Teachers in Haverhill, Massachusetts may be closer to striking on Monday after a seven hour meeting on Saturday yielded no agreement between the school committee and the teachers union.
According to the Haverhill Teachers Negotiating Subcommittee, the union did not agree with the committee's financial offer. The subcommittee says the union is requesting double the pay that the City of Boston agreed to with their teachers' union.
"Their total rejection of our unprecedented financial offer shows that the union leadership is only interested in walking off the job, despite the order from the state Department of Labor Relations to cease and desist from striking or threatening to strike," Haverhill School Committee member Scott Wood said in a written statement.
Teachers voted on Friday to strike Monday if no new contract is reached over the weekend.
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"We are professional people who live and breathe for these children, and we just feel like we're disrespected," said physical education teacher Christine Hickey.
Key issues they are negotiating also include policies involving diversity, health and safety.
Teachers say they haven't had a contract since the summer.
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"If you're going to undervalue your teachers, what else are you undervaluing?" asked Tim Briggs, president of the Haverhill Education Association. "It's our students."
Wood said school will be closed on Monday if there's no agreement.
"A strike will be harmful to our community and will do nothing to bring us closer to a resolution," Wood said.
A similar situation is brewing in Malden, where teachers have also called for a strike for Monday if no deal is reached this weekend.
City leaders say school is on for Monday for the time being but they're also preparing to close in case negotiations with their teachers bog down.
In a statement, Malden Superintendent Ligia Noriega-Murphy said, "This maneuver by leaders of the Malden Education Association may be intended to send a message to school district leaders, but ultimately it is our students and families who suffer the consequences of these tactics."
Some 6,000 students in Malden and 8,000 in Haverhill would be impacted.
"The students in Haverhill are not getting what they deserve," said Haverhill music teacher Barry Davis. "We are losing great teachers."
Teachers are prohibited from striking in Massachusetts and could face legal action if they walk out.
"Sometimes you have to push the envelope to get something done," said Briggs.
