Medford teachers walk out before class Friday during ongoing contract dispute
MEDFORD -- Almost 500 teachers in Medford stood out in protest before school on Friday. They say the city's mayor has failed to respond to their contract proposals.
The union has been without a contract for a year and a half.
According to the union, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn did not bring counter-proposals to a meeting on Wednesday and the union rejected a last-minute proposal from Lungo-Koehn on Thursday.
"She came with a proposal and in that proposal, she made a suggestion that they would give money to the teachers to buy supplies, they would give them money for supplies -- something that should already be in our budgets. How insulting is that? And how disrespectful is that we should be working now, as my teachers have said, we're now working for pencils and paper," said Medford Teacher's Association President Charlene Douglas. "We are tired and we are frustrated."
Educators have been rallying for better pay and benefits. On Monday, they taped a vote of no confidence to Lungo-Koehn's door.
Douglas said teachers have the support of city council members.
