In many states, teachers’ unions’ ability to strike is severely limited, especially during the school year, or prohibited entirely by law. The reason is simple. It makes no sense to allow public employees to collectively bargain against taxpayers, or to withhold essential services as a bargaining chip during negotiations. And yet, in recent years, teachers’ unions in places like Chicago and Massachusetts have gone on strike anyway, either because no one would dare hold them accountable for their misconduct or, at worst, because they would be fined a small amount. Is going.
In Massachusetts, the Newton Teachers Association led an 11-day strike that ended earlier this month. The strike was one of the longest strikes Massachusetts has seen in decades, and ultimately led to the school district giving in to union demands and giving teachers many of the benefits they sought in the strike. became.
Now, at least one group is fighting back. It’s the parents. A group of parents from Newton, Massachusetts, class action lawsuit In a statement to the Newton Teachers Association (NTA), the Massachusetts Teachers Association, and the National Education Association, the union “knowingly and knowingly chose to violate the law by conducting an illegal strike and closing Newton public schools for 11 days. As a result, the lives and education of 12,000 students and their families have been disrupted.”
The lawsuit seeks damages for learning loss, emotional distress, deprivation of the constitutional right to an education, and economic impact.
As of Saturday morning, union officials had not responded to the parents’ lawsuit, but Internal Revenue Service Chairman Michael Gilles said: defended his union’s illegal actions In a recent op-ed in the Boston Globe, he said this was an act of “civil disobedience” and was justified by the district’s alleged failure to negotiate in what it considered to be good faith negotiations.
Courts have so far disagreed, imposing at least $625,000 in fines and fees on NTA. But the parents’ lawsuit is far more threatening to the union. If this class is certified, the potential damages from the lawsuit could easily reach millions of dollars. Daniel Soule, the parents’ lawyer, said: Said“Families affected by these illegal strikes have suffered real and tangible losses. Monetary damages are more than just compensation; they recognize the pain and disruption caused to them. This is about restoring what has been unjustly taken from these communities.”
Massachusetts teachers unions have been trying in recent weeks to pass a bill in the deep-blue Massachusetts General Assembly that would change the law to allow public employees to strike, but the bill has so far stalled in committee. It also appears to be unpopular in Massachusetts.
Newton’s parents attend a parents’ group in Chicago. sued the Chicago Teachers Union For illegal strikes that ended in 2022.
