Massachusetts
Why it's illegal for teachers to strike in Mass. (and why they're doing it anyway)
The Newton teachers strike has dragged on into a 10th day of closed schools even though such strikes are illegal in Massachusetts. As a result, the Newton Teachers Association (NTA) owes nearly $600,000 in fines as of Thursday and will owe $50,000 more each day the strike continues.
While the NTA’s strike over failed contract negotiations is reported to be the longest strike the state has seen since the 1990s, it is not an anomaly. In recent years, teachers’ unions in Andover, Malden, Brookline, Woburn and Haverhill in similar collective bargaining ruts have organized strikes and faced fines.
- Read more: Striking Newton teacher hospitalized after hit by car near union rally spot
Even so, the highest dollar amount leveled against any of them was $110,000, and that was against the Haverhill teachers union, according to The Boston Globe. Thus, both the length of the strike and the fines against the NTA are unprecedented in Massachusetts as of the 21st century.
Here’s a breakdown of the issue:
What the law says about teacher strikes
The law that makes it illegal for Massachusetts public school teachers to strike does not single out teachers.
A part of Massachusetts General Laws, the relevant section reads: “No public employee or employee organization shall engage in a strike, and no public employee or employee organization shall induce, encourage or condone any strike, work stoppage, slowdown or withholding of services by such public employees.”
This is the norm across the country, with only 13 states allowing public school teachers to strike, according to EducationWeek.
- Read more: Newton teachers strike fines approach $600K as school canceled for 10th day
The law that made public employee strikes illegal was passed in 1973, according to The Boston Globe. But making public employee strikes illegal was just one part of the law.
Overall, the law wasn’t a loss for unions — it was a boon, Massachusetts Association of School Committees Executive Director Glenn Koocher told MassLive. Public employees had the right to unionize before the law, but the legislation formalized the collective bargaining process, as well as the process of forming a union.
“It created a framework under which collective bargaining could go on, so then everyone could begin to organize,” he said.
What happens if teachers strike anyway?
When a union representing public school teachers implements a strike, to take action against them, a school district must ask the state’s employee relations board to determine whether a strike is actually happening. If the board determines a strike is happening, it then asks a judge to order them back to work, and the order is typically granted.
If the union doesn’t stop striking after it is ordered to by a judge, the judge can hold it in contempt of the court order and implement fines as he or she sees fit. Importantly though, the judge is supposed to consider many factors when deciding how punitive the fines will be, such as whether the school district is bargaining in good faith, according to The Boston Globe.
- Read more: Dropkick Murphys cover pro-union song in support of striking Newton teachers
In recent years, fines are the only punishment teachers’ unions have faced for striking, Koocher said. Even so, a judge is permitted to implement other sanctions against them.
In the 1970s, the leaders of the teachers’ unions were often jailed for weeks during strikes, according to The Boston Globe. In one case in 1977, about 80 Franklin teachers were jailed during a two-week strike.
Why the state has a stake in prohibiting public employee strikes
When public employees go on strike, there’s no one to provide vital services, such as policing or firefighting, Koocher said. In the case of teachers’ strikes, children may be left at home alone if parents cannot arrange for supervision during school hours.
The students can also experience learning loss ahead of important tests, Koocher said. “If you’ve been out of school for two weeks during the prime learning period, you’re not going to get to a lot of the material that is being tested.”
- Read more: National Education Association president cheers on striking Newton teachers
Additionally, under state law, school districts are required to provide students with 180 days of school by June 30. If a strike goes on too long, the district may need to extend the school year into July, but that can only happen if the state education department grants a waiver.
Why teachers choose to strike anyway
Teachers strike when they feel they have no other way of getting municipal leaders to address important issues affecting the school district, Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) President Max Page said. In the case of the recent strikes, the unions had been negotiating a new contract for months or even years because district leaders weren’t agreeing to some of the unions’ core demands.
“In Newton, it’s been 16 months of negotiations. That’s far, far too long to actually just settle a contract,” he said. “They felt like they did not have a fair bargaining partner.”
- Read more: 5 things to know about the monetary impact of the Newton teachers’ strike
Page also pointed out that the MTA has 400 local chapters, and of those, only six have gone on strike in the past few years. Furthermore, most of those strikes resulted in the parties resolving the contract disagreements within a few days, he said.
“It’s an extreme action that members never imagine taking,” Page said. “But clearly, some members, in overwhelming numbers, decided ‘This is what we have to do to have the schools that our students deserve.’”
Ultimately, while a strike may negatively impact students, the teachers feel that the short-term loss is acceptable if it leads to the district implementing changes that will impact the long-term success of the students, Page said. One example of this is the NTA refusing to compromise on the issue of hiring a social worker for every school in the Newton school district.
Why have there been more teacher strikes in Massachusetts lately?
