Statement on election results by MTA President Merrie Najimy

Statement on election results by MTA President Merrie Najimy


We are disappointed that Jay Gonzalez did not win his election bid for governor. Gonzalez was clearly the best candidate, and he had the distinction of being honest about the need for progressive taxes in order to invest in public education and transportation. A great Massachusetts leader, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., reminded us: “Taxes are the price we pay for civilized society.” Governor Charlie Baker has yet to learn that lesson.

As educators who must cope every day with the dire lack of resources in many of our public schools and on our public college campuses, we will demand that Beacon Hill finally, this spring, do its job of providing our students with the resources they deserve.

As educators who know that MCAS scores are a proxy for family income, we will demand a moratorium on high-stakes testing. As educators who believe in the “public” in “public education,” we will continue to fight the expansion of the private companies called charter schools. 

We are profoundly troubled tonight by the defeat of Question 1, which would have guaranteed that there were more nurses to care for Massachusetts families. The opposition’s $25 million-plus budget was used to freely lie and mislead in one of the most dishonest campaigns in recent memory. The Massachusetts Nurses Association was and is in the right. When the nurses continue their struggle to secure adequate staffing levels to care for their patients, the MTA will be by their side.

On a brighter note, we are pleased that the voters overwhelmingly chose to re-elect U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren so that she can continue the work of taking on President Trump.

Finally, we are truly gratified that the rights of transgender people will continue to be honored in Massachusetts because of the voters’ decision on Question 3. Massachusetts is a national leader in standing up for freedom and fairness in this way, and it must remain so.