Welcome back to all of our school- and college-based union members returning for a new school year! Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for our Back To School Town Hall last night. If you missed it, you can view it here! While many of our local unions are just starting to ramp up for the fall, several of our locals have continued to stay busy throughout the month of August. We’re excited to see a number of newly ratified contracts—including all five units of the Pittsfield Federation of School Employees (paraprofessionals, clerical, custodial, cafeteria, and bus operations) and two units of the Massachusetts Library Staff Association (Weymouth and Braintree). Each of these agreements span three-years and bring increased wages and stronger benefits, including greater clothing allowances, increased parental leave, and, for some of these members, the ability to accrue sick time for the first time ever! August has also been an important month for our locals in terms of contract preparations, with a number of contracts set to expire in June 2027, including those in Boston, Chelsea, and Salem—just to name a few! Everyone here at AFT Massachusetts not only extends their congratulations to the locals with newly ratified contracts, but is ready to get to work with our local bargaining teams in the 2026-2027 school year! With September right around the corner, that means two things here: back to school and GOTV (get out the vote!). That’s right. The State Primary Election is next Tuesday, September 1! As our locals have shown in recent contract negotiations, unions don’t leave power on the table. Elections have consequences. Recent years have shown just how devastating those impacts can be to our workplaces, our families, and the communities we serve. The best antidote to the White House’s dangerous anti-union and anti-public education agenda is to make sure we bring our collective power to the ballot box. We need strong advocates for labor, public education, and democracy representing us at all levels of government—local, state, and federal. That’s why this year we are proud to announce we’ve put together a new resource for AFT Massachusetts members: our 2026 Primary Voter Guide! In the guide you’ll find everything you need to exercise your power and vote in Tuesday’s election, including a list of AFT Massachusetts’ endorsed candidates, key resources, and even a look ahead to critical questions we’ll face on the November ballot. Power isn’t given to us. We have to take it—so make a plan to vote TODAY! Our vote is our voice. It’s not just election season and a new school year keeping us busy, though. August has been full of action on Beacon Hill. We joined Governor Healey at two recent bill signings for important AFT Massachusetts priorities—the PROTECT Act and the Freedom to Read Act. We’re incredibly proud of our work to ensure the PROTECT Act declared schools as secure locations, safe from ICE activity. Learn more about the PROTECT Act and what it means for our schools and universities. The Freedom to Read Act ensures librarians across the Commonwealth can do their jobs without fear of retaliation or of becoming the target of those seeking to censor the voices or ideas of others. In Massachusetts, no one has the right to limit others' access to knowledge or dictate what others can read. A number of AFT Massachusetts priorities are in active negotiations as part of legislative conference committees, including Retirement Plus, the Protect Labor Act, retirement equity for parenting teachers, a special commission to look at the role of adjunct professors in the Commonwealth, and more. We remain in touch with the elected leaders overseeing this work and will share any updates on these important bills as soon as we have them. Before we go, we want to remind you of two important things just around the corner this September: (1) our time to rise up with the unions from across the Commonwealth on Labor Day 2026; and (2) our Fall Conference on September 19 at Chelmsford High School. We hope to see you at one of these events next month! Enjoy your final days of summer and don’t forget to vote on or before Tuesday, September 1! |
It’s election season! Voting union is easy as 1-2-3: Take Action: Upcoming Events: |
2026 Elections Bulletin: Easy as 1-2-3 |
Massachusetts’ primary election is upon us! It’s time to strengthen our voting muscles and take collective action. Just follow these three simple steps: STEP 1: Check out our Primary Voter Guide for everything you need to vote! ICYMI, we launched our first AFT Massachusetts Voter Guide last week! 🥳Think of this as your one-stop-shop for all things voting. Use it to make your plan to vote today! - Key dates this election season
- Ways to check your registration is ready & active
- Important resources for making a plan to vote on or before September 1, 2026
- Information on AFT Massachusetts endorsed candidates for federal & state office
- Opportunities to mobilize with AFT Massachusetts!
Want to share our Voter Guide with others? You can share our posts on Facebook, Instagram, or Bluesky, send a clickable digital version or printable pdf, or just point folks to ma.aft.org/voter-guide-2026! STEP 2: Cast your primary ballot for labor champions and union values! If you’ve already voted—congrats and THANK YOU for being a union voter!! If you haven’t voted yet, it’s time to make your plan to vote! - FRIDAY, 8/28: LAST DAY TO EARLY VOTE
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- This year’s State Primary Election is September 1. Take a moment to think about your schedule: will it be easier for you to vote on Election Day or vote early today (Thursday) or tomorrow (Friday)? If you decide to vote early, find your local early voting location & hours here.
