January is always a busy month, and this January has been no exception!

At the AFT MA Town hall this past Wednesday, we shared highlights from recent contract wins and heard from local leaders about new strategies and lessons learned in their recent campaigns. We reviewed state legislation, gave updates on health care changes, and heard from Senator Ed Markey about the federal landscape. We also shared out highlights and learnings from a recent visit to Minneapolis with President Weingarten.  If you missed it, you can still view it and find resources from this town hall here.  

Earlier this month, we had the usual kick-off to the budget season–including advocacy to the Governor about key areas we need addressed this fiscal year, responding to the State of the Commonwealth, and combing through the Governor’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget suggestions. This is the very first step in the process of what will be a very difficult budget season. Together, we will need to spend the next five months advocating for our schools, working families, and students across the Commonwealth. The Governor’s draft was a baseline, and will be imperative for us to continue to advocate through our allies in the House and then with those in the Senate to build upon it.  

Meanwhile, a number of our priority bills have been moving through the legislative process, including Retirement Plus, the cell phone ban, charter school funding reform, community schools, and more. We will continue to provide updates on next steps on all our priority bills and other legislative areas we’re watching, including the Literacy Bill. The Senate passed a version of the bill this week after the House passed their version back in October. There are key differences between the two, and we will advocate for a final bill that includes important features from both the House version (including reporting and tracking measures, expanding funding opportunities for critical positions, and establishing a commission to make recommendations for next steps) and the Senate version (allowing a waiver process and ensuring educators are not limited in the tools they can use, including those that are proven to work successfully with ELL and special needs students). 

On January 23, I joined President Weingarten as she met with leaders on the ground in Minneapolis and St. Paul–seeing what was going on first hand and learning more about the work educators are doing every day to protect their students and families, especially once ICE started launching raids at schools using kindergarteners as props. Tensions were already high. The very next day we learned that an ICU nurse and union sibling from AFGE, Alex Pretti, had been murdered while trying to protect a woman who had been pushed by an ICE agent. What we saw in Minneapolis is not okay.  We continue to be in touch with our sister locals there, and one ask, is to contribute to a mutual aid fundraiser from the St. Paul Federation of Teachers. We have entered a friendly competition with the Washington Educators Association to fundraise for Minnesota until the Superbowl, in an effort to garner more support for the communities in Minnesota.  

Last Sunday, we hosted an emergency town hall discussion with many of our allies, including educators from Minnesota. Over 5,700 people joined us as we talked through what we’re witnessing and how we can take active steps to protect our communities and stand up against authoritarianism. Check out The Action Doc with links to current invitations to act and the LUCE intake form. If you want to learn how to set up a rapid response team at your school, join us February 5 for an important virtual teach-in covering how to build a rapid response team, best practices & examples from local educator unions with well-organized teams, how to get connected with your community’s LUCE hub, and more. Sign up to join us February 5!

Yesterday, we joined the Governor at a press conference where she outlined new steps she will take to better protect Massachusetts residents. We are currently experiencing our third surge. The new pledges and bills are actionable steps the Commonwealth can take to ensure our communities are better protected, and we encourage the Legislature to build upon these bills and to take action quickly. Please see our full press release about the recent Executive Order signed by Governor Maura Healey and the work being done at the State House to protect residents from ICE. 

Over the last two days we have been co-hosting leaders from all over the nation to take part in a Tax Justice Convening at the Boston Teachers Union. There, we have been sharing the coalition work that has helped us to win not just the Fair Share millionaire’s tax, which has provided critical funding to education and transportation since it passed in 2022, but also the coalition work that has paved the way for those successes. We continue to learn from other states as well, also experiencing fiscal and affordability challenges. 

What has been a busy week and month will be capped off tonight with an evening with President Randi Weingarten and political scientist Erica Chenoweth. Tonight will be an opportunity for us all to connect before an in-depth discussion with President Weingarten on her new book, Why Fascists Fear Teachers. This book explores how the fate of the United States has always been tied to the fate of public education—and why everyone should care about attacks on schools and educators, whether they have school-aged children or not. Register here. 

Take Action:

• Sign up to join AFT MA’s Activist List today!

