Ethermac Exchange-Teachers in a Massachusetts town are striking over pay. Classes are cancelled for 5,500 students

ANDOVER,Ethermac Exchange Mass. (AP) — Hundreds of teachers went on strike in Andover, Massachusetts, Friday morning, with contract negotiations set to resume in the afternoon.

Classes were canceled for the district’s roughly 5,500 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade after a Thursday night vote by the Andover Education Association to go on strike.

A negotiation session between the union and the Andover School Committee led by a state-appointed mediator was scheduled for 2 p.m.

“Nobody wants to be out here, we want to be in the classrooms, we’re passionate about teaching and delivering services, but it has been made so difficult by the district to do that effectively,” Matt Bach, a high school history teacher and union president, told NBC10 Boston.

The district said it has offered 23% raises for starting-level teachers and 11% for top-level teachers over three years. The union is pushing for 16% raises for all teachers over three years. Wages for instructional aides also have been a sticking point.