Teachers rally for new contract
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

Teachers gathered outside Overlook Middle School on Tuesday night to put pressure on the Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School Committee. JOURNAL PHOTO/CAITLYN KELLEHER

Flashlights, cowbells and chants for a new contract filled the air in front of Overlook Middle School on Tuesday night before a scheduled meeting between the negotiation committees for the Ashburnham Westminster Teachers' Association and the Regional School Committee.

About 50 teachers gathered on the sidewalk in front of the middle school with signs and candles to support their representatives and to put pressure on School Committee representatives.

"I thought it was a really good turnout for the commitments that people have," said Carol-Anne Fitzgerald, the chairwoman of the Ashburnham-Westminster Teachers' Association crisis team.

The crisis team is a group of teachers that is working to unite the teachers in their demonstrations and rallies and to garner public support.

As members of the School Committee walked into the schools, teachers chanted "What do we want? ... Contract. … When do we want it? … Now."

The crowd gathered between 5 and 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 22, because they were expecting the representatives to arrive about 5:30 p.m. for the mediation event scheduled to start at 6 p.m., said Fitzgerald.

"We knew generally they would come about 5:30. We came to give them some energy," Fitzgerald said. "There has been very little movement in the sessions. We just need to give them a little bit of energy. Hopefully, they can make some progress."

Teachers have been wearing badges daily that read "A Fair Contract Now" and they are in the process of posting similar lawn signs around town.

"I think we can't stop, I think we need to keep doing this," Fitzgerald told the teachers who had gathered at the end of the rally.

She said that the public does not understand that the teachers have been working under their old contract since July 1, 2007, and without raises to this point in the year.

They plan to expand the informational pickets that have been held in front of each school over the last couple of months to the Main Streets in each town. They are also working on developing a brochure to distribute to the public.

To hear audio from the rally held Tuesday night please visit www.thecommunityjournal. com.