November 20, 2024 • 39 mins
The illegal teacher strikes continue this week for three North Shore communities: Gloucester, Beverly, and Marblehead. How much progress has been made towards reaching an agreement? While every day the strike continues the unions get fined, it appears the fines have not made a difference. What are your thoughts on illegal striking in Massachusetts? Is tougher action needed in teacher strikes to prevent school year disruptions for students?
*The Gloucester Mayor has denied our request to join. All three teachers’ unions have been invited to join the conversation*
*The Gloucester Mayor has denied our request to join. All three teachers’ unions have been invited to join the conversation*
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's night with Dan Ray on WAZ Boston's radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
We're going right right back to the calls.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
By the way, the Globe editorial is entitled Tougher action
is needed on teacher strikes, and the Globe mentions this
idea the fact that state law forbids such strikes means
that judges have considerable leverage in ending these work stoppages.
We're talking about the strikes that teacher strikes up in Gloucester,
(00:30):
Beverly and Marblehead, which will be going into the eighth
or ninth day tomorrow. In the Beverly strike, the come
Wealth Employment Relations for the state agency charge with moving
to end such strikes, is considering two ideas. One is
the rule that the Beverly School Committee has no obligation
to bargain with the union while their employees are out
on a legal strike. A second is asked is to
(00:53):
ask Essex Superior Court Judge Jennis Howe to order the
parties into binding arbitration to decide a new contract. That's
kind of like what my suggestion was. Maybe that No,
those are two good ideas from the Globe. I got
to give them credit. Not often are we aligned together.
The Globe and myself on editorial policy. But I think
this is one that cries out for it. So let's
(01:15):
get back to the call. See what people think. Love
to hear from anyone who would like to call in
from Marblehead, Gloucester or Beverly. Those towns have been very
quiet during these conversations, and I hope that no one
should feel intimidated. Mario in Wilmington, Mario, you were next
on Nightside. Welcome, sir. Well, if Mario isn't there, Rob,
(01:39):
let's put Mario on hold and we'lcome back to Mario.
That's only going to get everybody else on a little
bit more quickly. Let me go to tell you and
and over tell you welcome to Nightside.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
How are you Hi?
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Can you hear me?
Speaker 3 (01:51):
I can do fine, Thanks very much for calling in.
Tell you go right ahead.
Speaker 5 (01:54):
Hi, Yeah, thank you for having me. I'm currently a
teacher in Massachusetts, and a young one. I've been teaching
for about six years, so I think I offer a
bit of a different perspective knowing that I have about
twenty to thirty years left, and I'm I see that
I'm not going to be able to afford a house
and possibly kids at the rate we're going. Yeah, and
(02:16):
I think that I don't know what the solution is
in terms of bargaining, and I definitely hear the issues
that families are having on that. But and I'm hearing
people call into your show, and it's definitely.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Like, Talia, Did I lose Talia there? Yeah, put her
on hold. We'll come back to tal you. I want
her to finish your thoughts. Sometimes people inadvertently hit a
(02:48):
mute button, so we'll get Tala back.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Here. Is she there?
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Now?
Speaker 6 (02:53):
Hi?
Speaker 5 (02:54):
I am here, Talia.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
We lost you there for a second. I don't know
if you inevertly hit a mute button, but I'm glad
you're back.
Speaker 5 (02:59):
Correct I did hit something?
Speaker 7 (03:00):
Sorry, no problem, go ahead.
Speaker 5 (03:03):
Well, I'm openly saying that I don't have a solution,
but it's definitely clear to me from hearing the public
call in on your show that people are making quite
a miseducated statement before really forming an opinion.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Okay, well, let's help us out. What what do they
need to know before? Do you want to tell me
what town you're you're teaching in or no, I'm.
Speaker 5 (03:24):
Just in the greater Boston area.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Okay, Well, the only reason I say the only reason
I said that is I have the list of from
the Department of Education of the the average salaries in
different districts, and you know, some of them are as
high as over one hundred thousand dollars. Right for example,
(03:47):
Let's see, I'm just grabbing a couple here real quickly.
Bedford is one hundred and two thousand dollars. I'm just
going to go alphabetically here, Brockton is one hundred and
two thousand dollars. Carlisle is one hundred and ten thousand dollars.
Now though that's the higher end of the scale.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Well, here's one.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Let's see, Conquered Carlisle is one hundred and Conquered is
one hundred and eight, and Conquered Carlisle is one hundred
and seventeen thousand dollars. Again, these are the average. Does
I mean every teacher makes that? It's the average?
Speaker 2 (04:21):
DOVA?
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Surevone is one hundred and four Western Massachusetts. Did what
I have here? No, let me see, I'm trying to
just spot the hundreds, just to just to say that
there are some teachers who seemingly are doing the six figure.
Speaker 5 (04:37):
Salaries absolutely, And then I assume you're.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Not making anywhere anywhere near that near that.
Speaker 5 (04:44):
Right, Yeah, not yet, And the Boston Globe does say,
right now, you need over two hundred thousand dollars in
an ideally combined joint income to afford a home. So
unless the teacher has a stalis or whatever, that's not
happening for them. But the same that I was pointing
to before were those people saying that they're they should
throw teachers in jail and that they're they're vacationing in
(05:06):
Europe all summer. I just think that's really this important.
Teachers do a lot of work over the summer. They
have curriculum committees where they're working during the summer in
the free time that they have hopefully paid on a
stipend for the curriculum for the students for the whole year.
They're often doing summer school with kids or working their
(05:26):
second or third jobs. So I feel a lot of
anger from the public, and I'm not sure why that
is happening.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Okay, well, let me let me try to tell you
what why. I think people are a little frustrated. I
don't want to characterize it as anger, but frustration. You're
in your sixth year of teaching. And I'm sure when
you started your career six years ago you knew that
teachers salaries were not going to be equivalent to Major
League baseball players, right, Okay, so after six years, are
(06:00):
you making seventy thousand dollars?
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I'm guessing.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
Yeah, I'm in the seventies, in.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
The seventy high seventies. Ah, man, it's okay, So we'll say.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Seventy five thousand dollars just to keep it simple.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
It's tough to buy a home anywhere close to Greater
Boston or in Greater Boston with that salary, would you right?
Speaker 5 (06:25):
And it would all be possible for me to get
to work in the near future if I were to
purchase home, which I obviously can't.
Speaker 8 (06:33):
Yeah, but yeah, I just said.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
You'd have to purchase somewhere in central Massachusetts. I get that.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
I totally I totally get that. Okay.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
Yeah, And I'm sorry to interrupt you. I heard a
few times that people were suggesting firing teachers, and I
don't think they know that you need to go to
school for six years to be a teacher in Massachusetts,
and that it is highly skilled and more than by babysitting,
and we wouldn't have people to replace them, and that's
why that hasn't been solution yet.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
So let me ask you this as a teacher of
six years, and again you didn't. You told me a
greater Boston community, which is fine, don't have to identify
which one. What do you think would be the fair
salary that you should earn as a teacher with six years.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
Experience in a greater Boston area?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah, I mean again, I don't want you to tell
me what town you teach in, but everybody knows greater
Boston means somewhere inside of one twenty eight. What do
you think you should be earning after six years? You
told me you make seventy five. What do you think
you should be earning?
Speaker 5 (07:43):
Well, I would say at this point about ten to
twenty more so that I can at least save some money,
because that's not happening right now, and I understand that
I'm younger in my career and that it would go up.
Speaker 9 (07:53):
No.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Right, So therefore, you would like to think that you
could be making eighty five to ninety five thousand dollars
as a teacher, correct?
Speaker 5 (08:03):
Yeah, And I will admit that I know that one
day I am going to be fine, And I don't
think that the main negotiation point for teachers is salary.
There's a lot of other things to benefit the students
that teachers are negotiating that the public does not understand.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Would you agree with me that.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
The main problem in any of these negotiations it's always.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Going to be salary.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
No, I don't because that's not.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Really the namely one negotiation with which you're familiar in
which salary was not.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
The main and the final sticking point.
Speaker 5 (08:41):
Class sizes services for students special education teachers. We need
more of them so that services can be delivered because
I don't think parents on know that their children aren't
getting their services because there are too many hours of
services that need to be given in the way and
they just don't have the staff to do it.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
So, how many of the students in your class need
special education?
