SWAMPSCOTT — Swampscott teachers and school administration can’t seem to get along.
Months of contract negotiations between the two sides have been anything but amicable.
The talks have also been unproductive. The two sides are at a standstill as school administration has sought out a third-party mediator before negotiations can resume.
Both sides reached that point in November following another contentious bargaining session, which ended with school administrators and School Committee members walking out on members of the teachers union. Each side accused the other of unprofessionalism after the meeting.
“I was a teacher in this district for 14 years, which means I was on the other side of the bargaining table for many contract negotiations,” said Superintendent Pamela Angelakis at November’s Town Meeting. “In all my years in this district, no matter what side of the bargaining table I have been on, I have never seen more disingenuous and unproductive tactics as I have seen this year, led by the Massachusetts Teachers’ Association.”
The Swampscott Education Association has maintained that the district has not offered a fair contract throughout the negotiations. The teachers union is seeking a 3 percent cost of living increase and claimed one offer included zero raises. Angelakis has denied that claim.
“We want to see a fair salary increase, whatever is comparable to other cities and towns,” said SEA President Nancy Hanlon in September. “Although we do not question the town of Swampscott’s appreciation and respect for our efforts in the classroom, we do not understand why this is not reflected during our contract negotiations.”
But Angelakis said the union has turned down several offers since April, which have been “more than fair.” The latest offer was a three-year contract that included raises of 1 percent for the first year and 2 percent for the following two years.
School administration has said the union’s desired 3 percent raise would cost the town $3.1 million, while the SEA says that figure is closer to $2 million.
What further exacerbated the tension was when Hanlon, a speech and language pathologist at Stanley Elementary School, was issued a three-day suspension in November.
The teachers union protested the suspension, saying that it did not appear to be coincidental. Angelakis declined to give a reason for the suspension, but said it was unrelated to ongoing contract negotiations.
It’s unclear when talks will resume.
