Battenfeld: Militant teachers’ union and incompetent school districts keep students out of classroom

A militant teachers’ union following a playbook of confrontation and illegal strikes against incompetent school districts is a bad combination that’s leaving thousands of Massachusetts students out of the classrooms.

The pattern of walkouts and strikes has been repeated across the Commonwealth over the last few years and will continue to harm students unless administrators, teachers and the state work together to resolve their issues.

The latest strikes in Beverly, Gloucester and Marblehead — which have stretched past two weeks – are clearly a coordinated effort by the Massachusetts Teachers’ Union knowing it has the backing of outraged parents and students.

They are similar to a teachers’ strike in Newton earlier this year, which was finally resolved after two weeks.

The playbook goes something like this: complain about pay and large class sizes and threaten to strike, march on the State House steps, harass the school committee, conduct candlelight vigils and student walkouts and finally refuse to show up for work despite being fined by the courts.

The union knows this is a successful strategy that will have the support of most parents and teachers, until eventually the school district caves and the courts dismiss the fines.

But what about the students who are being forced to miss weeks of school? Who’s got their back?

Clearly not the administrators and town officials who would rather give the finger to teachers than bargain in good faith.

It’s not the union which is all too willing to break state law to get what they want.

And it’s not Gov. Maura Healey, who should be ponying up more money to local school districts instead of issuing bland statements calling on both sides to bend to get students back to class.

If the state has $1 billion to spend supporting migrants it can come up with more cash to increase teacher pay and attract and retain more educators so they can afford to buy their own homes.

Teachers face an increasingly difficult situation in the schools, including shortages of teachers and supplies and the threat of violence. They face more risks than ever trying to do their jobs.

Demonizing them because some earn an average salary over $100,000 a year isn’t going to stop the strikes. The public are on their side anyway.

Police and firefighters get constant pay hikes in their contracts, including fat overtime checks, because they are viewed as essential first responders and risk their lives every day. It’s time we looked at teachers the same way.

Let’s judge teachers by how much they work and not just because most get the summer off.

School districts and town officials need to stop screaming and moaning about teacher pay increases busting their budgets. And stop the animosity.

Gloucester Mayor Greg Varga should resign immediately for his moronic obscene gesture apparently aimed at striking teachers.

An apology isn’t enough.

“My frustrations got the best of me, and I responded to the nastiness being hurled at me as I was trying to make my way home to my frightened wife,” Varga said, while accusing the teachers’ union of “engaging in intimidating behavior.”

That’s not an apology, it’s an excuse.

Even when the illegal strikes in Gloucester, Beverly and Marblehead end, it won’t alter the playbook the union is all too willing to act out. It will only embolden teachers in other communities to go on strike, too.

It’s time for all the sides to act like adults and think of the students first.