Speaker 5 (09:11):
It depends on the class, but it could be up
to like attend students in a twenty five student class.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
So forty sure? Really?
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Okay, Again, I'm not experienced in that, and I don't
know how they characterize people as needing special education. So
where do you think a teacher should max out. Let's
assume that you were not in your sixth year. Let's
assume that you were in your twenty sixth year, and
you must have some colleagues who have been there for
twenty six years. How much should those colleagues be making
(09:45):
after twenty six years.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
In your opinion?
Speaker 5 (09:49):
Well, I can't say, but I know that teacher salaries
and messages that's usually max out on your fifteenth year.
And you're not going to get a raise unless.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
That's fine, Then tell me on the fifteen what will
your salary max out at after fifteen years?
Speaker 2 (10:03):
That's nine years from now.
Speaker 5 (10:04):
I think in my district currently for twenty twenty four
it's around one hundred and fifteen thousand.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
One hundred and fifteen thousand dollars. Okay, So fifteen years
from now, you'll be in your late thirties, right right,
and you'll be making one hundred and fifteen thousand dollars
and maybe more.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
That is being paid for in large part, as I'm
sure you know, by the homeowners the residents of the
community in which you teach, right, Okay, So the school
committee has to balance the interest of the teachers and
the quality of the schools that they want with how
(10:50):
much they can get in property taxes in some cases
from people who have retired and are living on social security.
That's the balance the School Committee has to strike, and
it's a tough balance. I mean, I'm sure that in
a perfect world the School Committee would give every teacher
two hundred thousand dollars.
Speaker 5 (11:09):
But yeah, I agree, and I think it's important to
take a look at a look at history and civil
disobedience and like, sometimes the word illegal isn't that bad,
Like we used to have child labor and stuff. Like
the striking isn't uncommon, it's not new. When I think
a lot of people are hearing the word illegal and
(11:30):
they're just directing.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Well, un fortunately, you've got to change that.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
You have to change the statue because in Massachusetts it's
illegal if I decide some rainy day tomorrow it's rainy,
and I want to park in a handicapped parking space
or next to a fire hydrant because that's closer to
the dunkin Donuts. When I want to go get my
coffee and the police officer comes over and you know,
(11:53):
tickets me, I can't say, come on, I know it's illegal,
but you know it's it's raining today and I want
to get a call.
Speaker 8 (12:00):
Yeah, I agree that you work in a profession.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
You happen to work in a profession. Tell you in
which striking is illegal. Police officers cannot strike. Firefighters cannot strike.
If your house was on fire and you called the
fire dispatch and they said, gee, would love to come
and help you, but we got a strike going on.
Or if you called the police department and there was
some weirdo breaking in, breaking your draw down, and you
(12:25):
called nine one one of the and the police said, hey,
we're on strike. Wish we could have helped you. Wish
he had. You know when I wish this guy broke in.
You know last week we were working. We could have
been over there and helped you. Public employees are not
allowed to strike.
Speaker 5 (12:38):
Tell you, luckily, we're not saving lives. And I'm just saying,
in your hypothetical.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Something very positive. Okay, you're doing something positive. You're educating
the next generation, your education children. No one, and and
I'm not being a wise guy when I say this.
Tell you, but was there anyone who said to you
when you would become a teacher? Tell you you know
you shouldn't become a teacher, you know, because you're never
going to make the money that nuclear scientist is going to.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
I mean, you chose, you chose a noble profession, and
part of the downside of the noble profession, part of
the upside is June. You know, June, July, and August.
You can do a lot of things that a lot
of people can't do in June.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
July and August.
Speaker 5 (13:24):
But yeah, I mean I work all summer. Most of
the teachers I know do, so I don't agree with
that statement. I also think that, well.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
You work a second you work a second job, I
assume to supplement your income.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Yes, Did you have any idea.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
How much money teachers made when you decided to become
a teacher or no?
Speaker 5 (13:45):
No, I mean I knew I was going to have
to work year round.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
Okay, but you had no idea what you didn't know
if teachers were making twenty thousand or two hundred thousand.
Speaker 5 (13:54):
No, I knew, Oh you did, And I don't think
any I don't think any your start starts teaching for
the money. I think all we're asking is to be
able to commute to our jobs.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
But it's always to tell you the problem is. You're right,
you didn't start teaching for the money. But now from
the union perspective, it's primarily about the money and who's
going to pay for the money. How does the school
committee go back to those retired, those retired couples who
they're going to say, we're going to increase your real
estate taxes. Now your Medicare, your soci security is not
(14:28):
going up. Oh your SOI scurity is going up at
one point four percent because that's the rate of inflation.
But the teachers sally, you know, come on, I mean
this was a really good call. I hope we can
end it as well as we started it.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
I thank you for that.
Speaker 8 (14:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (14:39):
Absolutely, I'm not looking for anything unrealistic. I think we
just want to be able to live.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
What they Here's what they should do.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Maybe in the town where you teach, there should be
some sort of a referendum in which the town says,
we will give any teacher who's interested in u teaching
in this community a bonus of one hundred thousand dollars
so that they at least can put a down payment
on the home. That's that's something that they can do locally,
think outside the box. Tell you I got to run.
(15:11):
Thank you very much, first time calling my show or no?
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Yeah, yeah, I enjoyed the conversation. Good night.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
Let me go to Mario. Let's see if we get married.
We tried him before and we missed.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Mary. We're back. Are you back? Yes? Thank you, go ahead.
Speaker 8 (15:30):
I just wanted to stay.
Speaker 7 (15:31):
Like I said a couple of days ago when you
first started talking about this, the the tom managers are
responsible for this mess now. A union member made a
very clear point today that I was very impressed upon,
and I'm siding with them now, is that they're being
fined daily two because they're out on strike. Yet the
(15:54):
school committee and the town is not being held accountable
at this point either. So this failure has brought this
to this point where kids are out of school, which
I am very angry about.
Speaker 6 (16:07):
And then, Mario, let.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Me correct you if I could. Do you know why
the teachers' union unions are being fined.
Speaker 7 (16:15):
For being because they are illegally striking.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Right and and and therefore, what what could a judge do?
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Mario?
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Let me do this. I I'm really in a bind
here on a break rob. You know, we gotta do. Mario,
stay there, I'm going to continue this call with you.
We got to take a quick break. I'll be right back, Okay,
grather your thoughts and we'll be right back. Okay, fine, Rob,
sorry about that. Why don't you give me three minutes
here and then we kick one over. Okay, go ahead.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World
night Side Studios on WITBZ News Radio.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Let's get back to Mario Merrow. Thank you very much
for allowing us to get those commercials in.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Go right ahead.
Speaker 7 (17:00):
Yeah, So I blamed the Tom managers and at this
point this shouldn't have happened. They should have had this
budget corrected at that time. But they're making themselves look
good and having a low budget. But they have ignored
the fact that they have an open budget. And so
this is where we are with this.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Where did they raise where did they raise the money
from to pay the teacher's salaries?
Speaker 7 (17:23):
Mario, Okay, you'll seem to ignore other things like firefighters
and police. They're spending exorbitate money on fire trucks that
they could buy cheaply, but they're not police departments the
same way they're buying cars. Every four years when they should.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Your point where.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Let me make sure. Let me make sure I stand
your point. And I'm a little tight on time here.
If you had been ready at ten ten ten, we
would have maybe been able to go a little longer.
So what you're saying is it's up to the city
and town to take money that they're spending overspending on
police and fire and divert that money to the teachers' unions,
(18:08):
to the teacher contracts. I think that's.
Speaker 7 (18:09):
What I'm saying. What I'm saying is if you're at
a point where you can't increase the tax on the taxpayers,
there are areas where you can cut Police departments buy
new cars every four years. That's unnecessary. Fire trucks are
costing three hundred thousand dollars. They can be bought for
as little as a buck fifty. They don't have the
(18:31):
glamorous extras that come with these trucks with flashing lights,
et cetera. There is ways to cut the costs, okay,
but they don't want to look that way. Now, you
live in Wilmington.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
You live in.
Speaker 7 (18:45):
Wilmington, right, eighteen dollars an hour, go ahead, you live
in Wilmington.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Correct, do they just do a better job in Wilmington
of allocating resources between the fire, the police and the teachers.
