Join your union siblings at City Hall at 4:15.
This is a last push for Bill's campaign!
Dear Colleagues,
Last year was hard! I think, like me, most of you hope for a new year that will be less confrontational and adversarial. So how do we remain a union whose power comes from our solidarity and activism AND find a less confrontational, more collaborative mode of interacting with the administration, the school committee and the larger community?
Last year, collaboration was impossible. District leaders' regular flaunting of the contract and the law, their stonewalling during negotiations, their misrepresentation of the issues before, during and after the strike took collaboration off the agenda. Under Liz Valerio's leadership, the school committee and the mayor stonewalled us until either we broke or we struck. Our only choice was to fight, or lose. We went on strike, and we won.
It is exhilarating to fight and win, but it also takes a toll. By the end of the school year, after a long campaign, after working through February break, after working late into June--we were exhausted. Continuous animosity and anger also took a toll. The loss of trust, the feeling of betrayal, the district's insensitivity, the fines--all this took a toll. Yes, our solidarity as a union grew enormously, and we built relationships that we might never have built absent the strike. I am incredibly proud of the power and resilience of our membership!
But our victory came with great cost to ability to our relationships, especially with our non-union administrators. Even now, the wounds from last year leave us all easily triggered and readily distrustful.
But even with this heavy dose of realism, I have hope that it can be different, that trust can be rebuilt, that we can collaborate where in the past our only recourse was to fight.
The School Committee has already changed. Chris Breszki has appointed a completely new negotiations team: Chris remains the chair, but he has added Rajeev Parliker and Barry Greenstein, more reasonable and moderate voices. Gone are Kathy Shields, Tamika Olzweski and Paul Levy, all three of whom were bitterly anti-educator, anti-union, and anti-NTA. Moreover, Liz Valerio is gone (except for representing the school committee in their appeal of the arbitrators' decision on restoring kindergarten aides--a sore spot still!). The School Committee has hired a new, moderate, non-idealogical, non-confrontational law firm to represent them.
Most importantly, Chris Walsh and I are finding Anna Nolin to be somebody we can work with. Since last spring, we have resolved a number of issues collaboratively.
What I am seeing is a willingness to share power. And that is the necessary condition of our ability to collaborate--restraint, on the part of management, to unilaterally and arbitrarily exercise their "management prerogative"--power--when we disagree, or, worse, to unilaterally impose their "interpretation" of the contract. I am also seeing a growing trust, on their part, that we, the NTA, do not arbitrarily exercise our power--to grieve, to arbitrate, most importantly, to organize, to protest. We too have exercised restraint.
So to answer the question I raised above--How is collaboration possible? --Our ability to collaborate effectively with district leaders is rooted in the power we have built. When we are equals in power to district leaders, there can be true collaboration. Absent that, collaboration is impossible. Without a balance of power, management perceives itself as a benevolent dictator and we become supplicants. As equals, we can be partners.
I believe that we are all looking for partnership now. Along with a fair contract, this is the fruit of last year's victory.
But please, keep on reading: As I hope I made clear above, our ability to collaborate effectively with the new administration depends upon YOU continuing to show up, and to advocate for educators, education, and those who support education and labor. We can only truly collaborate from a position of equal power, and you, the membership of the NTA, are our power.
The rally begins at 4:15!
Click on the graphic to volunteer, and to let us know you are coming to the rally!
There are still fights we must engage--and win!
Our first fight, a chance for us to show that our political muscles remain strong, is to support Bill Humphrey's campaign to win a seat as the 12th Middlesex District State Representative.
If you remember, Bill was the ONLY city councilor--indeed, the only elected official in Newton--who showed up for us every day on the picket line during the strike and shared his support for us at our rallies.
Bill showed up for us; now we have to show up for him. Start Labor Day weekend off by supporting our pro-labor candidate!
Bill has run a grassroots campaign to become the next State Representative for the 12th Middlesex congressional district. He and many volunteers have knocked on every door in the district. And now they have to get out their vote by primary election day, Tuesday, September 3--the day our students return to school!
So here's what we have organized to support Bill:
On Thursday, August 29th, a 4:15 school rally of NTA members in support of Bill's candidacy at City Hall. We need to show up in force, and we need to wear our NTA t-shirts!
