City Hall, teachers union trade accusations

The Boston Teachers Union is arguing that it did not walk away from negotiations and that City Hall “procrastinated,” forcing an impasse to be declared.

In an e-bulletin sent to members yesterday, BTU President Richard Stutman said “the school district procrastinated until the clock ran out.”

It comes after the union asked for a state mediator to step in.

The Herald obtained emails indicating that City Hall attempted to continue talks with the union last week. But Stutman said the union did not walk away.

Stutman said he told the city the tentative negotiation “cut-off” date would be in early May to give the teachers enough time to rework the agreement in time for a June 14 vote.

Stutman said the email obtained by the Herald was “spin” from the city.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh said he was “shocked” by accusations of “spinning.”

“The thing that bothers me is the supermajority of the average teacher, probably 95 percent of the teachers that teach in Boston Public Schools, what we are looking to fix has no effect on their life at all,” Walsh told the Herald. “I am not sure if the union actually presented it to their membership.”

At more than 90,000, the average salary of BPS teachers is among the highest in the nation.