Speaker 7 (19:02):
It is a problem here also, is what I'm saying.
It seems that's my question?
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Then is this.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
No you've told me you've identified Mario. I'd like to
have a conversation with you, Mario, as opposed to a speech.
I've allowed you to make your points, which you know
may or may not be true. And the reason I
asked you about Wilmington is if this is a I
didn't know if you had done a study on Beverly,
(19:32):
Marblehead and Gloucester, or if you think this is a
problem that is in most communities, including your community.
Speaker 7 (19:38):
And you said yes, I aint across that the teachers
left at the bottom line, and so it should be equal.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
So are the teachers?
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Are the teachers being left at the bottom line in
the You know.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
What, Mario? That's it.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Good night, Mario, have a have a nice conversation with yourself.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Good night boy. He waited around a long time for that. Swim.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
My question to Mario was going to be, you live
in Wilmington, Mario, You've identified a problem in Wilmington. What
have you done about it. Are you running for school committee?
Are you running for selectmen in Wilmington? I will bet
you that Mario was going to say no. In the meantime,
as Mario swims away and hopefully can swim well, we
will continue. Look, all he want is a conversation. Okay,
(20:25):
It's as simple as that. If you want to call
up and just scream at me, call someone else. I'd
like a conversation. I thought my conversation with Talia, we
went ten minutes with Tellia. There's a little bit of
repetition there, but that's okay. She was genuine, She was passionate.
Mario was passionate, but like he's an expert on the
budgetary process in Gloucester, Marblehead and Beverly. I don't know
(20:49):
how he knows all of that, but he claims he did.
So I asked him about Wilmington, and then I was
hoping he was going to say to me he was
going to announce on my show his plan to run
for school committee in Wilmington and square it away. Mario,
you can stand on your back porch and you can
yell into the woods, or you could have been on
my show and continued a conversation. You say something, I
(21:11):
say something, We go back and forth and your ideas
are exposed by But if you just want to scream
at me, Mario, I don't get paid enough to be screened.
Bat We'll take a break here at Nightside, feel free
to join the conversation. Coming right back on Nightside. The
only line that's open right now is six one seven nine.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Mario. I still like you.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
You're always welcome to call, but just you know again,
I went out of my way to bring you back,
and anyway, that's it just didn't work tonight, Mario. But
maybe next time we'll coming right back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Night Side with Dan Ray. I'm telling you b Boston's
News Radio.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Back to the phones we go. Let's up.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Next up is Michelle from Weymouth. Michelle, thanks to hold
it on. Sorry about a couple of long phone calls.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Go right ahead.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
Hi.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
So I'm a teacher and a special I'm a special
education teacher. I'm down on the South Shore, and so
I just wanted to bring up a couple of points
because I know that you were asking about like what
can we do and what what could like stop the
what you know, what are they fighting for? And what
might stop it. The big things that because my district
almost went on strike two years ago, but the big
(22:28):
things that we're fighting for that other people and other
districts have been fighting for, is is para professional wage.
And so when you have that teacher average of like
eighty whatever thousand, that does not include para professionals. They
start out and I don't remember which one of those
three districts, but I heard it this week that they
start out at twenty five thousand dollars a year, which
(22:51):
is poverty pay yep. And then they no.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
That sounds.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
Pretty pretty accurate to me. Okay, that is that is
what they start out at, and I agree with that principle.
I agree with the point that you're making that those
paraprofessionals are not paid a living my age.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
And they can make more at targets than they can
at their jobs, and a lot of them are and
they are the backbone of special education.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
I do understand that. Okay.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
Yeah, So now the question is when the teachers go
out on strike. The teachers in these three school districts
are all making in the mid eighties.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
That's true, yeah, I mean average, but that also includes
the you know, one hundred and fifty one hundred and
fifteen thousand dollars teachers that have been there for thirty years.
Speaker 7 (23:51):
But yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
That's what's an average salary.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
I mean, that's what average means, that you you have
two hundred teachers and on average they're they're making. Now,
those figures are from twenty twenty to twenty twenty one,
so I'm assuming that all of those school districts have
had some pay bumps in the last three years, because
now it's the end of twenty twenty four. So if
the teachers' union went out on strike or threatened to
(24:15):
go out on strike and said, look, you know, we're
doing okay, but we would like to see the salaries
of the paralegals doubled so that instead of making twenty
five thousand dollars they were making fifty thousand dollars, I
would I would say that is a union that is
doing the right thing, because not only are they helping
(24:37):
people at the bottom of the spectrum, you know, financially,
but in addition to that, they probably are improving dramatically,
improving the quality of the school system and maybe even
making their own jobs and their own work circumstances more tolerable,
because yeah, but that's not what they do say they
(25:01):
want their salary to be increased, which is understanding.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
Well, well, yes and no. So I know my district
and I know other districts. Like two years ago, when
we were fighting these things, they we were fighting for
a cost of living increase that was significantly smaller for
teachers and higher for parer professionals. And we we fought
(25:26):
and won for our paer professionals to start at thirty
thousand as a base and then still, I mean, it's
better and then get higher cost of living increases until
it so that they would be able to make more
year after year. And we took a cut on the
teacher cost of living increases. It's not braises. Their cost
(25:46):
of living increases year by year.
Speaker 3 (25:49):
Okay, yeah, okay, So here's my question. And again, you're
a are you a current teacher a former teacher?
Speaker 4 (25:57):
I am a current teacher. I'm sixteen years in.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
Okay, great, and obviously you sound really committed to your career.
Sixteen years. It speaks of that.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
Do you think that the teachers' unions make a mistake
when they strike and it is now understood by most
people that teachers and police and fire as a public employe,
you're not supposed to strike because it impacts the service.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Do you agree with me?
Speaker 3 (26:35):
And I don't know if you were listening at nine o'clock,
but my feeling is that there should be a requirement
of the teachers' Union and the school committee or whoever
the representatives are of the city or town to meet
a full year before the contract expires in the summer
of the prior year, meeting July and August of that summer,
(26:56):
because no one wants to do that. But if you
force them to meet in July and August, and if
they don't come to an agreement, then they have to
meet the next July in August, want the contract has expired,
and you have an arbiter or a mediator who's going
to come in and if they can't agreet on everything,
(27:16):
the arbiter or the mediator then has the authority on
August fifteenth before the school starts, meaning you know, before
Labor Day, whatever the day school starts, to basically decide, okay,
the teachers' Union is being more reasonable than the school committee,
and I'm going to you know, award the teachers union
the contract or closer to the contract they want. That
(27:38):
that would that would prevent strikes from happening. And I
think it would also benefit both the town and the
teachers' unions to sit because you know, the teachers union
can say we want you know, you know, five percent,
seven percent and nine percent over the next three years,
and the town is going to say, no, we can
only afford four percent, five percent and six percent, and
(28:00):
they dig in their heels and what's the inevitability a strike?
Speaker 2 (28:04):
And who wins were that?
Speaker 4 (28:06):
So you have to remember that it also goes by budget,
so the budget for the next year isn't set until
like April in most towns, and so that is actually
when the towns will start to negotiate stuff like this,
so they do start before it and the towns. I
don't know about these three, but I know that when
we almost went on strike, we actually had an entire
(28:30):
almost an entire school year because it was it didn't
get resolved until April, and we were working on our
old contract, an expired contract for that whole school year
until April when it was finally fixed.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
Okay, well, again, this is a dilemma. Did you read
the Globe editorial today on teacher strike. So now, yes, okay,
Now the Globes are pretty progressive institution. I'm more of
a concern. I'm more conservative in the Globe when the
Globe and I agree on something like this, and I
(29:03):
think I'm fundamentally in agreement with the Globe on this
that something has to be done. I mean, you got
kids to be out of school now for two weeks,
and of course next week is going to be a
short week Thanksgiving. These kids will basically lose most of
the month of.
Speaker 4 (29:18):
November, right, but they do have to make it up
on the back end.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
Well, but then they if they make it up in June.
How much you're a teacher, how much education goes on
in classes after June?
Speaker 2 (29:29):
First?
Speaker 4 (29:29):
Come on, I mean not a lot, but you know then.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
And then how many how many families have have planned
for a family vacation, let's say, to Disney World, not
only for their their eighth grader, but for their third
grader and their fifth grader or their five year old.
