SWAMPSCOTT — Teachers’ contract negotiations between the Swampscott Education Association and school administration resumed Thursday.
Swampscott Education Association (SEA), the teachers’ union, said in a Facebook post their first virtual bargaining session was set to be held with the School Committee and district administrators.
“Today marks Day 221 (of) still working under an expired contract,” the SEA said in its posted statement. “We are ready and willing to work with the school district to settle for a fair contract.
“Our devotion and dedication to our students has not slowed or been impeded by our lack of a contract, but it has surely dampened our spirits and caused additional undue stress and anxiety throughout this entire school year.”
The bargaining session, which was held virtually due to coronavirus restrictions, was closed to the public and neither side disclosed specifics of the negotiations.
“We are pleased to resume bargaining,” said School Superintendent Pamela Angelakis. “We will continue to work with the union to come to a resolution that is mutually beneficial.”
As the SEA alluded to in its most recent statement, contract talks between the two sides have been filled with tension, which has resulted in numerous failed bargaining sessions.
The teachers’ union and the school district have been unable to agree on what both sides consider to be “fair” contract terms.
The SEA has been seeking a three-year contract with annual 3 percent raises. The most recent offer from the school district consisted of a 1 percent raise for the first year, and two percent raises for the final two years of the contract.
Talks stalled in November, with both sides accusing the other of exhibiting unprofessionalism during one particular session.
The SEA issued a statement at the time saying that teachers were left “stunned” after Angelakis, Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald and members of the School Committee abruptly walked out of that session.
However, Angelakis said at the time the school district ended the session because the union had increased the size of its bargaining team by 30-40 teachers without giving proper notice, an “unorthodox” tactic that led to the School Committee’s decision to file for mediation.
Negotiations resumed for a brief period back in January, according to a past statement from the SEA.
“We hope to come to an amenable solution so we can put this behind us and focus on our students, our families, and our health,” the SEA said on Thursday.
