In honor of Veterans Day, we would like to extend our thanks and recognition to all of the veterans in our community for their service, including current and former BTU educators, family members, and friends.

Last week’s election brought mixed results for our union, and we imagine members have mixed emotions. At the national level, the election results were not what we hoped for as a union, but it is a reminder of the importance of the work that we do, both as educators and as trade unionists. A foundation of caring in future generations and solidarity among working people will ultimately be stronger than forces of division, and we will bring renewed vigor and purpose to the work we do to bring people together, and will be successful. Regardless of how you voted, we know that the election results bring up many feelings for our students, and we wanted to share a resource that you may want to tap into, regarding teaching during charged times: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/edcast/24/09/teaching-election-politically-charged-times

Here in Massachusetts, we were successful in passing Question 2, which we know will lead to educators being able to provide a more well-rounded education for our young people. The resounding and overwhelming victory on Question 2 shows that Massachusetts voters support and trust teachers, and understand that a single test is not the right way to judge students.

Negotiations, Walk-ins and Membership Meeting

Our next negotiation session with the district is scheduled for TOMORROW, Thursday November 14th from 5 to 8 pm at the Ruth Batson Academy (formerly the McCormack School). The Ruth Batson is located just around the corner from the BTU at 315 Mt Vernon St, Dorchester, 02125. Please let us know if you are able to attend. At our last negotiation session, management proposed increasing the workday for a small group of BTU members by 23% with NO additional pay. The BTU rejected this idea and will continue to fight for reasonable working conditions.

Negotiations are continuing about the establishment of a paraprofessional position to assist with the delivery of IEP services and the creation of centrally based COSE positions to do initial evaluations.

We will continue to advocate for improvements to the working conditions of the multitude of roles in our union, but rest assured our eye has not strayed from the two largest overarching issues of this contract fight: equitable pay for all members and a workable approach to inclusion. BTU educators know that our students are not receiving the specialized instruction they need in the manner that they deserve, and we want to take this opportunity to secure significant positive changes in the district’s delivery of special education services. There is also the possibility of a full-day session on a weekend in November. Stay tuned for those details.

The next round of school walk-ins is also scheduled for TOMORROW, November 14th. Walk-ins have proven to be a powerful tool to elevate the needs of our students and educators. Walk-ins are also a powerful tool for internal community building: it fosters solidarity among members and reinforces that individual school communities have the power to demand attention and affect change.

There are more than a dozen schools signed up for walk-ins tomorrow, which meets our goal for this stage of contract actions. If your school wants to join an upcoming walk-in, please contact organizer Erika Kouka (ekouka@btu.org) as we have plans to continue to ramp up and use our voices to advocate for Boston’s students.

Our organizers provide materials for these walk-ins, and BTU staff members attend to support wherever possible. You can check out some of the news coverage we’ve received in the BTU in the News section on our website.

In addition to Throwdown Thursdays, Walk-ins, and negotiation session attendance, the BTU has also consistently supported our members testifying before the school committee. At least 5 members have testified each week since the beginning of the school year.

If you want to testify at an upcoming school committee meeting about the importance of reaching a contract agreement that meets the needs of educators and students, please email BTU organizer Jonathan Rodrigues. The School committee meeting starts at 6pm at BPS’ Bolling Building. Public comment is usually done by 8pm. Plan and recruit in your school buildings now.

We will be providing more details about these actions and our strategy moving forward at our next membership meeting which is TODAY from 4:30-630pm at the BTU Hall. If you need childcare for the meeting, please let us know.

Solidarity

We are in a new age of union educator activism, especially locally. Over the past two years, educators across the state have staged strikes in order to fight for the resources their members and students deserve. Our union colleagues in Beverly, Gloucester and Marblehead are currently walking the picket line following months of unproductive negotiations with their respective districts. The BTU proudly stands in solidarity with these educators in their quest to negotiate a fair contract. You can read our initial solidarity statement here.

Last Friday, BTU office staff provided lunch to Beverly educators. On Monday, BTU and AFT MA members attended a solidarity rally in support of their fight for a contract that guarantees educators receive the pay and resources they need in order to continue to dedicate their lives and profession to the advancement of their students.

Considering the unknown of how federal education policy will play out, strengthening our ties to our local allies is all the more essential. We remain steadfast in our support for any education union which continues to fight for educational excellence.