So now the family has to cancel their vacation. I mean,
this causes a tremendous amount.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
Of there's a ripple effect. I loved you call, Michelle.
I think you have called the show before. If I'm not.
Speaker 4 (29:59):
Mistake, I haven't. No, this is my first time. I've
listened for a really long time, but this is my
first time calling.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Well, you did a great job.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
I'm going to get around of applause from our studio audience,
and I hope you feel that, even though we're not
in total agreement, that we had a good conversation, and
you certainly provided a good conversation, and that you were
treated well and respectfully.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
That's that's how I.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Treat all my callers. And I thank you for giving
me an opportunity to engage in a conversation with you.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (30:28):
I have a great night you too.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Okay, So we got one line that's open at six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty, and I got a couple of lines open
at six seven, nine, three thirty. I'm going to cut
this off at eleven o'clock, so if you want to
get in, now is the time to call. I will
not carry this over past eleven o'clock. We're going to
talk about the efforts by Alvin Bragg he seize the
(30:51):
unceasing efforts by District attorney Alvin Bragg to put Donald
Trump in jail. Uh wait, do you hear of these?
With this guy suggesting? Now back at Nightside right after this.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Well, let's go next to Steve in Merrimack, New Hampshire.
We get Steve when we got Melissa coming up. Steve,
go right ahead, h Dana, Great, Steve, what's going on?
Speaker 2 (31:19):
What you're taking on?
Speaker 6 (31:20):
I just want to say that, you know, I've been
listening to the conversation from different people in Massachusetts and
you know this. The fines that they're giving to the
unions right now, basically they are a parking ticket. It's
nothing to them. They don't even care. You know, you
got to get their attention, and obviously the amount they're
charging isn't going to get their attention. These teachers, they're
(31:43):
they're very well paid. When you overpay them, which is
what they're asking for, you're basically making that community less affordable.
The school committee is elected by the tax layers in
those communities. So when you're starting to go after the
school committee or the talent manager or some callers has
called them, you're really going after the voters. You know,
(32:05):
the voters are the ones that put them in there.
They're trying to bargain a good faith. I don't believe
these teachers are bargaining a good faith at all. The
pair of professionals sure give the rays, but they want
their cut of the action too, and I really think
that they're being very unreasonable. I'm alive with you completely
on every point that you've made, as I always am.
(32:28):
This is a mess, and it takes Massachusetts to create
a big mess. As you know. I don't think this
is going on anywhere else in the country, am I right?
Speaker 3 (32:39):
Well, we have a very strong Massachusetts Teachers Association, the
statewide union, and they support the Democrats, and the Democrats
are in power here in Massachusetts, they have been for
a while. We have a one party state, which is
a bit of a problem if you want to get
a bounce, and uh, we don't have what New Hampshire has.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
I mean, you have.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
Democratic, two Democratic US senators, two members of Congress House
of Representati who a Democrat. You've had a Republican governors.
You you know, you have a legislature up there that's
pretty well balanced.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
I mean.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
Massachusetts is a different place. A lot of people from
Massachusetts now are going up to New Hampshire and they're
turning you state more purple than it ever was.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
By the way, You've.
Speaker 6 (33:28):
Got that right, We know all about that. One thing
I wanted to say too, is you know some of
these you know people that are calling up that are
you know, starting their careers as teachers. You know, I
think it's commendable. I mean that you're willing to, you know,
take that part of your life and devoted towards the kids.
But if you're married to somebody that's an executive down
(33:50):
and you know Greater Washington that's making six figures, you're
not hurting for anything, but you make it look like
you are. You know, you're not living on your own.
You've got somebody else to lean on in the meantime.
Like you said before, these people that are on fixed
income Social Security, there where is the money going to
come from? Out of their hide? I mean, you know
(34:11):
they're going to have to it's all. I think that
it's the porrible. I think what they're doing is not fair,
and I really think that the governor needs to get
involved with a mass teachers' association, and you know this
is going to keep spreading, like you said, also, just
like it did from end Over and Newton. Remember I
said last week, you know when they settled the Endover dispute,
(34:34):
we got everything we wanted. And I just said, wow,
I can't believe that they actually negotiated a contract that way.
You can't. You have to negotiate on behalf of the
tax fayers. That's who they represent. They don't represent the union.
So all I can say is, you know, there's going
to be a mess going forward. I hope they can
settle it soon.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
I agree with you on that totally. We'll see.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
That's why I put a little pressure on tonight.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
These kids have been out of school for too long.
Thanks so much.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
I got to go to Melissa in Portland, Oregon, Willis Lloiet.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Welcome back.
Speaker 9 (35:08):
Good. It's good to hear your voice. I've been listening
to this conversation for the last week or so, and
you know, I'm empathetic. Everybody wants to make a little
bit more money. But I have two questions, and you
may not know the answer. The first question is everybody's worried.
I've heard a lot about the pair of professionals. But
yet they've been out of work for two weeks. So
(35:29):
you have somebody that's making twenty five K that's not
been working for the last two weeks. Are they getting
paid during the strike?
Speaker 3 (35:38):
No, minus Danny is they're not being paid.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
During the strike. Yeah.
Speaker 9 (35:41):
Well that's not very empathetic, right, I would think that
if they're really concerned about them, they wouldn't. You know,
if it's really about the pair of professionals, then they're
really not thinking about them, because these are If you're
making twenty five K and you've lost two weeks of work, yeah,
that's a big hit, right, I mean, that's a big hit.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 9 (36:05):
So that's one thing that The second question I have
is a selfish question. As someone that works in corporate America.
I've seen the talent pool that's coming in and the
folks in their twenties. So my question for teachers is,
I think it's great that you work to a point
and you make one hundred and fifteen K. Are you
(36:27):
producing individuals that can make one hundred and fifteen K themselves?
Are they producing people that can work in the trades
and deliver? And the reason I'm asking that question is
I find I work with more and more people outside
of the US because the talent is not here in
the US. And so if it's really about the kids, well,
(36:51):
why are we not seeing a better crop of professionals
coming up. I'm not saying they're not a lot of
good professionals out there, but very rarely I work with
a lot of people outside of the country, and I'm
just that's that's why was I hear this conversation. I
question that the true commitment to teaching children. And I'm
(37:12):
saying I sound sarcastic, and I'm sorry, no, no, no, no, no,
I'm seeing it in the real world. It's a little
different in the real world versus the classroom.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
Yeah, I think you're I think you're right on that,
that's for sure. Hey, look as always, Thanks so much, Melissa.
I will I miss talking to you. Got to call
more often.
Speaker 9 (37:31):
Okay, all right, go Reds, bye bye.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
That's the Cincinnati Reds. You got a good manager now
in Francona.
Speaker 9 (37:39):
I know, very excited see in the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
It's going to get one more in here.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
Let me go real quickly if I can make it,
Austin Mike, I got about thirty seconds for you called
really late?
Speaker 2 (37:50):
What can you do with it?
Speaker 8 (37:52):
Real quick? Dan, Every time you talk about teacher strikes,
you always compare them to pair professionals who do not.
I think it calls after degrees and every teachers trike
in Massachusetts, they always back up the para professionals first.
They say they deserve more money. But the teachers are
the ones who have to deal with the kids in
the parents and they're like first responded Dan, And what's
(38:16):
the cost of living in Massachusetts?
Speaker 2 (38:19):
Too expensive?
Speaker 8 (38:21):
Yeah? So eighty six thousand dollars? Do you live in
Marblehead for eighty six thousand dollars a year and deal
with the parents?
Speaker 3 (38:29):
I suspect not, I suspect nolge.
Speaker 8 (38:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (38:33):
So again, you know, if you called early, we could
have a longer conversation here. I would ask you, what
should the average teacher be paid to teach in Marblehead?
Just give me a number.
Speaker 8 (38:45):
I'd probably say one hundred and thirty thousand.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
Good, okay, And then you sell that to the tax.
Speaker 8 (38:50):
What do you think? Well, what do you think, Terren?
They have masson degrees? Well, student Loane, no.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
I I understand your point, but no, no, no one, no, one,
no one again.
Speaker 3 (39:06):
You know you want to yell, you want to have
a conversation.
Speaker 2 (39:08):
Which do you want to do? Mick?
Speaker 3 (39:10):
What?
Speaker 8 (39:10):
No conversation but the question somebody. I think it is
the degree and.
