Parents demonstrated Wednesday outside of Woonsocket High School as teachers went back to school under a "work to rule."
Connie Powers has a daughter in the Woonsocket public school system.
She said after overhearing teachers in her hair salon talk about the current contract struggle, she felt the parents had to step in and offer more support.
"She makes less money now, take home-wise, than when she started because they haven't gotten a pay raise in nine years," Powers said.
But health insurance has continued to go up over the years.
"They deserve a raise. They teach and mold our future, and these children are going to take care of us one day and they are going to remember this," Powers said.
The Woonsocket Teachers' Guild voted to work to rule, meaning no extra volunteer hours.
"It's not fair to the teachers and it breaks their heart to have to tell kids, 'No we aren't staying after school because we are trying to prove a point," Powers said.
The teachers' union confirmed that mediation has been agreed upon and the City Council as of Tuesday night seemed open to the idea of searching for extra funding for teachers.
Susan Trinque was a full-time teacher in Woonsocket for 35 years and a substitute for another 10 years.
"I would say that contract negotiations have always been difficult in Woonsocket. I certainly remember that year that our union leaders were jailed," Trinque said.
That was in the 1970s, and the struggle persists today.
"They're discouraged. They're doing everything they can to teach. They are still buying for their students. They are still working hard. It's not a six-hour job like people think," Trinque said.
This is the first time in 30 years that teachers have started school without a contract. The union president told NBC 10 News that he's hopeful both sides will come to an agreement.
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