Hingham Teachers Ask for Fair Contract

A large group of Hingham Public School teachers gathered outside the building in the pouring rain Monday afternoon, asking for a fair new contract.

“Give us a fair contract. We work hard and we want to be compensated,” said Hingham High School industrial technology teacher Brian Faherty.

Teachers from all six stood outside the School Department building just before the School Committee Salary and Negotiations Subcommittee meeting that was  privately held  at the

 Many teachers stood with signs in their hands asking the school department for a new contract. 

Physical education teacher Meghan Melanson  held a  sign that read, “No contract since August,” while other teachers held signs facing the Central Street traffic that read, ‘We need your support” and  “Help us prevent a crisis in our schools.”

 Alec Porter, a French teacher at the high school and the vice president of the Hingham Education Association said the teachers and administration have been negotiating for two years.  Porter said the teachers have organized a number of rallies beginning last June and have  amassed in front of the high school earlier in the year.  They wear red on Thursdays and some wear pins on their shirts to symbolize their unity.

 “We have been working with an expired contract since September 1 of this [school] year,” Porter said.  “We have been more vocal as the year has gone on.”

 Porter said the town is listening to the teachers but he believes negotiations have stalled over the year  for many reason including finances, working conditions, and language in the contract.

 “We’ve been going back and forth but we feel at this point that it’s been going on long enough," he said. “As far as we’re concerned, the negotiations have stalled and we encourage them to keep the spirit of negotiations going forward.”

Although the teachers  have been demanding  a new contract, they feel it has not affected their jobs or distracted the students. Porter said some teachers have cut back on volunteering their time to the town, but have continued to meet job requirements.

 “The students are aware, they are fully aware of what’s going on,” Porter said. “We as teachers have been cutting back on by volunteering our time, they noticed that too.  Has it affected their education? Absolutely not.  We take great pride in what we do and we are continuing to meet every job requirement. But in terms of going above and beyond- we’ve cut back on that.”