This is it – today is Election Day! This election is the most critical vote many of us will cast in our lifetimes, and we cannot stress enough the importance of voting today if you have not done so already. At this point, you must vote in person today from 7am to 8pm or drop off your ballot at a certified site. All voting information can be found on the Secretary of State’s website, and you can check out all of the opportunities to support the Biden/Harris ticket and Democratic nominees down the ballot below and at btu.org/btuvotes.
Last week, we sent a Special Election Day bulletin outlining a resolution we approved at last week’s Executive Board meeting, stating that “the AFT and the BTU are unequivocal and unwavering in our response: We stand for American democracy.” We are prepared to rise collectively if the President decides to call the election for himself before every vote is counted, or if he refuses to leave after it has been called for Joe Biden. Although there is little doubt that Biden will win the popular vote, the Electoral College means that only a percentage point or two could be the difference between a narrow Trump win and a Biden landslide.
Therefore, we must take action to ensure that every registered voter who wants to vote can do so safely and free from intimidation, that every vote is counted, and that the will of the people is respected, all of this en route to a landslide victory.We, along with many other labor unions, are supporting the efforts of the Indivisible Mass Coalition, which is putting together the Protect the Results Rally tomorrow, November 4 starting at 3:30 p.m. at the Boston Common. Learn more and be safe if you participate.
Last week, BTU members attended three City Council hearings to share our advocacy, insight and hopes regarding school reopening during COVID, Ethnic Studies, and special education. At these meetings, we learned more about the district’s plans for HIPP students. Currently, the district is looking to provide in person services for some HIPP students specifically at the Horace Mann, Carter, and McKinley students, and potentilaly the Henderson school as well. We called emergency BTU meetings for all BTU members at those schools and met with them this weekend to share our current negotiating proposals as well as to hear from members at that school.
The new HIPP Task Force met again last night for the second meeting, and we continue to work with BEJA, SpedPac, BSAC and St. Stephens parents, students and community stakedholders to jointly create a proposal for BPS and have met three times over the last week and meet again this morning. We are also negotiating an MOA with BPS that will add further protections for BTU educators who voluntarily opt-in to provide in person services for our highests needs students for whom remote learning is not working.
We are also advocating for our substitute teachers and paras in this new MOA as well and are working with the city to get answers that are needed. For the four schools potentially impacted by the resumption of in person services, our non-negotiables continue to be: weekly onsite or nearby COVID testing, non-simultaneous teaching with flexible plans, air quailty assessments and minimum standards, appropriate and adequate PPE and opt-in participation. We hope to have an agreement soon, and will continue to be in touch with all members impacted by potential changes during this fully remote phase.
We continue to acknowledge and understand the fear, anxiety and desire for stability during this unpredicable time. It is very clear that we are in this position because of the failure of the White House to respond to the pandemic and provide necessary resources to keep our schools, students, educators and communities safe. Please remember to vote for Biden and Harris so that we can get the support we need to create the schools our students deserve, and remind your friends, family and colleagues to vote!
- If you would like to volunteer to stand out at polls on Election Day, fill out this form so we can get you a sign for Biden or for the Ranked Choice Voting ballot initiative (Question 2) that we have endorsed.
- Join an AFT to AFT phone bank. For the final day of the election, we will be finishing strong, with shifts available from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. We will be calling different battleground states for the Biden-Harris ticket and Senate candidates throughout the day to make sure our AFT votes are in!
- Make sure to have your students participate in the BPS Votes District-Wide presidential mock election! The ballots are organized by grade level and broken into ballots for K-2, 3-5, and 6-12. ALL K-12 students in BPS are eligible to vote, they just need to use a BPS email address. Over 3,000 BPS students (and counting) have voted so far! Our goal is to get as close to 100% turnout as possible. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity for your students to practice civic engagement! Voting closes at the end of Election Day.
- Please visit our BTU Votes page for more information on phone banking opportunities, need-to-know dates, endorsed candidates, and more!
Do you have an action plan for Election Day? The most helpful thing you can do is make phone calls to ensure people have voted or that they go vote before polls close! However, if you are interested and able to stand at a polling place in your area,please fill out this form so the political team can make sure you have signs to hold or drop one off with you if you don’t.
There are several important City Council meetings and hearings happening within the next few weeks. Visit our Political Action page for more info.
If you have any questions on how to get involved, please reach out to Roberto Jimenez, BTU Political Organizer via email or at 617-466-9149 or Johnny McInnis, BTU Political Director via email.