Update for BTU Members: MOU Signed

We are happy to share some good news – we have reached an agreement with BPS on expectations for remote learning through the end of the school closure period. We have been negotiating with the district for weeks and are glad to have settled on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that provides better parameters for expectations as well as more consistency for our students, our families, and our educators. Please see the joint press release. To help better understand the MOU, the BTU has created a FAQ summarizing the most important sections. Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the new expectations. Here are some of the major highlights:

• All schools will provide age-appropriate schedules, with teacher input, that will provide for up to three hours during which students can engage in remote learning with a caring adult. No BTU member will be asked to engage in synchronous hours for more than two hours at a time.  
• Teachers may be required to engage in 15 hours of synchronous time per week and an additional 5 hours of asynchronous time. Ten hours may be directed by the principal, with input from teachers, and the additional 5 hours are directed by the individual teacher, with input from the principal.
• Please see the chart in the FAQ for more examples of synchronous, asynchronous and student-facing time.  

• For the period of the closure, all members of the bargaining units (not on an unpaid leave of absence) shall receive their regular compensation for their remote service. Unit members unable to work remotely during a workday due to illness or personal reasons shall use available sick or personal leave for that day.
• BPS will place the formal performance evaluation process on hold during the extended school closure, except that educators and evaluators may upload artifacts if they choose to do so. Evaluators will continue the supervision of staff through available means for observation and feedback, including a summary memo that shall be uploaded to educator plans in lieu of DESE ratings (as a non-evaluative artifact) at the end of the closure period. The educator shall have 14 calendar days to respond after the memo has been posted. 

• BTU and Breathe For Change are co-sponsoring a weekly series of interactive Virtual Wellness Workshops for all BTU members. Educators will be equipped with skills and strategies to enhance well-being through accessible self-care practices. Register for these virtual workshops to create space for your self-care and a chance to connect to the community while at home. 
• The AFT is working nonstop to protect the health and safety of our members, including workers on the front lines. See here for resources and guidance for leaders and members in all divisions about the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• Additionally, the AFT is offering a Trauma Coverage as a new benefit. Members, while fully focused on serving their communities, often neglect to seek help and healing for their own personal traumas. This innovative program uses the latest communication technologies—phone, text, and video—to assist members whenever needed, wherever a member may be. Sessions with highly trained, licensed therapists are completely private and offered free to all active working members, including those on leave status. 
• Hands to Heart Center is offering free yoga videos on their YouTube channel! So far, there is a Chair Yoga video and an Adult Beginner Yoga video. There a few more videos in the pipeline, so check back regularly for updates! 
• The BPS Office of Health and Wellness has created a resource page on practicing social-emotional learning (SEL) during COVID-19 and physical distancing. It is more important than ever to recognize our emotions, thoughts, and assets and how they influence a well-grounded sense of self. Check out the resources here!

• The Public Good campaign is hosting a (remote) Corporate Power Research Party on Tuesday, April 21 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Workers and community members are stepping up to care for each other and fight for basic necessities, such as food, safety, and fair pay. You can help find and expose the biggest pandemic profiteers here in Massachusetts. The Public Good team will start by setting some context and providing basic training and materials. Participants will then work in small teams to pursue research leads. Please RSVP, and they will send you more details on how to join!
• Add your name to the petition asking your State Rep and Senator to support “An Act Relative to State Employees Performing Core Functions,” a bill that would provide time and a half pay for MA public employees required to work outside of their home during this emergency.
• Donate to the One Chelsea Fund. Chelsea is one of the hardest hit communities in Massachusetts and residents there urgently need your help. To read more about how this crisis is hitting Chelsea, read this Boston Globe article.
• Help get the word out about last week’s #FrontlineHeroes story. Kristen Flanagan, a Deli Manager at the Somerville Stop & Shop and member of UFCW 1445, shares her story from the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis.
• Please see this update from AFL-CIO President Steve Tolman on Unemployment Insurance.
• The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and Mijente have joined efforts in order to produce “The Impact of COVID-19 on Latinos in the U.S.” This timely report encapsulates the quality of life of Latinos in our country prior to the Coronavirus outbreak, thus drawing attention to the increased uncertainties this sector of the population now faces as a result of the pandemic.