Boston DSA is proud to stand in solidarity with the 2,000 members of the Newton Teachers Association (NTA) as they strike for better pay and working conditions.
Newton Public Schools (NPS) has been underfunded for years, despite Newton being one of the richest cities in the country. Teachers’ pay has failed to keep up with inflation and the city’s spiraling costs of living. Low-paid educational support professionals (ESPs) are forced to work second and third jobs just to make ends meet. Positions go unfilled, leading to rampant understaffing and terrible classroom conditions for both educators and students.
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and the Newton School Committee have shown nothing but contempt for Newton’s hardworking educators. They stonewalled negotiations for more than a year, hired a union-busting law firm, and offered insulting counterproposals to the NTA’s reasonable demands. Now they denounce teachers’ decision to fight back against years of defunding and disrespect.
Massachusetts Democrats like Fuller, Governor Maura Healey, and Newton’s Rep. Kay Khan have either condemned the strike or stayed silent, leaving teachers to fend for themselves. Democrats might court labor every campaign season, but the party supports anti-worker tax cuts for the rich and refuses to endorse the right of public sector workers like the Newton teachers to strike.
Boston DSA, on the other hand, always stands with workers. Our members in the NTA are fighting side by side with their coworkers. We turned out to the picket lines on Friday and all through the weekend. And in the Massachusetts State House, DSA member Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven has led the fight for the right of teachers and other public sector workers to strike.
We will keep showing up for Newton’s educators until the strike is over. Their bravery, commitment, and solidarity are inspiring. We look forward to seeing them win a better future for themselves and their students.