The leaves may be falling, but we’re moving full speed ahead into the new school year! For those of you who were not able to attend, please check out the video from our Fall Town Hall earlier this month. It's a great way to get caught up on things important topics including: Recent contract wins in our locals - including in Peabody, Billerica, Lawrence, New Bedford, Fall River, and the Northshore Education Consortium - and how we continue to set higher standards through collective bargaining; State House advocacy, including testifying in support of legislation to mandate a minimum wage for educators and PSRPs, COLA reform, advocating for budget overrides to protect public education funding, and more; Updated resources available from AFT MA, including immigration resource trainings, MOVE/mass mobilization workshops, details about our Fall Conference on Nov. 22 (register today!), and more; and How national events are impacting our locals and working families, including the impact of the federal shut down, loss of SNAP benefits, and what may lie ahead.
Congratulations to all of our AFT MA locals who recently won and ratified new agreements, setting new standards for everything from cost of living adjustments to parental leave! It has been wonderful to see parents, community partners, and even students come out in support as we bargain for the common good. We continue to support member-engaged contract campaigns across our locals, seeing increases in union power and contract wins as a result. Over the last three months, we’ve testified in support of over 36 bills before the State House, with several more hearings in the coming weeks. Two of our priority bills are scheduled to be heard on Wednesday, November 12: THRIVE 2.0 and the Community Schools Bill. We successfully advocated for several amendments that greatly improved the House’s literacy bill, and continue to work with the Senate to fix key provisions in the bill. We also continue to work tirelessly to move the R+ bill forward, seeing promising results from our multi-pronged advocacy work. Keep an eye out for a grassroots social media campaign launching next week to help move this bill towards passage by the end of this legislative session! On the national landscape, federal policy changes and the shutdown are causing real harm for our students, our members, and our communities. The President’s Big Ugly Bill gave huge tax breaks to billionaires and paid for them by allowing the healthcare tax credits that millions of working people rely on to expire at the end of this year. Rather than address the devastation these cuts would cause, Congressional Republicans chose to stop negotiations and shut the government down. What is most disturbing is that the President is choosing not to provide next month’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to the nearly 42 million Americans who rely on them—including 1 million of the Commonwealth’s residents. It is impossible to overstate how devastating the loss of SNAP funding will be for our neighbors and fellow union members, including retirees and people with disabilities. AFTVotes has substantial resources on the impact of this shutdown and what we are fighting for on their Government Shutdown Watch. Find out more on the impact of SNAP cuts in Massachusetts and how we can help here. And don’t forget–the AFT MA 2025 Fall Conference is right around the corner!! Join us November 22 at Norfolk Aggie! This year’s conference features a slate of all new workshops designed to help prepare union members & leaders for the fights & year ahead. There’s something for everyone—including apple cider donuts and farm animals! It’s a great opportunity to meet members from our AFT MA locals from across the state. Check out our informational flyer for a full list of workshops! You can learn more in the Take Action section of this email and sign up here. Finally, if you have not already voted early or by mail, please make sure you have made a plan to vote in your local elections on Tuesday, November 4! Local elections could not be more important for our union—this is our chance to choose the leaders who will sit across from our members at the bargaining table, so make sure to vote on Tuesday Nov. 4! |
Take Action: Upcoming Events: November 4: Make a plan to vote in your local election! Look up your voting info here November 8: Writing for Resilience - Sign up to join November 22: REGISTER TODAY for our 2025 Fall Conference! November 17: Defending Democracy: The Role of South Korean Labor Unions - RSVP November 18: Chapter 70 Local Contribution Study Virtual Listening Session - RSVP December 9: Retirement Planning Workshop for AFT Members - RSVP
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Vote Tuesday, November 4 in your local election! Local elections are crucial for our communities, our schools, and our local unions. The municipal level is where local budgets and foundations are laid. Our engagement is crucial to ensuring our leaders are dedicated to investing in our public schools and are strong allies of labor. In many cases, this is our chance to choose who will be sitting across the table from us during the next contract negotiations. Our elections impact what we do in our schools and workplaces every day, and your vote matters! Make a plan to vote on Tuesday, November 4 to ensure those who uphold our values and priorities are successful this Election Day! Check your voter registration status and polling place info here. Sign up today for AFT MA’s 2025 Fall Conference! Join leaders, Building Reps, and rank-and-file members from across AFT Massachusetts for our 2025 Fall Conference. You’ll gain new tools and resources to help engage your members, continue to strengthen your local to meet the moment, and fight for our