This rally is our first chance to flex our muscle since the strike. Join us at City Hall at 4:15.
Canvassing, Phone banking, Sign Stations. Use this form to see dates and sign up. Two or three of your hours means a lot!
And remember: This is how we build our political muscle to unseat Mayor Ruthanne Fuller.
We will never be able to collaborate effectively with Fuller. She is anti-union to the core, and certainly no supporter of public education. (She sent her own children to private school.) Nor is she going to change.
WE have to change who occupies the Mayor's Office. We must push her out, as Woburn educators did last year with their recalcitrant mayor.
Even if you are unable to do any volunteer dates, you can still help out by utilizing your Signal Chat and communication chains in your building to spread the word and have people sign up! It is especially important that we turn out as many members as possible to the union rally we are planning for the second day after teachers report. Let's gather once again as a union at City Hall to turn it into a night of action for Bill Humphrey!
So turn on your Signal Chat, and tune back into your union siblings!
Reminder: New Contractual Provisions this Year and Continuing from Last
Contractually protected self-directed time:
New contract provision: “During the first two (2) workdays of the school year, all employees covered by this agreement shall have six (6) hours set aside for self-directed preparation for the school year. Should the District require educators to attend convocation, such time shall not be considered self-directed preparation time.”
Everyone is also entitled to their duty free lunch on each of the first two days.
Based on this, is attendance at opening day convocation now required?
Yes.
There are 13 working hours during our first two days.
District administrators may require members to attend up to seven hours of mandatory, district-directed meetings/trainings, etc., during the opening two days. Anna Nolin has elected to require employees to attend the convocation as part of administration's seven hours. Travel time counts as part of the administration's seven hours.
The other six hours are for self-directed professional time to prepare for the arrival of students. Self-directed time is just that--self-directed. Anything that is scheduled for Unit A members by an administrator counts as part of the administration's seven hours. Chris and I have confirmed this understanding with Anna Nolin.
Please note as well that all full time Unit C members are required to attend the full day on both Wednesday and Thursday, including attending convocation.
Increased minimum hours for full-time Category 1 Educational Support Professionals:
Full-time Category 1 aides at Elementary, Middle, and High School are now paid to work for 10 minutes each day after student dismissal time.
Increased Unit C Starting Salaries:
An additional half step is taken off the Unit C scale — new starting step for Unit C members hired to begin work next year is Step 2.
For a view of how the new contract impacts starting pay, mid-level pay, and top pay for Unit C staff, please see this spreadsheet. Please note that this is a representation of the change in pay on each of these particular steps, not the change in pay for a particular employee. For those employees not at the top step, they will also receive step increases each year on September 1.
Additional Retirement Incentive:
Employees who give notice of retirement at least six (6) months prior to their last day of work and who work through the end of the teacher work year (or through June 30th for Unit E), will receive $500 in addition to the benefit of $500 for giving at least four (4) months notice of their retirement. Total benefit in these cases is $1,000.
The incentive payment of $500 for giving notice of retirement at lease four (4) months prior to the last day of work still exists separately for those not working through the end of the teacher work year (or June 30th for Unit E).
Increased Tuition Reimbursement:
The maximum amount of reimbursement available per individual seeking licensure is increased to $1,000, and for all other applicants to $750.
New for Unit E: Tuition reimbursement shall be allowed for non-graduate credit granting professional development when appropriate and with supervisory approval.
Evaluation - Directed Growth and Improvement Plans:
Educators moving to either Directed Growth or Improvement Plans must be given a draft of the plan no later than the last school day in June of the year prior to the plan.
Educators must receive the final plan by September 20th.
Use of Sick Days for Family Illness:
Employees may use up to fourteen (14) of their personal sick days for a close family member’s or dear friend’s illness or injury. (increase of 3 days)
Unit A Substitute Stipend:
High School teachers who volunteer to substitute for a Unit A colleague receive a stipend of $60 per additional class period.
Middle School teachers who volunteer to substitute for a Unit A colleague receive a stipend of $40 per additional class period.
Teachers in their first year of employment in NPS shall not be asked to volunteer to substitute.
Unit E - Increase in Starting Pay:
By September 1, 2024, one full step will have been taken off the bottom of the Unit E salary schedules.
Click on the graphic to sign up!
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