The BTU is excited to have endorsed Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards to be the next State Senator for the First Suffolk and Middlesex district. As a strong ally of the BTU and the labor movement – as well as a card-carrying UAW member – Lydia is the advocate that we all deserve in the State House. Make sure to get out the vote for Lydia TODAY! The polls in Boston (East Boston, North End, Chinatown, and Beacon Hill), Revere, Winthrop, and Cambridge (Cambridgeport and Kendall Square) are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can find your polling place here.
Bargaining Update: Our silent representatives have been posting updates after each bargaining session. During the Dec. 9 meeting, BTU negotiators presented proposals to ensure that our substitutes are being properly valued and that our libraries are fully staffed and resourced. BPS has rejected BTU demands on hiring, retaining, and supporting racially and linguistically diverse staff, as well as culturally and linguistically sustaining practices, including Ethnic Studies. We will need all of us to be sure our demands are taken seriously by management! Make sure to read the full summary, and if you are interested in being a silent rep and joining the next session, apply here!
Last week, over 100 family and community members, in five languages, joined our Community Contract Update Forum. We shared that BPS had rejected most of our facilities proposals, saying: “The facilities department does [these things] on a regular basis…[we] don’t feel like that should be in this contract because it’s in place and ongoing.” We work and learn every day in schools with broken windows, exposed radiators, lack of ventilation, and moldy walls. We need accountability and transparency! Participants were particularly surprised and enraged to learn that BPS’ response to our proposal that “Every health office will be equipped with a working sink” was “Every health office/suite will be equipped with a working sink.” We shared that BPS had rejected all of our housing proposals, saying: “Housing does not belong in a teachers’ union contract,” and our response, framed by middle school teacher Shakeeda Bartee: “Not only are teaching conditions learning conditions, but housing conditions are learning conditions. Unstable housing impacts my students’ mental health and success in the classroom.” At the end of the meeting, we asked participants to record a short flipgrid video talking about why facilities and housing are important to them. We invite you to record a short video as well, using the link https://flipgrid.com/42f745ae and the Password: BPSHJC2021.
REMINDER: Tomorrow, BPS Families for COVID Safety (FamCOSa) is holding a rally entitled “Shining a Light on COVID Safety in BPS” at the State House at 4 p.m. Those in attendance will be paying homage in remembrance of those lost to COVID and to listen to testimony from parents, educators, community leaders, nurses and more. We are co-sponsoring this event, and we encourage our members to join in demanding BPS and the State be proactive to stop the spread of COVID in our schools and communities.