Speaker 3 (39:17):
That's make your idea if a conversation is real different
than mine and I just ran out of time, have
a great night, Good night. We'll take a quick break.
We are going to change topics on the other side
of the hour. Stay with us back right after the
eleven o'clock news on night side
It's night with Dan Ray on WAZ Boston's radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
We're going right right back to the calls.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
By the way, the Globe editorial is entitled Tougher action
is needed on teacher strikes, and the Globe mentions this
idea the fact that state law forbids such strikes means
that judges have considerable leverage in ending these work stoppages.
We're talking about the strikes that teacher strikes up in Gloucester,
(00:30):
Beverly and Marblehead, which will be going into the eighth
or ninth day tomorrow. In the Beverly strike, the come
Wealth Employment Relations for the state agency charge with moving
to end such strikes, is considering two ideas. One is
the rule that the Beverly School Committee has no obligation
to bargain with the union while their employees are out
on a legal strike. A second is asked is to
(00:53):
ask Essex Superior Court Judge Jennis Howe to order the
parties into binding arbitration to decide a new contract. That's
kind of like what my suggestion was. Maybe that No,
those are two good ideas from the Globe. I got
to give them credit. Not often are we aligned together.
The Globe and myself on editorial policy. But I think
this is one that cries out for it. So let's
(01:15):
get back to the call. See what people think. Love
to hear from anyone who would like to call in
from Marblehead, Gloucester or Beverly. Those towns have been very
quiet during these conversations, and I hope that no one
should feel intimidated. Mario in Wilmington, Mario, you were next
on Nightside. Welcome, sir. Well, if Mario isn't there, Rob,
(01:39):
let's put Mario on hold and we'lcome back to Mario.
That's only going to get everybody else on a little
bit more quickly. Let me go to tell you and
and over tell you welcome to Nightside.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
How are you Hi?
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Can you hear me?
Speaker 3 (01:51):
I can do fine, Thanks very much for calling in.
Tell you go right ahead.
Speaker 5 (01:54):
Hi, Yeah, thank you for having me. I'm currently a
teacher in Massachusetts, and a young one. I've been teaching
for about six years, so I think I offer a
bit of a different perspective knowing that I have about
twenty to thirty years left, and I'm I see that
I'm not going to be able to afford a house
and possibly kids at the rate we're going. Yeah, and
(02:16):
I think that I don't know what the solution is
in terms of bargaining, and I definitely hear the issues
that families are having on that. But and I'm hearing
people call into your show, and it's definitely.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Like, Talia, Did I lose Talia there? Yeah, put her
on hold. We'll come back to tal you. I want
her to finish your thoughts. Sometimes people inadvertently hit a
(02:48):
mute button, so we'll get Tala back.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Here. Is she there?
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Now?
Speaker 6 (02:53):
Hi?
Speaker 5 (02:54):
I am here, Talia.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
We lost you there for a second. I don't know
if you inevertly hit a mute button, but I'm glad
you're back.
Speaker 5 (02:59):
Correct I did hit something?
Speaker 7 (03:00):
Sorry, no problem, go ahead.
Speaker 5 (03:03):
Well, I'm openly saying that I don't have a solution,
but it's definitely clear to me from hearing the public
call in on your show that people are making quite
a miseducated statement before really forming an opinion.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Okay, well, let's help us out. What what do they
need to know before? Do you want to tell me
what town you're you're teaching in or no, I'm.
Speaker 5 (03:24):
Just in the greater Boston area.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Okay, Well, the only reason I say the only reason
I said that is I have the list of from
the Department of Education of the the average salaries in
different districts, and you know, some of them are as
high as over one hundred thousand dollars. Right for example,
(03:47):
Let's see, I'm just grabbing a couple here real quickly.
Bedford is one hundred and two thousand dollars. I'm just
going to go alphabetically here, Brockton is one hundred and
two thousand dollars. Carlisle is one hundred and ten thousand dollars.
Now though that's the higher end of the scale.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Well, here's one.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Let's see, Conquered Carlisle is one hundred and Conquered is
one hundred and eight, and Conquered Carlisle is one hundred
and seventeen thousand dollars. Again, these are the average. Does
I mean every teacher makes that? It's the average?
Speaker 2 (04:21):
DOVA?
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Surevone is one hundred and four Western Massachusetts. Did what
I have here? No, let me see, I'm trying to
just spot the hundreds, just to just to say that
there are some teachers who seemingly are doing the six figure.
Speaker 5 (04:37):
Salaries absolutely, And then I assume you're.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Not making anywhere anywhere near that near that.
Speaker 5 (04:44):
Right, Yeah, not yet, And the Boston Globe does say,
right now, you need over two hundred thousand dollars in
an ideally combined joint income to afford a home. So
unless the teacher has a stalis or whatever, that's not
happening for them. But the same that I was pointing
to before were those people saying that they're they should
throw teachers in jail and that they're they're vacationing in
(05:06):
Europe all summer. I just think that's really this important.
Teachers do a lot of work over the summer. They
have curriculum committees where they're working during the summer in
the free time that they have hopefully paid on a
stipend for the curriculum for the students for the whole year.
They're often doing summer school with kids or working their
(05:26):
second or third jobs. So I feel a lot of
anger from the public, and I'm not sure why that
is happening.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Okay, well, let me let me try to tell you
what why. I think people are a little frustrated. I
don't want to characterize it as anger, but frustration. You're
in your sixth year of teaching. And I'm sure when
you started your career six years ago you knew that
teachers salaries were not going to be equivalent to Major
League baseball players, right, Okay, so after six years, are
(06:00):
you making seventy thousand dollars?
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I'm guessing.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
Yeah, I'm in the seventies, in.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
The seventy high seventies. Ah, man, it's okay, So we'll say.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Seventy five thousand dollars just to keep it simple.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
It's tough to buy a home anywhere close to Greater
Boston or in Greater Boston with that salary, would you right?
Speaker 5 (06:25):
And it would all be possible for me to get
to work in the near future if I were to
purchase home, which I obviously can't.
Speaker 8 (06:33):
Yeah, but yeah, I just said.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
You'd have to purchase somewhere in central Massachusetts. I get that.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
I totally I totally get that. Okay.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
Yeah, And I'm sorry to interrupt you. I heard a
few times that people were suggesting firing teachers, and I
don't think they know that you need to go to
school for six years to be a teacher in Massachusetts,
and that it is highly skilled and more than by babysitting,
and we wouldn't have people to replace them, and that's
why that hasn't been solution yet.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
So let me ask you this as a teacher of
six years, and again you didn't. You told me a
greater Boston community, which is fine, don't have to identify
which one. What do you think would be the fair
salary that you should earn as a teacher with six years.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
Experience in a greater Boston area?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah, I mean again, I don't want you to tell
me what town you teach in, but everybody knows greater
Boston means somewhere inside of one twenty eight. What do
you think you should be earning after six years? You
told me you make seventy five. What do you think
you should be earning?
Speaker 5 (07:43):
Well, I would say at this point about ten to
twenty more so that I can at least save some money,
because that's not happening right now, and I understand that
I'm younger in my career and that it would go up.
Speaker 9 (07:53):
No.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Right, So therefore, you would like to think that you
could be making eighty five to ninety five thousand dollars
as a teacher, correct?
Speaker 5 (08:03):
Yeah, And I will admit that I know that one
day I am going to be fine, And I don't
think that the main negotiation point for teachers is salary.
There's a lot of other things to benefit the students
that teachers are negotiating that the public does not understand.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Would you agree with me that.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
The main problem in any of these negotiations it's always.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Going to be salary.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
No, I don't because that's not.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Really the namely one negotiation with which you're familiar in
which salary was not.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
The main and the final sticking point.
Speaker 5 (08:41):
Class sizes services for students special education teachers. We need
more of them so that services can be delivered because
I don't think parents on know that their children aren't
getting their services because there are too many hours of
services that need to be given in the way and
they just don't have the staff to do it.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
So, how many of the students in your class need
special education?
Speaker 5 (09:11):
It depends on the class, but it could be up
to like attend students in a twenty five student class.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
So forty sure? Really?
