Andover teacher strike enters its fourth day as school district takes the union to court

ANDOVER, Mass. — School in Andover is canceled again today after the union and the district still can’t come to an agreement on a new contract.

Today is day four of the teacher’s strike—as they are asking for better wages and benefits. Students won’t be going to class, but box breakfast and lunches will be still available for them at Bancroft Elementary as the strike continues.

As negotiations continue, the Andover Education Association says some of its requests have been met—including parental leave, sick time, and extended lunches and recess for elementary students. But the one sticking point that remains is wages.

The union wants an 18% raise for most teachers over four years and a 34% raise for instructional assistants. The average salary for a teacher in Andover is $94,627---almost ten thousand dollars more than the state average of $86,118, according to the state’s website.

The school committee says the district simply cannot afford to increase the salary that much. The school committee claims if they accepted the union’s proposal, they would be forced to make layoffs and  other possible cuts and changes including:

• Reinstating fees for busses and after-school activities
• Reductions in athletics, fine arts, and extra-curricular
• Increases in class size

“These are scare tactics,” said Julian Digloria, the Vice President of the Andover Education Association. “They want to scare us. They want our members to think, ‘oh no, I’m going to lose my job.’ they want the community to think, ‘Oh, no. I’m going to lose my kid’s orchestra class.’ the reality, is, if they want to allocate the money, they can allocate the money.”

This is now the fifth teacher strike since 2022, even though it is illegal in Massachusetts. At two o’clock this afternoon, the Andover School District is taking to the union to court. There is a hearing scheduled where the judge could start to impose a fine.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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