Happy New Year!
In the first months of 2019, we are looking forward to making significant progress towards settling our contract. We will continue to keep you posted on negotiations, and we will share updates at tomorrow’s Membership Meeting. The Collective Bargaining Committee will be meeting after the Membership Meeting tomorrow as well.
We hope you’ll join us tomorrow for our Membership Meeting beginning at 4:30!We’ll be sharing contract updates, among other important topics. Don’t forget to request childcare if you need it. You can see our full agenda for the meeting tomorrow.
As we work to settle our own contract, we stand in solidarity with educators in Los Angeles who are preparing to strike. We will join AFT members across the nation in stand of solidarity this Friday, January 11 as we ask members to wear red in support of striking UTLA educators and stickers in support of our own #Students Deserve contract campaign. You can pick up stickers at the Membership Meeting tomorrow. See this video for more on Los Angeles educators’ fight for the schools their students deserve.
Before the winter break, educators, students, parents and public education activists from across the state convened at the BTU for the Mass Education Justice Alliance (MEJA) Winter Assembly. MEJA activists launched the #FundOurFuture campaign, shared organizing plans and took a moment to send a message of solidarity to the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA).
Next Tuesday, January 15, we’ll hold morning walk-ins across the city before the school day begins to push for the settlement of our own contract and in solidarity with educators around the country who are organizing and advocating for the schools our #StudentsDeserve in another national action.
As you may have heard, Mayor Marty Walsh decided not to reappoint Regina Robinson to the Boston School Committee. Ms. Robinson has been an incredible advocate for our students, families and educators over the last four years, and we are sorry to see her go. She and Dr. Miren Uriarte brought experience, compassion and great listening skills to the School Committee. We extend our welcome to the newest Committee member, Quoc Tran. Mr. Tran is the secretariat deputy director of the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights at the Mass. Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
The deadline to apply for the open seat on the Boston School Committee was extended to tomorrow, Wednesday, January 9 at 11:59 PM. Applicants will be considered for the remainder of the term of Miren Uriarte, which ends on December 31, 2019. Download the application. Please direct all questions and submit completed applications to the Citizens Nominating Panel at scnominatingpanel@boston.gov.
In case you missed it before the break, please check out the video and photos we created about what our #StudentsDeserve! You can still download your own #StudentsDeserve sign, take a photo and post it to social media using the hashtags #StudentsDeserve and #BTUproud, or email it to us at photos@btu.org.
We continue to push for the contract priorities of you, our members. Check out this excellent op-ed from BTU educator Elsa Jimenez-Vera about one of our contract priorities: ending student homelessness and expanding Hub schools.
Finally, registration is now open for the BTU Winter Conference on February 9! We hope you’ll join us and register today.
Have a great week!
We were proud to stand in solidarity with union gas workers in December to demand that National Grid should #endthelockout. Check out this excellent editorial from Representative Ayanna Pressley, Community Labor United Executive Director Darlene Lombos and BTU President Jessica Tang written prior to the end of the lockout: Governor Baker, it’s time to hold gas utilities accountable. Yesterday, gas workers voted to approve a new contract.