Teachers Union Asks Community To Help Pay For Strike Fines After Cancelling Classes

A Massachusetts teachers union is asking the community to help them cover fines for striking and cancelling classes for a week.

The Woburn Teachers Association has been charged a total of $250,000 in fines for illegally striking and causing school to be cancelled for a week in February, according to News 7 Boston. The teachers union asked the community to help them cover the cost of the fines through a GoFundMe campaign and a bake sale.

“Any help would be immensely appreciated,” the teachers union wrote in a tweet linked to the GoFundMe. “We have some fines to pay and unfortunately the back (sic) sale couldn’t cover it all.”

The twee ended with a winking emoji.

As of Thursday, community members raised more than $46,000 for the teachers union, according to the GoFundMe page.

The teachers went on strike starting on Jan. 30 asking for a 14.75% raise, an increase in salary for paraprofessionals and smaller class sizes. The city and the union reached an agreement giving the teachers a 13.75% raise over the next four years, 10 extra minutes in their work day and a 40% raise for paraprofessionals, according to the Boston Herald.

Massachusetts’ teachers are among the highest paid teachers in the country, with an average full time salary of  $88,000. Woburn Public School District teachers make an average of $85,000, according to News 7 Boston.

“The strike is illegal,” Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin told ABC 5. “It should’ve never happened, but we’re happy with the deal, and we’re ready to move on.”

The Woburn Teachers Association, Woburn Public School Committee and Galvin did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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