Teachers have felt the need for change in their districts more urgently as society has emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic and the learning loss and the toll on students’ social and emotional well-being has been realized, Page said. It’s one reason longstanding issues such as better compensation for educational support staff have been coming to the forefront of contract negotiations, he said.
“There’s been a feeling that the educators worked heroically, risking their own lives and making sure that students can continue their education. And so, they have, perhaps, less patience for not addressing the issues that they consider so important for their school,” Page said.
- Read more: Newton teachers’ strike closes schools for 9th straight day
But Koocher pointed out that the strikes coincide with a resurgence of union power across the country in recent years. Union leadership in general has become more aggressive, he said.
How the law could change
The MTA has backed a bill that would make strikes legal for public sector employees after six months of negotiations, with the exception of public safety employees.
“I believe that there needs to be a level playing field between labor and management,” state Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven, D-27th Middlesex, a co-sponsor of the bill, told Boston.com. “To me, this fundamental right not existing in the public sector results in these really challenging circumstances that we’re finding ourselves in today.”
- Read more: Newton teachers’ strike update: City Council prez claims ‘considerable progress’
But many stakeholders don’t support this change. Teachers’ unions should not use striking as a means of getting officials to capitulate to their demands, Boston University Joshua Goodman told BU Today. Instead, those changes should be implemented through the democratic process, and unions can make that happen by convincing communities to elect public officials who support their positions, he said.
Additionally, Gov. Maura Healey told WBZ-TV last year that she doesn’t support legalizing teacher strikes. While she empathizes with the teachers, she said it’s “paramount” that children remain in school.
A Greenfield, Massachusetts family of four were among the five killed when a bus plowed into vehicles on a Virginia highway early Friday morning. A 25-year-old woman from Worcester was also killed in the crash.
It comes as investigators are trying to piece together what happened in the collision that injured dozens more.
There is profound sorrow in the Greenfield community. Heartbroken family members say Dmitri Doncev, 45, his wife Ecterina, 44, their 13-year-old daughter Emily and 7-year-old son Mark all died after a charter bus slammed into their car and others on I-95. The Worcester woman who was killed was in another SUV struck by the bus.
They Doncev family were devoted members of a Russian Baptist Church who were heading to a wedding in South Carolina.
The heartbroken family sent WBZ a statement saying, “Today, words cannot adequately express the pain and sorrow felt by their family, friends, church community, coworkers, classmates, and all who had the privilege of knowing them. Their absence leaves a void that can never be filled, but their memories, their love, and the countless lives they touched will remain forever in our hearts.”
“Though their time with us was far too short, the legacy of kindness, faith, perseverance, and love that they leave behind will continue to inspire all who knew them,” the statement said.
Providence Christian Academy said the children attended the school saying in a statement, “The Doncev family was a cherished part of our school community, and their loss is being felt deeply by our students, families, faculty, and staff.”
Greenfield Mayor Greenfield Mayor Virginia DeSorgher also said in a statement:
“To the families, friends, and neighbors of those we lost: there are no words that can fully ease the weight of this sudden and unimaginable grief. Please know that you are not walking through this dark time alone. The Greenfield community stands with you, mourning alongside you, and we extend our absolute deepest condolences and prayers.”
Investigators say the bus did not slow down in a work zone, hitting several cars in front of it. Passengers on the bus woke up to chaos.
“It was horrible,” said bus passenger Wayne Tobin. “It was just like blood everywhere; it was people holding their head. Their heads were bleeding.”
In all, about 44 people were rushed to area hospitals.
State police identified the bus driver as 48-year-old Jing Dong. He could be facing charges in the crash.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X that Dong was an American citizen originally from China who got his commercial driver’s license two years ago in New York.
A bus crashed into vehicles slowing for a work zone on Interstate 95 in Virginia early Friday, killing five people and injuring dozens, including the driver, authorities said.
The crash happened at about 2:35 a.m. on southbound I-95 in Stafford County, near Quantico. All five of the people who died were in vehicles hit by the bus, and 44 people were taken to hospitals, including three in critical condition, police said.
“The preliminary investigation indicates that traffic was slowing southbound for an upcoming work zone,” state police said in a news release. “A bus failed to slow for traffic and struck six vehicles.”
Police said there were “approximately” 34 passengers on the bus.
“We’ve got patients in multiple hospitals. We’ve got the driver at a hospital here,” said Peyton Vogel, a Federal Transit Administration spokesperson who was on the scene. “I’ve got to say, this is one of the most tragic things I’ve ever seen. Absolutely tragic.”
Four of the fatalities were in one car, which caught fire. State police said the victims were a 45-year-old male, a 44-year-old female, a 13-year-old female and a 7-year-old male, all from Greenfield, Massachusetts. The fifth victim, a 25-year-old female from Worcester, Massachusetts, was in an SUV that was struck by the bus.
