Gloucester’s nearly 3,000 students will be back in class Monday with the end Friday of what was an illegal 15-day teacher and paraprofessional strike that saw schools closed for 10 days over the past three weeks.
The Union of Gloucester Educators, consisting of the Gloucester Teachers Association and the Gloucester Association of Educational Paraprofessionals, and the School Committee came to a tentative agreement early Friday morning for successor collective bargaining agreements after two weeks of negotiations with an independent, state-appointed mediator.
Both units had been working under expired contracts before the strike; the teachers’ union contract expired at the end of August, and the paraprofessionals had been without a new contract for more than 500 days.
“We are pleased to announce that the strike is over and school will resume on Monday, November 25,” said the Union of Gloucester Educators in a statement on Facebook.
“I look forward to seeing our students and educators back at school on Monday ready to learn and thrive,” said Mayor Greg Verga on Facebook. “Now we are able to move forward and look to the future. I am committed to bringing this community back together — rebuilding trust and these important relationships.”
“Today, the Union of Gloucester Educators reached a tentative agreement following 15 days of being on the strike line,” said Union of Gloucester Educators Co-President Rachel Rex, standing with a couple dozen teachers and paraprofessionals on Friday afternoon outside the Blue Collar Lobster and Gloucester House Restaurant where the initial strike vote was taken by members on Nov. 7. “The contract has recently been ratified unanimously by its members,” she said.
Educators took to the picket lines over issues such as a “living wage” for paraprofessionals, wage increases for teachers, and paid family leave, among many others.
Meanwhile, the School Committee and the mayor were concerned the educators proposals would strain city finances and lead to layoffs both in the schools and within the city departments.
While paraprofessionals may not have reached the “living wage” they had been demanding, the union will be seeing wage increases ranging from 40% to 63% during the life of a five-year contract.
The wage increase in dollars ranges from $10,446 to $14,109 during the contract.
It moves top earners from $26,155 to $36,600 during the contract.
Paraprofessionals will also see a one-time payment in school year 2026 to 2027 of $2,000.
The new contract creates a new parental leave benefit that ensures all new parents will have at least seven weeks of paid parental leave.
For teachers, with a master’s degree and above, wage increases range from 15.7% to 36.5% over the course of a four-year contract. In dollars that equates to $13,566 to $28,832 over four years.
The wage increase moves top teacher earners from $97,500 to $113,000, a 15.8% increase over four years. The new contract also creates the equivalent of seven weeks paid parental leave for teachers, which is a completely new benefit to Gloucester Public Schools.
Ethan Forman may be contacted at 978-675-2714, or at eforman@northofboston.com.