• Sign up for the School Defense 101 Teach-In

• Phones in Focus survey

• MY AMERICA kits available

Upcoming Events: 

• Tonight: Randi Weingarten book talk at BTU

• Tomorrow: ICE Out of Everywhere Rally

• 2/4: General Education Rights for Immigrant and Multilingual Parents and Students

• 2/5: School Defense 101 Teach-In

• 2/11: Special Education Rights for Immigrant and Multilingual Students and Families 

• 2/18: AFT Daily Habits for Educator Wellness and Well-Being 

• 2/23: Lawrence Retirement Planning Workshop

• 3/4: MA State Educators Rising Conference

• 3/22: 26th Annual Labor Seder

• 3/28: No Kings III - Save the date!

• 5/1-2: Para/PSRP conference!

• 5/3: Step Up for Colleen 5k

School Defense 101 Teach-In

Educators are only increasingly on the front lines as ICE operations impact our students, communities, and fellow members. If you want to learn how to set up a school safety team at your school, join AFT MA, BTU, and MTA for an important virtual teach-in on February 5. We’ll cover how to build a school safety team, best practices & examples from local educator unions with well-organized teams, introduce LUCE & how to get connected with your community’s LUCE hub, and more. Sign up now!

Phones in Focus: Massachusetts

Researchers at Harvard are partnering with Dr. Angela Duckworth at the University of Pennsylvania to study the impact of student cell phone bans in Massachusetts and across the country. Phones in Focus is a confidential, 5-minute survey for public K-12 educators inquiring about cell phone policies: the type of policy (e.g. bell-to-bell vs. instructional time), when it started and what share of students are complying. They’re looking to hear from Massachusetts educators regarding the impact of cell phone policies in their schools! For more information, watch a 1-minute video describing the survey, and click here to participate.

MY AMERICA Classroom Kits Available

MY AMERICA is a nationwide, youth-driven art and civic engagement campaign for the country’s 250th anniversary. This project will empower young people grades K-12 across all 50 states to reflect on what unity, democracy, and being American means today by creating a large mosaic of an American flag made up of thousands of individual tiles with messages, drawings, and poems. Learn more about the project and request your kit here to participate.

• Senate and House aligning on evidence-based reading instruction - CommonWealth Beacon

• Boston Teachers Union: Boston schools face stark truth: Shutter buildings while needing billions to renovate current facilities - Boston Globe [paywall]

  Chelsea Teachers Union: Hundreds rally in Boston in solidarity with Minnesota ICE protests - WGBH

  Chelsea Teachers Union: Gov. Healey seeks to keep ICE out of courts, schools, hospitals, state buildings - MassLive [paywall]

  Reactions to Gov. Healey's 2026 State of the Commonwealth

  United Teachers of Lowell - Lowell High’s Tara Goodhue MA Teacher of the Year - Lowell Sun

This month, we’re celebrating two significant contract wins at Everett and UMass Dartmouth! Our Everett Library MLSA chapter unanimously ratified a 9% wage increase over three years, including up to 25% for our lowest-paid members. Other gains include an increase in paid parental and family leave, longevity, and new steps. The local was also able to win improvements to their current bereavement leave and sick day buyback benefits. 

And after over 18 months of intense negotiations and more than 30 in-person sessions, we are pleased to announce that at our UMass Dartmouth campus, our Maintainers local has an agreement in principle with management that includes an 11% increase in wages over three years. The local, under the direction of President Eric Ducharme, achieved substantial gains in vacation accruals, enhanced domestic violence protections, training stipends for members, and establishing the first ever on-campus apprenticeship program that will promote from within and build a career pathway to the trades on campus. The tentative agreement is now off to the President's office for final approval.

Tonight, January 30: Join Randi Weingarten at Boston Teachers Union!

Please join us for a timely conversation with Randi Weingarten on her new book, Why Fascists Fear Teachers. Why Fascists Fear Teachers tells the story of what educators do and why those who are afraid of freedom and opportunity try to stop them. Learn what’s at stake, how these attacks hurt our kids and our country, and how we can fight back. There will be a social reception beginning at 5:00pm, followed by a book talk and signing at 5:30pm. RSVP to join!