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Okay, Again, I'm not experienced in that, and I don't
know how they characterize people as needing special education. So
where do you think a teacher should max out. Let's
assume that you were not in your sixth year. Let's
assume that you were in your twenty sixth year, and
you must have some colleagues who have been there for
twenty six years. How much should those colleagues be making
(09:45):
after twenty six years.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
In your opinion?
Speaker 5 (09:49):
Well, I can't say, but I know that teacher salaries
and messages that's usually max out on your fifteenth year.
And you're not going to get a raise unless.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
That's fine, Then tell me on the fifteen what will
your salary max out at after fifteen years?
Speaker 2 (10:03):
That's nine years from now.
Speaker 5 (10:04):
I think in my district currently for twenty twenty four
it's around one hundred and fifteen thousand.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
One hundred and fifteen thousand dollars. Okay, So fifteen years
from now, you'll be in your late thirties, right right,
and you'll be making one hundred and fifteen thousand dollars
and maybe more.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
That is being paid for in large part, as I'm
sure you know, by the homeowners the residents of the
community in which you teach, right, Okay, So the school
committee has to balance the interest of the teachers and
the quality of the schools that they want with how
(10:50):
much they can get in property taxes in some cases
from people who have retired and are living on social security.
That's the balance the School Committee has to strike, and
it's a tough balance. I mean, I'm sure that in
a perfect world the School Committee would give every teacher
two hundred thousand dollars.
Speaker 5 (11:09):
But yeah, I agree, and I think it's important to
take a look at a look at history and civil
disobedience and like, sometimes the word illegal isn't that bad,
Like we used to have child labor and stuff. Like
the striking isn't uncommon, it's not new. When I think
a lot of people are hearing the word illegal and
(11:30):
they're just directing.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Well, un fortunately, you've got to change that.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
You have to change the statue because in Massachusetts it's
illegal if I decide some rainy day tomorrow it's rainy,
and I want to park in a handicapped parking space
or next to a fire hydrant because that's closer to
the dunkin Donuts. When I want to go get my
coffee and the police officer comes over and you know,
(11:53):
tickets me, I can't say, come on, I know it's illegal,
but you know it's it's raining today and I want
to get a call.
Speaker 8 (12:00):
Yeah, I agree that you work in a profession.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
You happen to work in a profession. Tell you in
which striking is illegal. Police officers cannot strike. Firefighters cannot strike.
If your house was on fire and you called the
fire dispatch and they said, gee, would love to come
and help you, but we got a strike going on.
Or if you called the police department and there was
some weirdo breaking in, breaking your draw down, and you
(12:25):
called nine one one of the and the police said, hey,
we're on strike. Wish we could have helped you. Wish
he had. You know when I wish this guy broke in.
You know last week we were working. We could have
been over there and helped you. Public employees are not
allowed to strike.
Speaker 5 (12:38):
Tell you, luckily, we're not saving lives. And I'm just saying,
in your hypothetical.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Something very positive. Okay, you're doing something positive. You're educating
the next generation, your education children. No one, and and
I'm not being a wise guy when I say this.
Tell you, but was there anyone who said to you
when you would become a teacher? Tell you you know
you shouldn't become a teacher, you know, because you're never
going to make the money that nuclear scientist is going to.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
I mean, you chose, you chose a noble profession, and
part of the downside of the noble profession, part of
the upside is June. You know, June, July, and August.
You can do a lot of things that a lot
of people can't do in June.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
July and August.
Speaker 5 (13:24):
But yeah, I mean I work all summer. Most of
the teachers I know do, so I don't agree with
that statement. I also think that, well.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
You work a second you work a second job, I
assume to supplement your income.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Yes, Did you have any idea.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
How much money teachers made when you decided to become
a teacher or no?
Speaker 5 (13:45):
No, I mean I knew I was going to have
to work year round.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
Okay, but you had no idea what you didn't know
if teachers were making twenty thousand or two hundred thousand.
Speaker 5 (13:54):
No, I knew, Oh you did, And I don't think
any I don't think any your start starts teaching for
the money. I think all we're asking is to be
able to commute to our jobs.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
But it's always to tell you the problem is. You're right,
you didn't start teaching for the money. But now from
the union perspective, it's primarily about the money and who's
going to pay for the money. How does the school
committee go back to those retired, those retired couples who
they're going to say, we're going to increase your real
estate taxes. Now your Medicare, your soci security is not
(14:28):
going up. Oh your SOI scurity is going up at
one point four percent because that's the rate of inflation.
But the teachers sally, you know, come on, I mean
this was a really good call. I hope we can
end it as well as we started it.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
I thank you for that.
Speaker 8 (14:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (14:39):
Absolutely, I'm not looking for anything unrealistic. I think we
just want to be able to live.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
What they Here's what they should do.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Maybe in the town where you teach, there should be
some sort of a referendum in which the town says,
we will give any teacher who's interested in u teaching
in this community a bonus of one hundred thousand dollars
so that they at least can put a down payment
on the home. That's that's something that they can do locally,
think outside the box. Tell you I got to run.
(15:11):
Thank you very much, first time calling my show or no?
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Yeah, yeah, I enjoyed the conversation. Good night.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
Let me go to Mario. Let's see if we get married.
We tried him before and we missed.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Mary. We're back. Are you back? Yes? Thank you, go ahead.
Speaker 8 (15:30):
I just wanted to stay.
Speaker 7 (15:31):
Like I said a couple of days ago when you
first started talking about this, the the tom managers are
responsible for this mess now. A union member made a
very clear point today that I was very impressed upon,
and I'm siding with them now, is that they're being
fined daily two because they're out on strike. Yet the
(15:54):
school committee and the town is not being held accountable
at this point either. So this failure has brought this
to this point where kids are out of school, which
I am very angry about.
Speaker 6 (16:07):
And then, Mario, let.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Me correct you if I could. Do you know why
the teachers' union unions are being fined.
Speaker 7 (16:15):
For being because they are illegally striking.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Right and and and therefore, what what could a judge do?
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Mario?
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Let me do this. I I'm really in a bind
here on a break rob. You know, we gotta do. Mario,
stay there, I'm going to continue this call with you.
We got to take a quick break. I'll be right back, Okay,
grather your thoughts and we'll be right back. Okay, fine, Rob,
sorry about that. Why don't you give me three minutes
here and then we kick one over. Okay, go ahead.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World
night Side Studios on WITBZ News Radio.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Let's get back to Mario Merrow. Thank you very much
for allowing us to get those commercials in.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Go right ahead.
Speaker 7 (17:00):
Yeah, So I blamed the Tom managers and at this
point this shouldn't have happened. They should have had this
budget corrected at that time. But they're making themselves look
good and having a low budget. But they have ignored
the fact that they have an open budget. And so
this is where we are with this.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Where did they raise where did they raise the money
from to pay the teacher's salaries?
Speaker 7 (17:23):
Mario, Okay, you'll seem to ignore other things like firefighters
and police. They're spending exorbitate money on fire trucks that
they could buy cheaply, but they're not police departments the
same way they're buying cars. Every four years when they should.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Your point where.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Let me make sure. Let me make sure I stand
your point. And I'm a little tight on time here.
If you had been ready at ten ten ten, we
would have maybe been able to go a little longer.
So what you're saying is it's up to the city
and town to take money that they're spending overspending on
police and fire and divert that money to the teachers' unions,
(18:08):
to the teacher contracts. I think that's.
Speaker 7 (18:09):
What I'm saying. What I'm saying is if you're at
a point where you can't increase the tax on the taxpayers,
there are areas where you can cut Police departments buy
new cars every four years. That's unnecessary. Fire trucks are
costing three hundred thousand dollars. They can be bought for
as little as a buck fifty. They don't have the
(18:31):
glamorous extras that come with these trucks with flashing lights,
et cetera. There is ways to cut the costs, okay,
but they don't want to look that way. Now, you
live in Wilmington.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
You live in.
Speaker 7 (18:45):
Wilmington, right, eighteen dollars an hour, go ahead, you live
in Wilmington.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Correct, do they just do a better job in Wilmington
of allocating resources between the fire, the police and the teachers.
Speaker 7 (19:02):
It is a problem here also, is what I'm saying.
It seems that's my question?
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Then is this.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
No you've told me you've identified Mario. I'd like to
have a conversation with you, Mario, as opposed to a speech.
