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Teachers Defy Court Orders, Stay On Picket Lines

Teachers, City At Odds Over Health-Care Costs

POSTED: 12:13 pm EDT June 11, 2007
UPDATED: 6:02 pm EDT June 11, 2007

Quincy teachers continued to walk the picket lines on Monday afternoon, despite a Dedham Superior Court judge ordering them back to work.

  • Survey: Teachers Paid Enough?
  • The teachers disobeyed an order to return to work on Monday after the state's Labor Relations Commission ruled on Friday that a strike is illegal. Late Monday afternoon, a judge issued a temporary restraining order and reiterated the commission's ruling that said the strike was illegal.

    "The Labor Relations Commission will be going to court today, this afternoon, in order to obtain an injunction to force the teachers back to work," said Quincy School Superintendent Dr. Richard DeCristofaro.

    About 890 people have walked off the job.

    The biggest issue is that teachers are being asked to pay more for health care. They would have to pay 20 percent rather than the current 10 percent. They're being offered a 13 percent salary increase over the next four years, but teachers said that amounts to a pay cut.

    "We are perfectly willing to explain to the judge everything that we have tried over the course of 18 months. We are well aware that there might be fines. We'll deal with that when it happens or if it happens," said Paul Phillips of the Quincy Education Association.

    The two sides met with a mediator on Sunday but there was little if any movement on the issues.

    "The health care increase and the co-pay increase will wipe away any salary increase," one teacher said.

    "It almost makes myself look other places, other schools that would take better care of a teacher," another teacher said.

    "It's not a matter of taking a hard stand, it's a matter of everybody pitching in to strike a fair balance," Quincy Mayor William Phelan said.

    The cancellations mean delays in taking final exams, and possibly a longer school year. Classes were canceled for Tuesday.

    "The teachers want to be back in the classroom. The kids are now going to have an extended school year, and it's just an unfortunate thing that they have to go through," parent Janice Sheehan said.

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