DEDHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - Dedham school teachers will continue their strike Sunday, picketing outside a school as negotiations continue until they agree to a contract.
The teachers began their strike Friday, leading to classes being put on hold. Teachers said they want better health benefits, more money, better language for addressing sexual harassment concerns and new policies for students using cell phones in class.
Teacher Rachel Dudley said, “We spend a lot of time teaching our kids to stand up for themselves and stand up for what they think is right, and our members decided this was the time to stand up for what was right for them.”
The strike caused schools to be closed on Friday and depending upon how negotiations go, classes could also be closed on Monday.
Dedham Education Association President Tim Dwyer said the strike was “the last thing we wanted to do” after two years of negotiations.
“We had no choice,” Dwyer said. “They wouldn’t negotiate fairly with us, we hadn’t met since Aug. 1, we are just at the end of the rope.”
Union and school officials met at 3 p.m. on Saturday to continue negotiating but they couldn’t come to an agreement forcing negotiations to continue into Sunday.
They say negotiations have progressed and some significant progress was made, but both sides will be meeting again Sunday at 12 p.m.
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