Yes on 2 Launches Today
Yes on 2 Launches Today
Greetings,
Saturday August 17 – that’s our Yes on 2 canvassing kickoff, to win MCAS as a high-stakes test. Sign up to join one of a half dozen door-to-door canvasses happening all across the state. Also, check out the Yes on 2 website, just launched today!
And check out the MTA Facebook page, as well as the MTA Grassroots page, where you can see the 180 Summer Member Organizers, who have thus far knocked on more than 80,000 doors, and made more than 130,000 calls to Massachusetts voters. The other side has some CEO’s, ed reformers, and bank executives – you know, the people who stood against us on charter schools and on the Fair Share Amendment. But we have each other – educators and union members, along with parents, and students. That’s how we will win on November 5.
Meanwhile, back at the State House. This is the summary of the dismal end of the legislative session, from State House News Service: “Save for a few legislative accomplishments, it was a dismal week on Beacon Hill capped off by one of the biggest failures to get work complete in recent memory.” So many crucial pieces of legislation were left on the table, with little likelihood that they will be acted on until the setart of the new session, when all bills must be refiled. This is one of the least producgtive legislatures on record. It shouldn’t be this way, given the control of all three parts of government by Democrats. Our members, and all our residents, deserve better.
Please take action on one of many bills left undone – a supplemental budget that includes approval of our community college staff and faculty contracts.
On a more positive note, I (Deb) was honored to attend the Women2Women International Leadership Program’s conference at MassArt. There were so many inspiring young women in attendance, including three from Massachusetts we helped get there through our PR&O fund. The picture above is of me with the those three students at the conference. It was a privilege to hear their stories of perseverance and those important role that you, their educators, have played in their lives; they told me that it was their MTA educators who encouraged them to apply.
MTA Events Solidarity Actions
Get ready for Back to School
There’s still plenty of summer left, but as you get ready for upcoming season, here are a few helpful tips on how to save. Shop for back-to-school essentials during the Back-to-School event at MTA Benefits’ nationwide discount partner, Access, to save on apparel, classroom supplies, and more. Plus, you’ll be entered to win up to $500 just for learning more about their program! If you’re in need of child care for children ages six months to twelve years, KinderCare offers members a 20% discount on child care, including their Champions after school program. Learn about these discounts and hundreds of other ways MTA members save at www.mtabenefits.com.
2024-2025 Funding Requests for Attending National Conferences
The MTA is accepting applications for members to request funding to attend national conferences during this academic year. This is a great opportunity for members to immerse themselves in union education and job-specific education while engaging with members across the country. National conferences provide an opportunity to learn from renowned leaders, share stories with other members, and learn from one other. Limited funding from both MTA and NEA is provided for these conferences. Space is very limited. If you are interested in applying for funding, please fill out this survey form.
September All-Presidents Meeting
The All Presidents Meeting is on Saturday, September 21 in Framingham. If interested, please ask your local president if you can join them for this annual kickoff to the year. Obviously, this year we will be focused on the final two months of the MCAS campaign.
Board and EC “Alerts”
Here are the summaries of the actions taken by the Board and Executive Committee at recent meetings. We will be sharing these “Board Alerts” after each meeting. LINK
NEA and NEASO Labor Dispute
As many of you have heard, the NEA Representative Assembly in Philadelphia ended after the first day of business as NEASO, the union of many NEA staffmembers, went on strike for three days. In response to this and previous limited strikes, NEA locked the employees out until a contract has been agreed to.
We asked NEA to provide a statement and here it is: “NEA and NEASO are actively engaged in mediation and the mediator has bound both parties to confidentiality during this process. NEASO employees’ health insurance and benefits continue while the parties work toward achieving a successor agreement.”
And here is the NEASO website. If you have opinions about the dispute, please contact your local board member or local president.
Political Education
We just finished a wonderful summer conference, one of our favorite weeks of the year. This article from The Nation reminds us how important it is for workers to learn together about the forces arrayed against us, and our vision of a better society.
And in honor of Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, here is an article we shared before, which towards the end of the piece highlights what Minnesota has been able to accomplish while our all-democratic Massachusetts legislature has moved at a snail’s pace on some crucial pieces of legislation broadly supported by our citizens.
In Solidarity,
Max and Deb