Higher Education Conference

Saturday October 21 Breakfast & Registration - 8:30 am - 10 am

Conference 10 am - 4 pm

This conference for higher education members will cover various topics to help prepare activists and leaders for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead, plus space for participant-led collaboration and problem-solving.

This past year, we made progress on many of our Higher Ed for All priorities.

• An historic 8% wage increase for higher ed members.
• Passage of the Fair Share Amendment--a constitutional amendment taxing millionaires to fund education and transportation in Massachusetts. FY24 state budget that includes millions of new spending on public higher education:
  • $84 million for general scholarships
  • $20 million for the MassReconnect funding free community college for adult learners.
  • $12 million for planning and preparation for universal free community college beginning in Fall 2024.
  • In-state tuition at public colleges and universities and eligibility for state scholarships and grants for undocumented immigrants.
  • Healthcare coverage on day one for new employees is covered by the state’s Group Insurance Commission (GIC).
  • A new pilot program is expanding healthcare coverage for residents up to 500% of the state’s poverty line through the Connector Care. This pilot will benefit tens of thousands of low-wage workers, including Education Support Professionals and Adjunct Faculty.
• The MTA Board and MTA Higher Ed Leadership Council unanimously endorsed the Adjunct Faculty Bill of Rights and Classified Staff Bill of Rights, roadmaps for fair and equitable working conditions for these essential workers.

In 2023/2024, Locals will bargain for fair contracts and at the State House fighting for the Cherish Act to

• Recruit and retain diverse and excellent faculty and staff (that means fair pay and good working conditions)
• Increased Student Support (including the improved staffing needed to support students)
• Provide public funding for buildings on college and university campuses (instead of funding on the backs of students and workers)
• Implement a debt-free college plan that covers not just tuition and fees but also living expenses, including food and housing (and eliminate the enrollment crisis)

register