Judge rejects parents’ second lawsuit against Newton teachers post-strike

A recent court ruling dismissed a second attempt by parents of Newton students to sue teachers following an 11-day strike. The lawsuit, seeking $25 million in damages, was filed on behalf of students affected by the strike. The parents claimed that the strike had a detrimental impact on students and families, driving them to desperation.

The educators in Newton ended their strike in February 2024 after 11 days, securing improvements in parental leave, family leave, and minimum wages. Other teachers in various districts like Brookline, Andover, Haverhill, Malden, and the North Shore have also engaged in strikes to negotiate better contracts.

Massachusetts state law prohibits public employees, including teachers, from going on strike under Section 9A. Despite this, the union leaders from multiple associations were named as defendants in the lawsuit. The parents argued that these union leaders were aware of the illegality of the strike but publicly supported it.

The judge overseeing the case, Christopher Barry-Smith, ruled that the union did not engage in threatening or coercive behavior during the strike. He also stated that students are not third-party beneficiaries to the collective bargaining agreement between educators and the union.

The parents had previously filed a similar class action lawsuit immediately after the strike, which was dismissed as the case had concluded. The coalition behind the lawsuit, represented by legal professionals from Boston and Chicago, refiled as a separate lawsuit. The judge also highlighted that the relevant boards enforcing the ban on strikes do not mention parents or other third parties as entitled to enforcement under the law.

The attorneys representing the parents were involved in another lawsuit against the Beverly Teachers Association after a 12-day strike and a suit against the Chicago Teachers Union following a strike in 2022. Despite the ruling, the attorneys maintained that teachers going on illegal strikes prioritize their own demands over the needs of their students, setting a negative example for impressionable young individuals who look up to their teachers.