Virginia State Police Virginia State Police The aftermath of a deadly bus crash on I-95 in Virginia’s Stafford County on Friday, May 29, 2026.
Reaction to the deadly crash in Massachusetts
The mayor of Greenfield, Virginia Desorgher, issued a statement on the deaths of four city residents in the crash.
Our entire community is shocked and profoundly heartbroken by the tragic news coming out of Virginia. Early this morning, a horrific crash took the lives of five people, and we have received the painful confirmation that four of those individuals were residents of Greenfield.
To the families, friends, and neighbors of those we lost: there are no words that can fully ease the weight of this sudden and unimaginable grief. Please know that you are not walking through this dark time alone. The Greenfield community stands with you, mourning alongside you, and we extend our absolute deepest condolences and prayers.
We are also holding the dozens of others who were injured in this crash in our thoughts, wishing them a full and swift recovery.
The City of Greenfield is fully committed to supporting those affected by this horrible loss. In the coming days and weeks, we will work to ensure that the grieving families have access to the resources, care, and comfort they need. I ask all Greenfield residents to wrap your arms around our neighbors with the compassion, kindness, and unity that defines our community.”
Update on investigation in Virginia
State police identified the bus driver as Jing S. Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York. Charges are pending, authorities said.
Mary Washington Healthcare said it received 19 patients from the crash. It posted online that seven of the patients were taken to its trauma center in Fredericksburg, where four were being discharged and three remained in treatment — one in serious condition and two in critical condition. Twelve were taken to its hospital in Stafford, where they were later discharged in good condition.
The National Transportation Safety Board posted online that it was sending a “go-team” to conduct a safety investigation into the crash and that it would have a spokesperson at the scene.
The southbound lanes had reopened by noon, but traffic was still backed up for a couple of miles, according to a state transportation advisory.
Bus company had satisfactory record
The bus was operated by E&P Travel Inc., based in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. A compliance snapshot from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration showed only one injury accident involving the company’s vehicles in the previous two years and listed its safety rating as “satisfactory.”
The company was incorporated Nov. 24, 2023, by Shuo Liu, according to records from the North Carolina Secretary of State’s office. Liu is also listed as the registered agent. The FMCSA site said the company operated four vehicles and had 11 drivers.
While it is too soon to say what caused Friday’s crash, federal authorities have been grappling with interstate passenger bus safety issues for decades.
Following a series of passenger bus crashes in 2008 that killed 41 people, the U.S. Department of Transportation published a Motorcoach Safety Action Plan.
The NTSB investigated 16 fatal motorcoach crashes between June 1998 and January 2008, finding that driver-related problems such as fatigue, medical condition and inattention accounted for 56 percent of the accidents. The agency said driver-related problems were responsible for 60 percent of the fatalities in those crashes.
Among the actions recommended were creation of a pre-employment driver history screening program and a national drug- and alcohol-testing database “to enable motorcoach operators to determine if drivers have a history of violating DOT alcohol or drug rules.”
We’re still on the good side of the forecast today. We’ll see a good supply of sun to start, then the clouds will increase and a few showers will sink down from the north in the afternoon. We still manage to make it near 70. (Yay.)
Tomorrow’s high temperatures, however, comes after midnight tonight — before falling toward Saturday morning. If you think that’s confusing, try explaining the snow that’ll be flying in the higher elevations across New England (with solid accumulation above 4k feet).
Yes, the weather is upside down for late May.
We can blame an intense, compact upper-level pool of cold air that broke loose from a larger pool near the Arctic Circle days ago.
The pattern across North America has dropped it in our laps for a day, with cold, rainy, windy consequences.
Rain, wind and… snow?
This will be a sneaky storm. Early on, there might even be a calm, bright sky (very) early Saturday morning. Then the clouds move in and the wind intensifies from the northeast. Gust will briefly peak at 50+ along the coast (40+ inland).
Rain will mix with snow in northern New England, and perhaps in the highest elevations of southern New Hampshire and central Massachusetts.
This also depends on the intensity of the precipitation. Heavier bursts of rain can drag down colder air aloft, helping the snowflakes make it from cloud base to your home place (if you live above 1k feet).
Ironically, we’re not expecting a deluge from this storm. Most spots keep near a half inch, with higher amounts near an inch in northeast Mass./southern NH.
And then just like that, it’s over. The storm pulls away Saturday evening, the skies clear and we’re back to sun Sunday. Highs recover to near 70 with the slightest chance for a shower late day.
Better chances – and cooler temps – come both Monday and Tuesday.
Will summer ever take hold? We know from past years that June can really struggle. It appears that the start of the month may not live up to expectations. Although we are at least climbing back to the 80s late next week.
Have a good weekend.
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