- TUESDAY, 9/1: STATE PRIMARY ELECTION DAY!
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- Voting in-person? Polls are open 7am-8pm! Find your polling place here. As long as you’re in line by 8pm, you have the right to vote. Stay in line!
- Voting by mail? ALL ballots must be received by 8pm on Election Day! Click here to find your local ballot dropbox. If you still need to mail your ballot by the time you read this, we strongly recommend that you hand-deliver your mail-in ballot to a ballot dropbox. Do not put it in the mail, there may not be time for it to be received! Visit www.trackmyballotma.com to make sure your mail-in ballot has been received and counted by your local elections department.
STEP 3: Help your fellow union members vote and help us elect strong labor champions!! - Saturday 8/29-Monday 8/31: AFT MA & Boston Teachers Union Virtual Phone Banks 🥳💪
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- Make calls to fellow union members & help us get out the vote for strong pro-labor, pro-public education, pro-democracy candidates! Your fellow union members are usually excited to hear from you—making these calls a fun and easy way to build our union power. No experience needed! Just sign up here to join! Shifts are available Saturday 8/29 through Monday 8/31.
- Not available to join a virtual phone bank this weekend? Sign up here and we’ll connect you with an action that works for you.
- Upcoming candidate actions:
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- Tonight, 8/27 at 5:30pm: Educators for Marjorie Decker canvass w/ BTU! RSVP here.
- Saturday 8/27-Monday 8/31: Virtual Phone Banks with AFT Massachusetts and BTU! Find times and more info here!
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Broken Record Alert: Did we mention we launched our first AFT Massachusetts Voter Guide last week?? If you’re reading this, you’ve probably clicked the link somewhere above, but if not, come on down! Join the Activist List! Want to get more involved with AFT Massachusetts? Our Activist List is a great place to start. During these unprecedented times for our democracy, it’s critical that we show up and stand up for key priorities—including public education, the communities we serve, and the rights and protections all workers are owed and deserve. Members of the Activist List receive regular updates about opportunities to take collective action, including trainings, voter outreach, advocacy work, and more. Sign up here to join! Become a Democracy Defender 💪 Democracy Defenders are AFT members committed to helping voters get the information, support, and protection they need to cast their ballots and have them counted. We need as many people as possible to join our movement to protect our elections. Can we count on you? Learn more and sign up today! Join AFT’s Count Me In! Sign up to be part of the AFT’s 2026 political program for information about trainings, events, volunteer opportunities, and ways to take action. Sounds great, right? Count Me In! |
AFT Massachusetts in the News |
See above for Get Out the Vote events ahead of Tuesday’s primary election! Friday, August 28: Last Day to Vote Early in the Primary Election! If it is easier for you to vote early, Friday 8/28 is the LAST DAY to do it. Find your local early voting location & hours here. Tuesday, September 1: State Primary Election Day! If you’re voting in-person on election day, confirm your polling place and check out our 2026 Primary Election Voter Guide. Consider this another reminder to make a plan to cast your ballot on or before September 1! Monday, September 7: March with AFT Massachusetts in Boston’s Labor Day Parade! We need you to TURN OUT. Join AFT Massachusetts to build on the strength and power of the labor movement and show that we’re ready not only for a fall of action, but to send a message this election season. Sign up here to join AFT Massachusetts in Boston on Monday, September 7, and let’s make this year even bigger and better than 2025! Saturday, September 19: Fall Conference 2026! The 2026 Fall Conference will bring together leaders, building reps, and rank-and-file members from across the state. The day will provide attendees with new tools and resources to engage members and strengthen locals. Everything we cover will be important in our effort to meet the moment and fight for our students, members, and communities. RSVP today to reserve your spot! Wednesday, September 30 & October 7 Are you an educator interested in learning about AI? Join us for an AI webinar series that explores AI, introduces the AFT AI Guardrails, and discusses how you can use AI to support your work. RSVP to register. Contact Sarah Wilfred, Director of Policy and Programming at swilfred@aftma.net for more information. |
| | Jessica Tang, President
Brant Duncan, Secretary-Treasurer | www.aftma.net | 33 Harrison Avenue, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02111 |
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