Dear Colleagues,
I have found the strikes in Beverly, Gloucester, and Beverly deeply disturbing.
Outrageous fines.
School committee refusals to address the same issues we bargained for here in Newton: A living wage for Unit C members; realistic cost of living adjustments; modern parental leave policies; mental health supports.
Public posturing by elected officials who ring their hands about damage striking educators are inflicting on children and families, even as they refuse to bargain in good faith. Indeed, the Beverly School Committee even went so far as to petition the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board (CERB) to request that the Board grant them the right NOT to bargain during the strike--and the CERB granted their request!
Maura Healey speaking out against striking educators.
Ruthanne Fuller adding her two cents about budgetary constraints.
Why do I find this so disturbing? I mean, we saw all this and then some here in Newton. Yes, and that is part of why it is so disturbing.
And it's also the timing. Massachusetts is reputedly a progressive state. Voters voted overwhelming democratic in this November's election, as they almost always do. In Massachusetts, the Democratic Party currently controls all branches of government. We purportedly value education highly here, and elected officials love to boast of our best in nation educational system.
Any yet...and yet...in this purportedly progressive state, school districts continue to balance their budgets by exploiting educational support professionals, by refusing to provide modern parental leave, by turning a blind eye to the desperate need for mental health and behavioral supports in our schools, and by expecting educators to shoulder the burden of inflation.
What is wrong with this picture? Why cannot educators expect the support of elected leaders in this bluest of blue states? As educators, we overwhelmingly cast our votes for democratic candidates. Don't educators--and working people- have a right to expect protection, support, solidarity?
These strikes, at this moment, have brought home to me the harsh reality of the words Bernie Sanders chose to explain the failure of the Democratic Party in the elections of 2024: “It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them.”
But--as disturbed as I may be by how harshly, how inveterately, our elected leaders fight against educators in Beverly, Gloucester, and Marblehead, how harshly, inveterately, they fought against us here in Newton, I need to remind myself that when WE FIGHT--we, as union members, in solidarity--WE WIN!
We won our strike here in Newton. Before us, educators won victories in Dedham, Brookline, Haverhill, Malden, Woburn and Andover. Educators just won in Gloucester, and they will soon win in Beverly and Marblehead.
But the costs of our victories should not be so high. The balance of power between educators and management should not be weighted so heavily in favor of management. We must gain the legal right to go on strike when negotiations fail.
We cannot expect that our elected leaders will ever give us this right in the legislature: Newton's newly elected representatives, Amy Sangiolo and Greg Schwartz, stated clearly to the NTA that they do not support the right to strike, so we made no progress there. And to date the state legislature has made clear they will not budge on this issue.
MTA and AFT members won a major statewide victory at the ballot box by eliminating the use MCAS as a graduation requirement.
Our next ballot box battle must be for the right to strike. In a world where we cannot count on our elected leaders, we must have the right to protect ourselves--and our students.
Open Enrollment for Dental Insurance and Flexible Benefits Ends November 30
The enrollment period for flexible benefits and for changing your dental insurance election is open until November 30. A couple notes about dental insurance for active employees:If you were enrolled previously in Guardian dental, and do not need to make any changes to your plan choice, then you are all set--you don't have to do anything. The insurance you previously carried through Guardian will now be provided through Blue Cross Blue Shield, and they will do the work of porting your data into their systems. However, there are some important changes to the dental plans you may want to consider in determining whether you want to enroll in or change your dental plan:
Family members are now covered under your family plan until they turn 26. If you need to add dependents who are now eligible because of this change, you should add them during this open enrollment period.
The high option dental plan now includes up to $1,500 in coverage for orthodontia. If you do not currently participate in the high option plan, you may want to consider a change in the light of this new benefit.
Finally, Blue Cross Blue Shield Dental has a very high participation rate of dentists in its network. This means that almost all dentists who were in the Guardian network are in the Blue Cross Blue Shield network, and many other dentists who were not in the Guardian network are in the Blue Cross Blue Shield network. You can check to see if your dentist is in the Blue Cross Blue Shield network by following the instructions here. If a dentist is in network, they will bill your insurance at a much lower rate, your insurance dollars will go farther each year, and your potential out of pocket expenses will be much reduced for major procedures.
Licensure
Please be sure to keep on top of your licensure to avoid problems down the road. Please note — if you lack the appropriate license or endorsement(s) for your position, that can constitute grounds for dismissal. If your supervisor or human resources has reached out to you to bring a deficit to your attention, please address the issue without delay.
If you haven’t done so in a while, log on to your ELAR account through the DESE Security Portal to check your licensure status. MTA has a number of resources and tools to guide members through the license renewal process located on their website. If you have questions or need support, please reach out to Christine Walsh at treasurer@newteach.org.
Retirement Planning
If you are planning to retire this year, remember that 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. Don’t miss out on this — be sure to get your retirement form to the HR office in December for a June retirement!
The incentive payment of $500 for giving notice of retirement at least 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). Any questions? Feel free to reach out to Christine Walsh at treasurer@newteach.org.
In solidarity,
Mike Zilles, President
Newton Teachers Association