September 4, 2018
Woonsocket Teachers and Para’s Start Work to Rule
Woonsocket, RI - Today the Teachers and Paraprofessionals at the Woonsocket Education Department began a “Work to Rule” job action because of an impasse in their contract negotiations. “For the first time in over 30 years we do not have a contract at the beginning of a school year,” stated Jeffrey Partington, President of the Woonsocket Teachers’ Guild. “The hard-working Teachers and Paraprofessionals of this city deserve a fair and equitable contract. It is clear that the Mayor, in an election year, is holding the purse strings, and has no desire to move the city forward by investing appropriate funds in public education.”
On August 29, 2018, a letter requesting mediation in the dispute was sent to the Department of Labor from the Woonsocket School Committee. The letter was signed by the chair of the committee, Soren Seale. “We welcome the School Committee’s request for mediation,” Mr. Partington said. “This is the logical next step in this process, and we are confident that we can come to an expedient equitable solution.”
When asked about the logistics of the “Work to Rule” job action, Mr. Partington revealed that, “The WTG and the Woonsocket Education Department have worked closely together to ensure that during this dark time in labor relations that no child’s safety is impacted. We have not lost sight of the most important thing we do, serve the students of Woonsocket.”
Mr. Partington went on to say, “We call upon the School Committee to request adequate funding from the City in future years to settle the current impasse created by the Mayor’s negotiating team. Once funding is in place, we can all get back to business as usual.”