Brookline Educators Union Members Vote to Strike this Monday. On Thursday, May 12, the Brookline Educators Union (BEU) held a General Membership Meeting: 95% of members present (most members!) voted to authorize a strike for this Monday. Members of the BEU have been working without a contract for three years! And it seems clear the SC has never and still does not intend to reach an agreement. In bargaining on Saturday night and late into the early morning Sunday (3:15 a.m.!), BEU negotiators met with the SC and a mediator for 8.5 hours. The SC refused to put anything "on the record," and, near the end of the session, the mediator said that the School Committee refused to move, and was calling off further negotiations. Under Massachusetts General Law, when negotiations reach an impasse, the SC is allowed to impose their last best "on the record" offer Public employees are also prohibited by law to go on strike. Even the mediator acknowledged that "public employees are at a distinct disadvantage under the Massachusetts labor law." The SC will try to use that power to impose its will on the BEU. They will claim impasse, and they will seek a court injunction to force BEU members back into the classroom. It's ugly. It's also a terrible strategy. I was at the rally on Saturday, and the energy was palpable and contagious. From what I saw and heard, this SC really does not understand how poorly they have calculated the BEU's resolve! Parent / Educator Collaborative
The Newton Parent Educator Collaborative met on Thursday, May 12. Many NTA members attended, and shared their concerns about the harm the remaining cuts will cause.
The collaborative asks us again to email or call city council members to help them better understand the impact of budget cuts. They have not yet voted to approve the Mayor's budget.
Contact information for the councilors can be found here. Although you can send the entire council an email, it would be more effective to send your email to each councilor at their address. And include the mayor: Click here for her email address.
Impact Bargaining
On Friday, Chris, our MTA Rep Jason Leto and I met with Tamika Olszewski, Kathy Shields, Paul Levy and members of the NPS central administration. We are bargaining the impact of the remaining cuts. We are following this agenda.This was the first of a number of sessions. This session was quite collaborative, and we hope that we can continue on this path.
Open Enrollment: NPS Health and Dental Insurance.
The Human Resources Office sent an email on May 2 informing members that the open enrollment period for health and dental insurance runs from May 2 until May 31. For more information, click here.
MTA New Member Summer Program
Are you a new educator interested in learning more about the union, but don't know where to begin? The New Member Program at MTA Summer Conferenceis for you! This program will run from July 31stto August 3rd at UMASS Amherst and is one track of the MTA Summer Conference. Through this program you will learn everything from union basics, reading and understanding your contract, as well as how to bargain a contract. This is a great opportunity to meet and network with other MTA members from across the state. This program is free to members in their the first five years. Please reach out to Ariana Foster (ntanewmember@gmail.com) with any questions. Registration will open at the end of May.
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