School district leaders say anecdotal evidence suggests the strikes were carefully planned with each other. The three unions belong to the Massachusetts Teachers Associationwho has been lobbying on Beacon Hill for years for the right to strikeand assists them at the negotiating table and in public communications. The three striking unions had also coordinated public actions around contract negotiations with other teachers unions on the North Shore.

If coordinated, the strikes would reflect a broader shift toward more aggressive teacher union tactics used across the state, with unions holding more rallies, garnering votes of no confidence in their district leaders and taking other actions such as zeal. , in which members refuse to perform additional duties beyond what is contractually required, based on observations from the state’s superintendent associations and school committees.

“When negotiations fail, union leaders are much less likely to seek consensus,” said Mary Bourque, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, a statewide advocacy organization. “Other drastic measures come into play. And it’s also the presentation of management as an enemy, and that’s probably what hurts the most.”

These three strikes come amid an increase in illegal work stoppages in recent years by local teachers unions, all members of the MTA. And this isn’t the first time school district leaders have questioned the possibility of coordinated strikes. The Haverhill Education Association and the Malden Education Association have already raised eyebrows when they both went on strike the same day in October 2022.

Coordinated strikes can be concerning, school district leaders say, because they raise questions about whether they are called based on local circumstances or whether they are intended to promote a broader union agenda, which may be to the detriment of students. .

Union leaders note, however, that numbers bring solidarity and power and that the strike has become a powerful tool, helping conclude negotiations more quickly than if they were at a standstill.

“Because the issues are so broad and deep, it is only natural for teachers and educators to discuss education with each other,” said Andrea Sherman, co-president of the Beverly Teachers Association. “It is clear that no community is alone in what it advocates for with schools. We all fight for safe schools, fair wages, and common-sense ideals that cross the borders of the North Shore.

Unions in Beverly and Gloucester announced their strikes on November 7 and closed their schools the next day. That’s the same day Marblehead educators approved their strike. Ongoing work stoppages have left 10,000 students locked out of their classrooms.

The three unions are demanding salary increases, including high prices for underpaid teaching assistants; better parental leave policies to put them more on par with the 12 weeks or more of paid leave enjoyed by private sector employees; and a variety of other proposals, including better support for students facing social-emotional issues. School district leaders say they are open to proposals, but must do so within their budget limits.

For several months before the strikes, unions in Beverly, Gloucester and Marblehead worked in partnership with each other to gain public support for their contract proposals.

They are part of a larger group of teachers unions north of Boston that have coordinated public actions around their contract negotiations this year, such as organizing rallies to call attention to similar education priorities. pay better, parental leave policiesand school safety. An MTA press release issued in April billed the coordinated effort as an “unprecedented measure” involving more than 5,000 educators, which also included some unions from the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, the second-largest union in state educators.

The unions, which stretch from Chelsea to Ipswich, call themselves North Shore Educators United and have launched a website where the public can learn more about their contract proposals. They also printed red T-shirts with the group’s nickname that were worn by some striking North Shore educators.

“Our message is that other MTA communities should be concerned,” said Gloucester School Committee Chairwoman Kathleen Clancy. “I think the state should be concerned as well,” noting the disruption and damage caused by closing schools during a student strike.

Union leaders say the strikes are an unfortunate consequence of bad behavior by their school committees and accuse them of failing to negotiate in good faith, something school boards deny.

Joint advocacy around common issues, they also said, arose organically, noting that many union members in one district live in other districts, where their own children attend schools, creating a natural network .

“The issues at the bargaining table between us, Beverly and Marblehead are similar, but it is an independent decision made by the Gloucester Educators Union to go on strike,” said Matthew Lewis, vice-president of the Gloucester Educators’ Union.

Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, said the actions taken by its local affiliates are taken independently, although the MTA supports their efforts to obtain a fair contract.

“Public school educators’ demand for fair pay, paid family leave and safe working conditions is not unique to the three striking local unions,” he said in a statement.

Local unions, facing allegations of collusion, have accused school committees and principals of conspiring against them to block negotiations, forcing them to strike and then putting them in a situation where delays lead to fines — imposed on them by a judge for breaking the law — only to escalate. Fines started at $50,000 per day last week and are expected to increase by another $10,000 per day.

Unions also attack law firms used by school committees, calling them anti-union. Much of their criticism has been directed at the firm Valerio Dominello and Hillman, which represents the Beverly and Marblehead school committees and has previously helped other school committees during teacher strikes in Newton, Brookline and Andover.

“We see a trend and we think the public will see a trend,” said Julia Brotherton, co-president of the Beverly Teachers Association. “We believe they are anti-union and obstructionist. »

Hillman said the union’s claims about his company are baseless and too vague.

“It is difficult to respond to general claims made to justify illegal behavior,” he said. “Striking is the ultimate unfair labor practice.”

School committees deny intentionally delaying negotiations and instead argue that the slowness is caused by unions demanding hefty pay raises and other items that communities cannot afford as they struggle with the lingering effects of the pandemic. inflation And increasing costs for programs such as special education.

In Marblehead, Education Association leaders said they were willing to work with the school committee on a tax override vote to fund its requests.

But Jennifer Schaeffner, chairwoman of the school committee, said the union should never have gone on strike.

“It’s extremely disruptive and it’s causing harm to our students and our communities,” she said. “I don’t want any other school district to have to go through this.” I don’t want other students in Massachusetts to experience this.

James Vaznis can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him @globevaznis.