Tomorrow, January 31: ICE Out of Everywhere Rally

This Saturday, a broad coalition of Boston-area organizations is gathering on Boston Common to demand that Massachusetts end all cooperation with ICE. Cosponsored by AFT Massachusetts, Boston Teachers Union, MTA, Indivisible Massachusetts, Mass50501 and more. Meet at the Liberty Mall on Boston Common at 11:30am to join!

Wednesday, February 4 & 11: MA Advocates for Children Know Your Rights in Education Webinar Series

Massachusetts Advocates for Children will host a two-part workshop series on protecting immigrant and multilingual students with disabilities. The first session on Feb. 4 will focus on the education challenges immigrant families are facing, including enrollment, trauma/mental health, and more, with an introduction to special education for newcomer students. The second session on Feb. 11 will dive deep into language access rights, special education referrals and evaluations, and the Team meeting process. Register separately for February 4 and February 11 to participate in either or both!

Thursday, February 5: School Defense 101 Teach-In

Educators are only increasingly on the front lines as ICE operations impact our students, communities, and fellow members. Join AFT Massachusetts, Boston Teachers Union, and the Massachusetts Teachers Association for a webinar for educators (and other school community members) to quickly learn how to set up a rapid response team at your school and get access to resources. We’ll cover how to build a rapid response team, best practices & examples from local educator unions with well-organized teams, introduce LUCE & how to get connected with your community’s LUCE hub, and more. RSVP here to join! 

Wednesday, February 18: Daily Habits for Educator Wellness and Well-Being Webinar

AFT’s Share My Lesson offers this monthly Wellness Series to support the wellbeing of members & students. This month’s session will focus on sustainable self-care practices that fit into real school days to help manage stress and prevent burnout. Attendees will receive PD credit. Register here to join.

Monday, February 23: Retirement Planning Workshop for Public Sector AFT Members

All public sector members are invited to join the AFT Massachusetts for an upcoming retirement planning workshop! AFT MA has partnered with Teacher Retirement Solutions to provide prospective retirees with this comprehensive workshop. We cover a variety of topics, including the Massachusetts' public employee retirement formula, Social Security, and living in retirement. Sign up to join us for the next workshop in Lawrence on February 23. Want to bring this resource to your local? Talk to your local President today!

Wednesday, March 4: MA State Education Rising Conference

The 2026 MA State Educators Rising Conference will be held on Wednesday, March 4, in partnership with UMass Boston. This year’s competitions will include Educators Rising Moment, Lesson planning for the arts, Children's Literature Pre-k - K English, Children's Literature Pre-k - K Spanish, and Research Learning Challenge. More information available here.

Sunday, March 22: 26th Annual Labor Seder

The New England Jewish Labor Committee’s Labor Seder is a unique interfaith and inter-community awards dinner that ties the rituals and stories of Passover to contemporary labor struggles. Register here to join us at IBEW 103 as President Tang is honored this year!  

Saturday, March 28: No Kings III!

Mark your calendars: the next No Kings Day will be March 28! Stay tuned for more information on local events.

May 1 & 2: 2026 Para/PSRP Conference & Social!

Join Boston Teachers Union and AFT Massachusetts for the 40th Annual Paraprofessional/PSRP Statewide Conference at the Boston Teachers Union this May. This year's conference is centered around “40 years of Para/PSRP Solidarity”. Friday, May 1, will start with a night of bowling, followed by the conference itself on Saturday, May 2, at BTU. The deadline to register is April 17—register today to join!

Sunday, May 3: 2026 Step Up for Colleen 5K

The friends and family of Colleen Ritzer created this 5K Walk/Run to celebrate Colleen’s life and her commitment to helping and inspiring others. The net proceeds benefit the Colleen E. Ritzer Memorial Fund, Inc. which supports charitable activities honoring Colleen’s legacy, including the Colleen E. Ritzer Memorial Scholarship. The Scholarship was established by Colleen’s family to benefit graduating high school seniors, who are Andover and Danvers residents, who demonstrate a passion for teaching, academic excellence and love of family and who will pursue a degree in education. Sign up to join the AFT Massachusetts team today!

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