living wages.”

Jul 26, 2024 12:38 PM EDT

SALEM, MA — Members of the Salem Teachers Union plan to hold a rally at Collins Middle School Monday night as talks with the School Committee about a new collective bargaining agreement turn on the issue of wages.

While the School Committee said in a statement that the latest bargaining session on Wednesday included agreement on what it called “the need to improve (special education) systems to ensure consistent paraprofessional support and familiar to students and to provide appropriate staffing levels for our the most vulnerable children,” STU said Friday that “guardians and support staff are treated as second-class citizens” and that Salem’s pay scale results in a turnover rate well above the regional average.

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“I don’t want to leave the district, but the reality is I could go to a nearby district and get paid more,” said Barbara McLernon, Salem paraprofessional. “I have seen countless times when the parishioners or teachers leave, the students live as a loss. It shouldn’t be unreasonable to want
I can afford to live in the same city where I teach and have dedicated my career, but this is completely untenable for almost all PSRPs.

“I know that my colleagues at PSRP and I provide high-quality support that is not only valuable, but essential to ensure that students do not fall through the cracks and that courses can run effectively. However, paras and support staff are treated as second-class citizens.”

The rally is scheduled for 6:30 pm at Collins Middle School.

“One job should be enough, and Salem educators should be paid enough to live here in Salem,” said Ann Berman, president of the Salem Teachers Union. “Our students deserve the consistency provided by great teachers who stay here throughout their careers. But because of the low pay and lack of adequate benefits we face, Salem has the highest teacher turnover rate on the North Shore and it’s affecting us. student education.

“We are asking the School Committee to support a contract with competitive wages, especially for our lowest paid aides and school staff who are struggling to make ends meet. Our entire membership is united on this priority”.

The next bargaining session is set for Monday afternoon, with a School Committee meeting to follow at 7 p.m.

STU members said they plan to speak during the public comment portion of Monday’s School Committee meeting.

The teachers’ contract expires at the end of the summer.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)