| Retirement Plus Campaign: Fight for Better Retirement Benefits
In 2001, Massachusetts created a Retirement Plus program which allowed teachers to retire early if they increased their contributions to their pension plan. However, the initial rollout of the program in 2001 was complex and oftentimes confusing, leading to many teachers missing the enrollment and therefore losing out on this option. The BTU has been working for years to rectify this and we need your help in convincing legislators to include this provision in the next state budget. Please take a moment right now to join our advocacy campaign and write a letter to your legislator.
Graduation Requirement Survey
Thanks to the work of BTU members, our coalition partners and BPS families and students, Question 2 was approved by a majority of statewide voters in November 2024. The ballot question changed the state law which required high school students to pass the MCAS exam in order to graduate. For decades we heard from educators and students who said the MCAS requirement was not an appropriate method to measure all a student has to offer. Voters understood and supported the ballot question. Now, we have the opportunity to shape the state’s new graduation requirements.
Following the ballot question’s passage, Governor Healey created the K-12 Statewide Graduation Council to advise her administration on what new standards Massachusetts should adopt. BTU President Erik Berg and AFT MA President Jessica Tang sit on this Council composed of more than 30 other appointees. The Council has created this survey which gives YOU the power to craft the new standards. We strongly encourage all BTU members to take this short survey so Massachusetts can adopt a standard that accurately assesses a student’s capabilities.
Labor Solidarity with Immigrant Communities
The first six months of the Trump Administration has brought fear, trauma and harm to residents across the country, especially within immigrant communities. But those six months have also reinforced that collective community action can hold powerful individuals accountable. You may have heard of the case of Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a Milford High honor student who was driving to volleyball practice last week when ICE agents pulled him over and detained him, sparking a huge response from his classmates, his community and the broader education network. The BTU contributed to a message condemning his detention and we are pleased that as a result of significant community pressure and a judge’s order, Milford High student Marcelo was released on bond.
BTU members attended a rally on City Hall Plaza Monday afternoon calling for the release of David Huerta, the head of the Service Employees International Union in California representing more than 700,000 workers. Huerta was injured by ICE agents then arrested while attending a protest of ICE’s aggressive enforcement tactics in downtown Los Angeles over the weekend. The AFL-CIO, representing more than 15 million union workers in the US, condemned the arrest.
This Saturday on June 14th, there will be nationwide protests in response to President Trump’s escalating violations of civil rights as well as the costly military parade he is imposing on Washington D.C. to mark the Army and his own birthday. You can find demonstrations near you via a list compiled by AFT
Documenting BTU’s History: BTU Hall, June 25th, 1-4pm
Do you have a story to tell? Old photos, flyers, or posters you treasure? Come share them at the BTU Year-End Digitizing Day!
In 2018, the BTU hosted our first “digitizing day” in partnership with UMass Boston. We scanned 190 photos and documents and recorded 18 short video interviews about our union’s history. The event inspired other local unions and helped UMass Boston win a grant to support participatory archiving.
Please come share your personal memories and archives of your work and organizing as an educator!
We are particularly interested in stories and documents that address three topics on all of our minds this past school year: the history of education for students with disabilities as we fight for inclusion done right, the history of school closures as we face such closures at the end of this year and in years to come, and the history of school desegregation, fifty years after the first year of court-ordered desegregation in Boston.
You are welcome to drop in anytime during the afternoon. We will have scanners for documents (you will keep the originals) and booths set up for short interviews. To make things flow smoothly, you can also sign up for a specific interview slot.
Seeking Members for BTU/BPS Climate Committee
The recent contract settlement includes a provision for a joint BTU/BPS committee focused on climate change and climate justice curricula. If you are interested in serving on this committee, which is slated to meet regularly and make recommendations on climate curricula, please email Will March at wmarch@btu.org with a resume and statement of interest, including your relevant experience.
Thank you to all who attended our end of year party. Make sure to check out the section at the bottom of this bulletin to read our Building Reps of the Year award winners!! |
