Watertown Teachers Working to Rule, Calling for Settling Contract

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Watertown teachers rallied in Watertown Square on Jan. 25 calling for settling their contract. Photo courtesy of Watertown Cable News / Maya Shwayder.

Watertown teachers and Watertown School officials have been in negotiations for a new contract, but have not yet settled. In a step to express their displeasure with the process, teachers have started “working to rule” this week.

By going to “work to rule” the not be working additional “volunteer hours,” run clubs for which they are not compensated, or stay at school longer than the contracted hours.

The two sides have not provided exact details about where the negotiations stand.

The teachers union, the Watertown Educators Association (WEA), wrote on Jan. 21, that they have been asked to share more information about the discussions. In the statement on Facebook they said that they value transparent communication, but have not given details so because of an agreement to keep the negotiations confidential. The post reads in part:

“We have and will continue to hold the School Committee’s positions and their presentation of those positions at the bargaining table confidential, in respect for the ground rules that were agreed upon at the outset of negotiations. That said, School Committee representatives have offered comments that suggest the Committee may be interested in waiving this ground rule and sharing their own positions openly with the Watertown community. If the Committee is in fact interested in fully opening bargaining to our community, the WEA would be in full and enthusiastic support of such a proposal.”

A statement from the School Committee, written by Chair Kendra Foley, sent out on Jan. 27 outlined three areas of disagreement in the negotiations: compensation, parent leave, and the expiration of the contract.

In the letter, Foley writes that the WEA is not satisfied with the compensation package, but she said that “The Committee believes the current financial package is in-line, if not higher, than many of our comparable districts. The Committee is currently awaiting a response from the WEA to our increased financial offer that was made on January 23rd.”

The WEA has asked for more than the current parental leave of up to 8 weeks using accrued sick time, Foley wrote, adding that “we share the goal of expanding the existing parental leave benefits.”

The teachers’ contract has expired, Foley wrote, but she said that “most of the protections and all of the working conditions in the expired contract are still in effect.” She added that “61% of the WEA members received a 3.5% increase by step movement this past September.”

The WEA has not released a statement reacting to the School Committee’s statement.

On Jan. 25, teachers held a stand out in Watertown Square calling for a “fair contract.” The same day they announced they would be “working to rule” beginning the week of Jan. 30.

(See the Watertown Cable News report from the WEA stand out below):

In regards to working to rule, the Watertown Educators Association, put up the following statement on its Facebook page on Jan. 25:

“Watertown Residents, Watertown Educators have not gained a fair and settled contract yet. In protest, next week we will begin Work to Rule. Work to Rule is a job action involving employees following exactly the ‘rule’ of what the contract says and not go​ing​ ‘above and beyond,’ like we usually do.”

They included the graphic about Work to Rule:

Full Statements

The School Committee sent out the following letter on Jan. 27:

Message from the School Committee…..

The School Committee and Watertown Educators Association (WEA) have been in the process of contract negotiations since June 2022. I am writing to provide you with an update on this work.

The School Committee deeply values and respects our educators and recognizes the important work that they do for the students of Watertown. The School Committee and WEA are working to reach an agreement on a three-year, successor contract and, to date, have met 11 times. The negotiation team continues to treat this matter with urgency and all stakeholders in mind.

Recently, students and their families may have noticed an increase in activity surrounding these negotiations. For example, teachers may be wearing red shirts or holding signs of support. This is not uncommon during contract negotiations. Additionally, the WEA recently announced that it would be working under “work to rule” conditions.

Our teachers are not working without a contract, but are instead operating under our previous agreement. “Work to rule” means that teachers will work strictly to the letter of their most recent contract. This may have an impact on the availability of teachers beyond normal school hours, communications with educators, and the overall student experience. That said, the District is committed to ensuring that the student experience continues as uninterrupted as possible.

We understand that reaching a contract that best serves our students, families, teachers, staff and community can be a long and difficult process. As the activity around this process has picked up, we feel it is important to share a few substantive points regarding the negotiations:

● Compensation: The Committee has currently proposed a very competitive financial package to the WEA. The Committee believes the current financial package is in-line, if not higher, than many of our comparable districts. The Committee is currently awaiting a response from the WEA to our increased financial offer that was made on January 23rd.

● Parental Leave: For many years, all Watertown teachers have had access to parental leave for up to 8 weeks using accrued sick time. In addition, we’ve made it clear to the WEA that we share the goal of expanding the existing parental leave benefits.

● Contract Expiration: While it is true that the contract with the WEA has expired; most of the
protections and all of the working conditions in the expired contract are still in effect. This includes any step and lane advancements that WEA members received at the start of this school year. It is important to note that 61% of the WEA members received a 3.5% increase by step movement this past September.

The School Committee remains committed to a fair contract for our teachers and an affordable contract for our community. We will meet again on February 6 and will continue to negotiate in good faith throughout this process.

Kendra Foley, Watertown School Committee Chair

Watertown Educators Association Statement on Facebook on Jan. 21″

Statement from the WEA 1/21/23:

At the heart of negotiations between the Watertown Educators Association and the Watertown School Committee are our most important stakeholders, the students and families of Watertown. There has been some discussion on social media about how we can and should communicate the status of our contract negotiations with these stakeholders. As educators, one of our highest values is open and transparent communication with the Watertown community, and this is reflected in the outreach we have engaged in throughout these negotiations. We value respectful engagement in the negotiations process, and we have been cautious to keep our communications to our community stakeholders focused on our own bargaining goals and values, which have all been presented to the School Committee previously and which we do not consider to be confidential. We have and will continue to hold the School Committee’s positions and their presentation of those positions at the bargaining table confidential, in respect for the ground rules that were agreed upon at the outset of negotiations. That said, School Committee representatives have offered comments that suggest the Committee may be interested in waiving this ground rule and sharing their own positions openly with the Watertown community. If the Committee is in fact interested in fully opening bargaining to our community, the WEA would be in full and enthusiastic support of such a proposal.

2 thoughts on “Watertown Teachers Working to Rule, Calling for Settling Contract

  1. Teachers are needed to teach the next generations, are vital, and I respect them and their work.

    What I would like to see written into a new contract is that teachers:

    . Will not bring “Woke” nonsense in the classroom, such as LGBTQ, transgenderism, and Critical Race Theory (whether named that or not), and will not deliberately make students feel bad because they’re White.

    Also, can we please stop the “tolerance and diversity” stuff? It’s tiresome and it’s a Woke cliche and neither teachers nor students should use that term or believe it means much.

    Schools should also have a brief, factual lesson about all the kinds of people, races, ethnicities, and religions that have contributed to the history and growth of Watertown since it was founded in 1630.

    • William, I’m curious what you mean with a few of the things that you’re talking about. What does it mean to prevent teachers from “bring[ing] woke nonsense into the classroom”? Does that mean a teacher who’s LGBT or black can’t talk about their own experiences of oppression on the basis of those identities? Does it mean that if a student confides in the teacher that they’re thinking they might be gay, the teacher wouldn’t be able to answer any questions or offer any reassurances about that? Have you heard stories of Watertown’s white students being told in lessons that they have to feel bad about their race, or is that their parents’ interpretation of lessons that frankly discuss the history of race in this country? Would a “factual lesson about all the kinds of people, races, ethnicities, and religions that have contributed to the history and growth of Watertown” include discussion of the institution of slavery as it existed in Massachusetts, or would brevity restrict discussions of people like Charles Lenox (https://www.watertownmanews.com/2020/11/14/life-of-charles-lenox-black-man-from-watertown-who-served-in-civil-war-detailed-by-historical-society/) from the lesson?

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