Photos: Airplane Banner Airs Out Boston Teachers Union Contract Problems

Around 3 p.m. today an airplane flying over the Parkway area including West Roxbury, Hyde Park, Roslindale and Jamaica Plain, was carrying a banner reading "BTU Says Talk To Teachers" in regards to the stalled Boston Teachers Union (BTU) contracts.

BTU teachers organized protests today at all BPS sites, according to the BTU's website.

Previously the BTU had criticized Superintendent Carol Johnson for pushing extended days for students, but "undercutting" the union at the negotation table for longer school days.

The following is from the BTU website (linked above):

Simply, we agree that an extended day can be worthwhile — but we insist that that we be properly compensated as professionals for providing additional time in instruction. Other professionals we all deal with on a routine basis — accountants, lawyers, dentists, nurses, the IT professionals who work at the BTU, social workers, and so on — get compensated when they are asked to work overtime, take on an additional case, or fill a cavity in one more tooth. We are no different and we ought not to be treated any differently considering our own professional status. And the Superintendent ought to know that.

BPS Directer of Media Relations Matthew Wilder sent out this email in regards to negotiations yesterday:

Just days after telling parents and students he was willing to spend “twenty-four hours a day” to resolve the expired teachers’ contract, Boston Teachers Union President Richard Stutman has cancelled the December 2 resumption of negotiations without offering a new date.

After going without a meeting since late August, last week Boston Public Schools requested to resume negotiations and the BTU agreed. On Monday night, Stutman told a Boston United for Students forum he wanted to work with BPS to rapidly resolve the contract. Last night, Stutman cancelled the session and said his team was unavailable.

“We thought the Union was ready to create a contract that improves our schools,” said BPS Deputy Superintendent Michael Goar. “We are still waiting for them to return to the table.”

The Boston Teachers Union plans to picket schools tomorrow morning (Fri., Nov. 18), demanding BPS act more aggressively to resolve the contract. Teachers in Boston have been working under the terms of an expired contract for more than a year. In more than 30 negotiating sessions, BPS has offered to:

• Increase teacher salaries by more than $32 million by 2014 and extend the school day (BPS has among the shortest school days in the nation)
• Improve the performance evaluation system
• Modernize the salary structure, and
• Allow greater flexibility around hiring and scheduling for schools.

The last negotiating session was August 30. Last week, BPS requested a new round of sessions, which were to begin December 2.