EDUCATION

Teachers OK new contract by a landslide

Linda Borg
lborg@providencejournal.com
The Providence teachers union voted Thursday at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet on a new contract. 

[The Providence Journal/Bob Breidenbach]

CRANSTON, R.I. — Providence teachers overwhelmingly voted to sign a three-year contract with the city following months of acrimony and  protests by union members.

By a vote of 930 to 23, teachers approved a new agreement Thursday night after more than 430 days without a new contract. 

The agreement, which now goes before the City Council for ratification, calls for salary increases of 2 percent retroactive to September, a 2 percent increase on Jan. 1, 2019, and a 1.25 percent increase on Jan. 1, 2020.

Maribeth Calabro, Providence Teachers Union President, said she felt the new language was reasonable and fair.

"It's been two long, exhausting years," she said after the paper ballot vote at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet. "I'm pleased with the vote, and overwhelmed by the support of the membership. We're looking to move forward. What's past is past."

The new language preserves some of the things important to teachers, such as 15 sick days and a continuation of their health care benefits. They did not get a specific cap on class sizes, however. (Providence teachers do not get temporary disability insurance.)

The agreement also enables teachers to earn incentives for getting credentials in English as a Second Language and advanced degrees.

After a tentative agreement was reached last week, Elorza hailed the proposal as "a step in the right direction...as we seek transformational changes in our school system."

As they left the building, teachers said they were relieved that a contentious year with the mayor had come to an end.

Nearly 900 teachers shouted down the mayor's State of the City address in February. Elorza countered by saying that too many Providence schools were underperforming, adding that "we need to do something big, something with a vision."

"We're happy," said Patricia Mendler, a teacher from Hope High School. "This was all about collaboration and working together, but it's been hard. We felt marginalized by the mayor."

Derek Labrie, also from Hope High School, said that work-to-rule had made it difficult to do his job. This fall, teachers voted to abide by the strict language of their contract, and do nothing more.

"Normally, I'd get to work early and leave late," he said. "We all spend hours doing extra work for our kids. I felt like I was being pulled in two directions."

Despite the stress of working without a new contract, teachers said there was a feeling of solidarity that was ultimately empowering.

"Maribeth brought us together in a powerful way," one teacher said.

"We're relieved that work-to-rule is over and we can continue doing the work we love," said Ben Hernandez of E-Cubed Academy.

Not everyone was head over heels about the new language, however.

Christina Jester, a teacher from West Broadway Elementary School, said she was glad to finally have a contract, but she wasn't ecstatic.

Peter Breen, a 15-year-veteran, summed it up best when he said, "I'm glad it's over."