Local educators rally for fair wages as contract talks persist
The Chicopee Education Association says the city has enough funds to raise its wages. The city's mayor issued a statement in response.
Chicopee educators took their fight to City Hall Wednesday night ahead of the school committee meeting. They are calling for fair contracts and livable wages as the committee deliberates contract negotiations.
'We watch and wonder why the school offers us 2%? That's less than $540 for the whole year,' says one teacher. 'Before taxes, $3 a day–before taxes!' The Chicopee Education Association argues that since the passage of the Student Opportunity Act in 2019, state aid to Chicopee schools has increased by more than half.
Educator wages are missing the mark. Benjamin Eisen with the Chicopee Education Association told 22News that what the committee has brought to the table just won't cut it, 'For the last 4-5 years working here, we have been hemorrhaging teachers, clerks, paraprofessionals–people are fleeing Chicopee. It is not sustainable, and we are trying to change that here.'
In a statement to 22News, on behalf of the school committee, Mayor John Vieau says, in part, that the committee recognizes that our staff is the foundation of Chicopee Public Schools and they are committed to negotiating contracts that are both fair to staff and responsible to the community.
'The school committee recognizes that our staff is the foundation of all we do in the Chicopee Public Schools, and we value their contributions. We are committed to working with the union leadership to negotiate contracts that are both fair to our staff and responsible to the community. We recognize that negotiations can be challenging, and we remain committed to doing the work necessary to find common ground so we can continue to provide our students with the excellent education that they deserve.'
Chicopee Mayor John Vieau
He goes on to say that negotiations can be challenging, but they will work to find common ground in order to provide students with the education that they deserve
This is a developing story, and we will continue to follow the latest movements on the contract negotiations.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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