A judge has issued a final judgment on the case against the teachers' union in Newton, Massachusetts, following a strike over contract negotiations that shut down schools for 11 days and will cost the union $625,000 in fines, but parents say they will continue to fight for compensation in the form of a class action lawsuit.
According to a notice dated Tuesday, Judge Christopher Barry-Smith denied a motion to intervene filed by Chicago lawyer Daniel Suhr on behalf of Newton parents on the grounds that the case against the Newton Teachers Association is over, so the motion is moot. The class action names the NTA, its leadership team, the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) and the National Education Association (NEA) as defendants, saying the larger unions conspired with the NTA and supported its efforts.
Suhr is also trying to sue the Chicago Teachers Union over a 2022 strike.
In response, the Newton parents involved in the suit say they've filed a class action lawsuit as a separate case. They tell NBC10 Boston in a statement:
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"First, let's be clear: the Newton Teachers Association broke the law. Judge Barry-Smith has now issued a final judgment to that effect. And he has charged the union $625,000 in fines. But those fines to the state and school committee do not begin to address the tremendous damage this illegal strike did to Newton as a community, and especially to our children. This afternoon the same group of Newton parents filed their class action lawsuit as a separate lawsuit at the same courthouse. Today's filing estimates damages to the students and parents as a class will easily exceed $25 million. The parents will continue to pursue this case to ensure justice for Newton's students."
The lawsuit alleges that the union knowingly, willfully and intentionally chose to break the law by engaging in an illegal strike. Public employees are barred by law from striking in Massachusetts.
The lawsuit added that the lives of the 12,000 students and their parents were thrown into "chaos" as a result.
The union is facing $625,000 in court-ordered fines. Based on a request made by both the school district and union officials, the payment will be divided, with $275,000 going to Newton Public Schools as compensatory fines, and $350,000 to the state as coercive fines.
“The Newton Teachers Association is pleased that the court agreed to the terms of the return-to-work agreement sought jointly by our union and the School Committee. We are at an important point now to move forward with implementing the terms of our new contract, which allows us to better meet the needs of our students," the NTA said in a statement.
Other consequences of the strike include the cancellation of this week's February vacation as the district attempts to make up days missed in the classroom.
More than 31% of students in the city were absent Tuesday — 3,659 out of 11,665 were out of class.