students, members, and communities. This year features all-new workshop offerings on growing membership density, the role of building reps, safe school communities for immigrants, how to create a rapid response and mobilization structure, and more! Check out our informational flyer for a full list of workshops. Sign up today at tinyurl.com/fallconference25. Speak out against mass layoffs at the Department of Education AFT Massachusetts proudly joined 800+ national, state, local, civil rights, education, and disability advocacy organizations in condemning the mass layoffs at the Department of Education. Together, we urge the administration and Congress to protect children with disabilities, reverse course immediately, and uphold their moral and legal obligation to students with disabilities. Read our joint statement here, and share it with your networks! Tell our state’s financial officers: Hold Musk accountable! AFT and a coalition of labor unions and advocacy organizations joined forces for a public campaign calling on state financial officers to hold Elon Musk accountable and oppose his proposed $1 trillion compensation package at next week’s Tesla board meeting. Read more and sign on here! |
AFT Massachusetts In The News
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October was another active month of bargaining! The Lawrence Teachers Union and Berklee Faculty Federation reached tentative agreements this month. Some of the highlights of these contract wins include: wage increases of at least 3 percent, expanded parental leave, tuition reimbursement, and a reduction of teacher hours. All tentative agreements are in the process of getting ratified. Congratulations to all the locals with October TAs! As we celebrate your recent wins, we'll keep fighting to support other locals still at the bargaining table, including in tough fights in Pittsfield, North Attleboro, and UMass Dartmouth. |
Tuesday, November 4: Local Election Day! Local elections are our chance to choose the decision-makers in our communities on everything from school budgets to basic services. Make a plan to vote on Tuesday, November 4 to ensure those who uphold our union values and priorities are successful this Election Day! Check your voter registration status and polling place info here. Saturday, November 8: Writing for Resilience - Letters of Hope for MA LGBTQ+ Youth Join GLSEN Massachusetts and MTPC for a community event to write letters of hope and resilience for Massachusetts LGBTQ+ youth! This event will cultivate a creative space of empowerment to nurture resilience, share hope, and amplify love through letter writing, crafting, and connecting with the community. Letters from this event will be sent to queer and trans youth and young adults across Massachusetts. Sign up here for more info & to join! Saturday, November 15: 2025 Fall Conference at our Norfolk Aggie Local in Walpole! Join us on November 15th for this year's annual Fall Conference. We’ll have all-new workshops focusing on leadership development and building a stronger local. This conference is open to all members. Local leadership and building reps in particular are encouraged to attend, as well as anyone looking to grow their union skills! Check out our informational flyer for a full list of workshops and sign up here to join us. Monday, November 17: Defending Democracy: The Role of South Korean Labor Unions Tune in for a discussion with leaders from the South Korean labor movement, moderated by President Tang and Al Shanker Institute President Mary Cathryn Ricker, as they share their insights on how South Korea’s labor unions were able to organize in the face of growing authoritarianism to defeat a martial law declaration and establish a more democratic government last year. Check out this flyer to learn more and register here to join. November 18 & 19: Chapter 70 Local Contribution Study Listening Sessions The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will hold a series of public hearings regarding the state’s chapter 70 formula. These sessions will inform the final Chapter 70 Local Contribution Study that examines the methods used to determine each municipality’s target local contribution and required local contribution toward school funding. Register to join the upcoming virtual session on November 18th, or South Coast & South Shore members can join in-person at the November 19th Lakeville session from 4:30-6:30pm at Apponequet Regional High School. Tuesday, December 9: Retirement Planning Workshop for Public Sector AFT Members All public sector members are invited to join the AFT Massachusetts for a virtual retirement planning workshop! AFT MA has partnered with Teacher Retirement Solutions (TRS), which specializes in providing independent financial guidance, strategies, and solutions to educators, school employees, librarians, and their families throughout New England, to provide prospective retirees with this comprehensive workshop. We’ll cover a variety of topics, including the Massachusetts' public employee retirement formula, Social Security, and living in retirement. Register today! |
Recommended Reading! Making Americans: Plyler v. Doe and Opening the School Door spotlights the story of the 1982 Supreme Court case that affirmed every child’s right to attend public school–regardless of immigration status. Written by nationally recognized teacher Jessica Lander, this e-book offers educators rapid response tools, classroom resources, and historical context to support immigrant students.
At a time when Plyler v. Doe is being challenged nationwide, understanding this legacy is critical. Interested in learning more? Use Re-Imagining Migration’s free companion guide to facilitate an all-staff read at your school.
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