I, along with many others, are glad the strikers and the city of Gloucester have reached a tentative agreement. That is good news.
But … that proverbial but. Even when a strike ends, there are lingering and profound aftereffects. These cannot be ignored. Or, stated another way, we ignore them at our peril.
As a trauma expert focused on the impact of traumatic events on students, teachers, administrators, I know that trauma doesn’t just disappear when the immediate events are over. It takes work to move forward. And the work begins as soon as the immediate or acute phase of a horrific event abates.
In the case of this strike, I see three major “neon light issues” ahead of us (I am sure there are others):
1. The mayor may well think his apology for flipping the bird and losing his cool during the strike terminated the omnipresence of that issue. Wrong. His apology still rings flat and his video was counterproductive. Since videos of his action are etched into persistent social media,, we now have to measure progress og the mayor’s future behavior by watching his actions. They will speak way louder than his words. He provided a poor example of leadership; he needs to demonstrate with regularity that he can lead with grace, an even temper and wisdom.
2. There seems to have been a public disinformation campaign during the strike. Most of us will never know what was actually said in private negotiating sessions. But, if a PR firm were retained by the city to spread misinformation or there were other organized intentional disinformation campaigns by any public body or organization, then these behaviors need to be investigated thoroughly and the results shared. There is no room for such actions in a working community. A Freedom of Information Act request would be a good starting point.
3. Trust, respect, transparency and good will have been thinned across Gloucester. We need all four to move forward with equanimity and productivity. We need to make peace from all the pieces. That takes work. Real cross-siloed work.
That’s my point here, narrowly and broadly. The end of a strike is not the end of the work among educators, the city, the parents and the community. In fact, it is just the beginning. Think about that. The hard work in Gloucester is just starting. We cannot lose sight of the reality that a strike’s end isn’t actually a time to celebrate; it is a time to get back to work on all the many existing issues. Doing those is celebration-worthy.
Karen Gross,
Gloucester