Union News: Countdown to 2024 MTA Annual Meeting
Union News: Countdown to 2024 MTA Annual Meeting
Greetings, MTA members,
The 2024 MTA Annual Meeting of Delegates is almost here. We look forward to seeing more than a thousand of you there, in person or participating virtually, beginning on Friday.
We are coming to the Annual Meeting fresh from the Labor Notes Conference in Chicago, where 4,500 rank-and-file union activists gathered to share strategies, victories and upcoming campaigns. It was thrilling to be there when we learned about the 3-to-1 vote by Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee to join the United Auto Workers, and then heard from UAW President Shawn Fain (who will receive one of our MTA Annual Meeting Awards) about what this means for the UAW and the labor movement.
It was also remarkable to be there with so many MTA members who were recognized with an award, alongside UAW members, for the series of educator strikes that brought such tremendous contract victories. And throughout the conference, it was MTA members on panels, talking about strikes, building community partnerships, winning the Fair Share Amendment and fighting against high-stakes testing. More than once someone said to me – “What’s up in Massachusetts?”
The answer, of course, is you, standing up with greater power than ever for your members and your students.
MTA Events, Opportunities and Solidarity Actions
Federal Legislation to Combat Book Bans
U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley recently spoke about how the number of challenges to books in Massachusetts libraries was four times higher last year.
Pressley spoke to Politico in an interview that highlighted her own legislation, the Books Save Lives Act, which would counteract the rise in book bans and help ensure an inclusive learning environment for all students. “I know it to be at the intersection of all these coordinated attacks — from school boards to city halls and state legislatures to Congress and the Supreme Court,” Pressley told Politico.
Stand With Health Care Workers – TOMORROW!
When: Thursday, April 25 at 6:30 p.m.
here: St. Gregory’s Auditorium, 2214 Dorchester Ave., Boston
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO is supporting several actions being taken at various Steward Health Care locations. Our union siblings from the Massachusetts Nurses Association and 1199 SEIU are asking that the public attend a forum tomorrow in support of workers and patients at Carney Hospital.
Escalating Campaigns and Strikes (part of the First Wednesday MTA Retiree Speaker Series)
When: Wednesday, May 1 at 3 p.m.
Where: Virtual
Celebrate May Day by learning from local and state leaders and staff as they discuss the issues and challenges facing local associations as they fight for fair contracts. Learn more and register.
Debunking Science of Reading Neuroscience Claims
When: Wednesday, April 24 at 7 p.m.
Where: Virtual
This webinar focuses on the impact of the "Science of Reading" on English learners and emerging bilingual learners in education. Recent legislation has questioned its methods and claims. The upcoming webinar with Dr. Steven Strauss, who holds a doctorate in linguistics, is hosted by the California Association for Bilingual Education. The webinar will explore these controversies and shed light on the myths and realities of the neuroscience and linguistic claims behind the Science of Reading. Register here.
Full-Service Community Schools Summit When: Saturday, June 8 at 9 a.m. Where: Boston Teachers Union, 180 Mount Vernon St., Dorchester The MTA is collaborating with AFT, BTU and MEJA to deliver the first statewide Full-Service Community Schools Summit. Full-service community schools advance equity, democracy and justice and are rooted in local knowledge, creativity and community resources. Join us to learn more about this strategy. Bring a team from your local. Together we will build and advance community schools. The plenary panel will feature Jitu Brown, director of the Journey For Justice (J4J) Alliance, and Stacy Davis Gates, president of the Chicago Teachers Union. Register Here. Important Student Loan Consolidation Deadline Approaching – April 30 The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program isn't going anywhere, but a key benefit will end on April 30. Borrowers who have older loans issued through the Federal Family Education Loan Program have until that date to consolidate those loans and take advantage of a favorable calculation method that confers the payment count of the loan with the most payments on the resulting Direct Consolidation loan.To find out more about your options and why April 30 is a red-letter day, we urge you to join one of MTA Benefits’ free webinars, which always feature live Q&A sessions. Register for an upcoming session today.
Disability Insurance Enrollment Now Open How would you pay your bills if you were suddenly unable to work for an extended period due to illness or injury? Disability insurance protects your income in such situations. The MTA Disability Plan is a group plan that offers discounted rates. During the open enrollment period, coverage is guaranteed. Critical illness insurance and accident insurance are also available during this enrollment period. To be eligible to participate, you must be either:
- A member in a district that has opted to participate in this program; or
- A new member since July 1, 2023, in any MTA-affiliated district.
The MTA Disability Insurance Open Enrollment is going on now through May 17. Schedule an appointment with a counselor.
Raise My Wage / Cap My Rent Action
When: Wednesday, May 15 at 12:30 p.m.
W
here: State House steps
A consortium of tenant advocacy groups and labor unions will hold a rally on May 15 to demand a state minimum wage of $20 per hour and advocate for lifting the ban on rent control. Learn more here.
Political Education
The importance of the vote by Volkswagen workers to join the UAW, which won overwhelmingly last Friday night, should not be underestimated. But it is worth emphasizing that the victory is crucial not only for the U.S. labor movement, but also for the material gains for those particular workers. It also matters for a broader movement for racial justice. There is a reason that the South’s political leaders have been generally opposed to unions for so long, and it is directly connected to the establishment of the Jim Crow South.
Jamelle Bouie, of the New York Times, outlines the story well:
By the end of the 20th century, Bouie wrote, “White supremacy had triumphed, but not all whites would be supreme. Jim Crow did not eradicate Black political action or erase class conflict among white people. Nonetheless, it established a hierarchical order of social and economic dominance by the owners of land and capital. It also produced a world of poverty and disinvestment, of Robert Penn Warren’s torn-down mills and grass-covered tracks and ‘whitewashed shacks, all just alike, set in a row by the cotton fields.’ It was in defense of this world that Southern political and economic elites bitterly resisted organized labor as it grew by leaps and bounds in the 1930s…”
In solidarity,
Max and Deb