I've allowed you to make your points, which you know
may or may not be true. And the reason I
asked you about Wilmington is if this is a I
didn't know if you had done a study on Beverly,
(19:32):
Marblehead and Gloucester, or if you think this is a
problem that is in most communities, including your community.
Speaker 7 (19:38):
And you said yes, I aint across that the teachers
left at the bottom line, and so it should be equal.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
So are the teachers?
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Are the teachers being left at the bottom line in
the You know.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
What, Mario? That's it.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Good night, Mario, have a have a nice conversation with yourself.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Good night boy. He waited around a long time for that. Swim.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
My question to Mario was going to be, you live
in Wilmington, Mario, You've identified a problem in Wilmington. What
have you done about it. Are you running for school committee?
Are you running for selectmen in Wilmington? I will bet
you that Mario was going to say no. In the meantime,
as Mario swims away and hopefully can swim well, we
will continue. Look, all he want is a conversation. Okay,
(20:25):
It's as simple as that. If you want to call
up and just scream at me, call someone else. I'd
like a conversation. I thought my conversation with Talia, we
went ten minutes with Tellia. There's a little bit of
repetition there, but that's okay. She was genuine, She was passionate.
Mario was passionate, but like he's an expert on the
budgetary process in Gloucester, Marblehead and Beverly. I don't know
(20:49):
how he knows all of that, but he claims he did.
So I asked him about Wilmington, and then I was
hoping he was going to say to me he was
going to announce on my show his plan to run
for school committee in Wilmington and square it away. Mario,
you can stand on your back porch and you can
yell into the woods, or you could have been on
my show and continued a conversation. You say something, I
(21:11):
say something, We go back and forth and your ideas
are exposed by But if you just want to scream
at me, Mario, I don't get paid enough to be screened.
Bat We'll take a break here at Nightside, feel free
to join the conversation. Coming right back on Nightside. The
only line that's open right now is six one seven nine.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Mario. I still like you.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
You're always welcome to call, but just you know again,
I went out of my way to bring you back,
and anyway, that's it just didn't work tonight, Mario. But
maybe next time we'll coming right back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Night Side with Dan Ray. I'm telling you b Boston's
News Radio.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Back to the phones we go. Let's up.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Next up is Michelle from Weymouth. Michelle, thanks to hold
it on. Sorry about a couple of long phone calls.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Go right ahead.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
Hi.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
So I'm a teacher and a special I'm a special
education teacher. I'm down on the South Shore, and so
I just wanted to bring up a couple of points
because I know that you were asking about like what
can we do and what what could like stop the
what you know, what are they fighting for? And what
might stop it. The big things that because my district
almost went on strike two years ago, but the big
(22:28):
things that we're fighting for that other people and other
districts have been fighting for, is is para professional wage.
And so when you have that teacher average of like
eighty whatever thousand, that does not include para professionals. They
start out and I don't remember which one of those
three districts, but I heard it this week that they
start out at twenty five thousand dollars a year, which
(22:51):
is poverty pay yep. And then they no.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
That sounds.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
Pretty pretty accurate to me. Okay, that is that is
what they start out at, and I agree with that principle.
I agree with the point that you're making that those
paraprofessionals are not paid a living my age.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
And they can make more at targets than they can
at their jobs, and a lot of them are and
they are the backbone of special education.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
I do understand that. Okay.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
Yeah, So now the question is when the teachers go
out on strike. The teachers in these three school districts
are all making in the mid eighties.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
That's true, yeah, I mean average, but that also includes
the you know, one hundred and fifty one hundred and
fifteen thousand dollars teachers that have been there for thirty years.
Speaker 7 (23:51):
But yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
That's what's an average salary.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
I mean, that's what average means, that you you have
two hundred teachers and on average they're they're making. Now,
those figures are from twenty twenty to twenty twenty one,
so I'm assuming that all of those school districts have
had some pay bumps in the last three years, because
now it's the end of twenty twenty four. So if
the teachers' union went out on strike or threatened to
(24:15):
go out on strike and said, look, you know, we're
doing okay, but we would like to see the salaries
of the paralegals doubled so that instead of making twenty
five thousand dollars they were making fifty thousand dollars, I
would I would say that is a union that is
doing the right thing, because not only are they helping
(24:37):
people at the bottom of the spectrum, you know, financially,
but in addition to that, they probably are improving dramatically,
improving the quality of the school system and maybe even
making their own jobs and their own work circumstances more tolerable,
because yeah, but that's not what they do say they
(25:01):
want their salary to be increased, which is understanding.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
Well, well, yes and no. So I know my district
and I know other districts. Like two years ago, when
we were fighting these things, they we were fighting for
a cost of living increase that was significantly smaller for
teachers and higher for parer professionals. And we we fought
(25:26):
and won for our paer professionals to start at thirty
thousand as a base and then still, I mean, it's
better and then get higher cost of living increases until
it so that they would be able to make more
year after year. And we took a cut on the
teacher cost of living increases. It's not braises. Their cost
(25:46):
of living increases year by year.
Speaker 3 (25:49):
Okay, yeah, okay, So here's my question. And again, you're
a are you a current teacher a former teacher?
Speaker 4 (25:57):
I am a current teacher. I'm sixteen years in.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
Okay, great, and obviously you sound really committed to your career.
Sixteen years. It speaks of that.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
Do you think that the teachers' unions make a mistake
when they strike and it is now understood by most
people that teachers and police and fire as a public employe,
you're not supposed to strike because it impacts the service.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Do you agree with me?
Speaker 3 (26:35):
And I don't know if you were listening at nine o'clock,
but my feeling is that there should be a requirement
of the teachers' Union and the school committee or whoever
the representatives are of the city or town to meet
a full year before the contract expires in the summer
of the prior year, meeting July and August of that summer,
(26:56):
because no one wants to do that. But if you
force them to meet in July and August, and if
they don't come to an agreement, then they have to
meet the next July in August, want the contract has expired,
and you have an arbiter or a mediator who's going
to come in and if they can't agreet on everything,
(27:16):
the arbiter or the mediator then has the authority on
August fifteenth before the school starts, meaning you know, before
Labor Day, whatever the day school starts, to basically decide, okay,
the teachers' Union is being more reasonable than the school committee,
and I'm going to you know, award the teachers union
the contract or closer to the contract they want. That
(27:38):
that would that would prevent strikes from happening. And I
think it would also benefit both the town and the
teachers' unions to sit because you know, the teachers union
can say we want you know, you know, five percent,
seven percent and nine percent over the next three years,
and the town is going to say, no, we can
only afford four percent, five percent and six percent, and
(28:00):
they dig in their heels and what's the inevitability a strike?
Speaker 2 (28:04):
And who wins were that?
Speaker 4 (28:06):
So you have to remember that it also goes by budget,
so the budget for the next year isn't set until
like April in most towns, and so that is actually
when the towns will start to negotiate stuff like this,
so they do start before it and the towns. I
don't know about these three, but I know that when
we almost went on strike, we actually had an entire
(28:30):
almost an entire school year because it was it didn't
get resolved until April, and we were working on our
old contract, an expired contract for that whole school year
until April when it was finally fixed.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
Okay, well, again, this is a dilemma. Did you read
the Globe editorial today on teacher strike. So now, yes, okay,
Now the Globes are pretty progressive institution. I'm more of
a concern. I'm more conservative in the Globe when the
Globe and I agree on something like this, and I
(29:03):
think I'm fundamentally in agreement with the Globe on this
that something has to be done. I mean, you got
kids to be out of school now for two weeks,
and of course next week is going to be a
short week Thanksgiving. These kids will basically lose most of
the month of.
Speaker 4 (29:18):
November, right, but they do have to make it up
on the back end.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
Well, but then they if they make it up in June.
How much you're a teacher, how much education goes on
in classes after June?
Speaker 2 (29:29):
First?
Speaker 4 (29:29):
Come on, I mean not a lot, but you know then.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
And then how many how many families have have planned
for a family vacation, let's say, to Disney World, not
only for their their eighth grader, but for their third
grader and their fifth grader or their five year old.
So now the family has to cancel their vacation. I mean,
this causes a tremendous amount.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
Of there's a ripple effect. I loved you call, Michelle.
I think you have called the show before. If I'm not.
Speaker 4 (29:59):
Mistake, I haven't. No, this is my first time. I've
listened for a really long time, but this is my
first time calling.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Well, you did a great job.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
I'm going to get around of applause from our studio audience,
and I hope you feel that, even though we're not
in total agreement, that we had a good conversation, and
you certainly provided a good conversation, and that you were
treated well and respectfully.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
That's that's how I.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Treat all my callers. And I thank you for giving
me an opportunity to engage in a conversation with you.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (30:28):
I have a great night you too.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Okay, So we got one line that's open at six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty, and I got a couple of lines open
at six seven, nine, three thirty. I'm going to cut
this off at eleven o'clock, so if you want to
get in, now is the time to call. I will
not carry this over past eleven o'clock. We're going to
talk about the efforts by Alvin Bragg he seize the
(30:51):
unceasing efforts by District attorney Alvin Bragg to put Donald
Trump in jail. Uh wait, do you hear of these?
With this guy suggesting? Now back at Nightside right after this.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Well, let's go next to Steve in Merrimack, New Hampshire.
We get Steve when we got Melissa coming up. Steve,
go right ahead, h Dana, Great, Steve, what's going on?
Speaker 2 (31:19):
What you're taking on?
Speaker 6 (31:20):
I just want to say that, you know, I've been
listening to the conversation from different people in Massachusetts and
you know this. The fines that they're giving to the
unions right now, basically they are a parking ticket. It's
nothing to them. They don't even care. You know, you
got to get their attention, and obviously the amount they're
charging isn't going to get their attention. These teachers, they're
(31:43):
they're very well paid. When you overpay them, which is
what they're asking for, you're basically making that community less affordable.
The school committee is elected by the tax layers in
those communities. So when you're starting to go after the
school committee or the talent manager or some callers has
called them, you're really going after the voters. You know,
(32:05):
the voters are the ones that put them in there.
They're trying to bargain a good faith. I don't believe
these teachers are bargaining a good faith at all. The
pair of professionals sure give the rays, but they want
their cut of the action too, and I really think
that they're being very unreasonable. I'm alive with you completely
on every point that you've made, as I always am.
(32:28):
This is a mess, and it takes Massachusetts to create
a big mess. As you know. I don't think this
is going on anywhere else in the country, am I right?
Speaker 3 (32:39):
Well, we have a very strong Massachusetts Teachers Association, the
statewide union, and they support the Democrats, and the Democrats
are in power here in Massachusetts, they have been for
a while. We have a one party state, which is
a bit of a problem if you want to get
a bounce, and uh, we don't have what New Hampshire has.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
I mean, you have.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
Democratic, two Democratic US senators, two members of Congress House
of Representati who a Democrat. You've had a Republican governors.
You you know, you have a legislature up there that's
pretty well balanced.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
I mean.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
Massachusetts is a different place. A lot of people from
Massachusetts now are going up to New Hampshire and they're
turning you state more purple than it ever was.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
By the way, You've.
Speaker 6 (33:28):
Got that right, We know all about that. One thing
I wanted to say too, is you know some of
these you know people that are calling up that are
you know, starting their careers as teachers. You know, I
think it's commendable. I mean that you're willing to, you know,
take that part of your life and devoted towards the kids.
But if you're married to somebody that's an executive down
(33:50):
and you know Greater Washington that's making six figures, you're
not hurting for anything, but you make it look like
you are. You know, you're not living on your own.
You've got somebody else to lean on in the meantime.
Like you said before, these people that are on fixed
income Social Security, there where is the money going to
come from? Out of their hide? I mean, you know
(34:11):
they're going to have to it's all. I think that
it's the porrible. I think what they're doing is not fair,
and I really think that the governor needs to get
involved with a mass teachers' association, and you know this
is going to keep spreading, like you said, also, just
like it did from end Over and Newton. Remember I
said last week, you know when they settled the Endover dispute,
(34:34):
we got everything we wanted. And I just said, wow,
I can't believe that they actually negotiated a contract that way.
You can't. You have to negotiate on behalf of the
tax fayers. That's who they represent. They don't represent the union.
So all I can say is, you know, there's going
to be a mess going forward. I hope they can
settle it soon.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
I agree with you on that totally. We'll see.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
That's why I put a little pressure on tonight.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
These kids have been out of school for too long.
Thanks so much.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
I got to go to Melissa in Portland, Oregon, Willis Lloiet.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Welcome back.
Speaker 9 (35:08):
Good. It's good to hear your voice. I've been listening
to this conversation for the last week or so, and
you know, I'm empathetic. Everybody wants to make a little
bit more money. But I have two questions, and you
may not know the answer. The first question is everybody's worried.
I've heard a lot about the pair of professionals. But
yet they've been out of work for two weeks. So
(35:29):
you have somebody that's making twenty five K that's not
been working for the last two weeks. Are they getting
paid during the strike?
Speaker 3 (35:38):
No, minus Danny is they're not being paid.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
During the strike. Yeah.
Speaker 9 (35:41):
Well that's not very empathetic, right, I would think that
if they're really concerned about them, they wouldn't. You know,
if it's really about the pair of professionals, then they're
really not thinking about them, because these are If you're
making twenty five K and you've lost two weeks of work, yeah,
that's a big hit, right, I mean, that's a big hit.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 9 (36:05):
So that's one thing that The second question I have
is a selfish question. As someone that works in corporate America.
I've seen the talent pool that's coming in and the
folks in their twenties. So my question for teachers is,
I think it's great that you work to a point
and you make one hundred and fifteen K. Are you
(36:27):
producing individuals that can make one hundred and fifteen K themselves?
Are they producing people that can work in the trades
and deliver? And the reason I'm asking that question is
I find I work with more and more people outside
of the US because the talent is not here in
the US. And so if it's really about the kids, well,
(36:51):
why are we not seeing a better crop of professionals
coming up. I'm not saying they're not a lot of
good professionals out there, but very rarely I work with
a lot of people outside of the country, and I'm
just that's that's why was I hear this conversation. I
question that the true commitment to teaching children. And I'm
(37:12):
saying I sound sarcastic, and I'm sorry, no, no, no, no, no,
I'm seeing it in the real world. It's a little
different in the real world versus the classroom.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
Yeah, I think you're I think you're right on that,
that's for sure. Hey, look as always, Thanks so much, Melissa.
I will I miss talking to you. Got to call
more often.
Speaker 9 (37:31):
Okay, all right, go Reds, bye bye.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
That's the Cincinnati Reds. You got a good manager now
in Francona.
Speaker 9 (37:39):
I know, very excited see in the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
It's going to get one more in here.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
Let me go real quickly if I can make it,
Austin Mike, I got about thirty seconds for you called
really late?
Speaker 2 (37:50):
What can you do with it?
Speaker 8 (37:52):
Real quick? Dan, Every time you talk about teacher strikes,
you always compare them to pair professionals who do not.
I think it calls after degrees and every teachers trike
in Massachusetts, they always back up the para professionals first.
They say they deserve more money. But the teachers are
the ones who have to deal with the kids in
the parents and they're like first responded Dan, And what's
(38:16):
the cost of living in Massachusetts?
Speaker 2 (38:19):
Too expensive?
Speaker 8 (38:21):
Yeah? So eighty six thousand dollars? Do you live in
Marblehead for eighty six thousand dollars a year and deal
with the parents?
Speaker 3 (38:29):
I suspect not, I suspect nolge.
Speaker 8 (38:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (38:33):
So again, you know, if you called early, we could
have a longer conversation here. I would ask you, what
should the average teacher be paid to teach in Marblehead?
Just give me a number.
Speaker 8 (38:45):
I'd probably say one hundred and thirty thousand.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
Good, okay, And then you sell that to the tax.
Speaker 8 (38:50):
What do you think? Well, what do you think, Terren?
They have masson degrees? Well, student Loane, no.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
I I understand your point, but no, no, no one, no, one,
no one again.
Speaker 3 (39:06):
You know you want to yell, you want to have
a conversation.
Speaker 2 (39:08):
Which do you want to do? Mick?
Speaker 3 (39:10):
What?
Speaker 8 (39:10):
No conversation but the question somebody. I think it is
the degree and.
Speaker 3 (39:17):
That's make your idea if a conversation is real different
than mine and I just ran out of time, have
a great night, Good night. We'll take a quick break.
We are going to change topics on the other side
of the hour. Stay with us back right after the
eleven o'clock news on night side
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