Strong unions facilitate strong contracts-no matter the season-and in the Merrimack Valley, we are happy to report that our Lawrence Federation of Paraprofessionals recently ratified a new agreement that includes a 9 percent wage increase over the three years of the contract! It also includes an increase in stipends and substitute assignment rates, enhanced vacation days, and a nearly 40 percent increase in tuition reimbursements! Our Lawrence Administrative Support Staff Association (LASSA) also ratified in late June, receiving a 3 percent wage increase across the board wage increase and additional snow days for school based-members.

Out west, all five of our units within the Pittsfield Federation of School Employees now have ratified or tentative agreements in place. Units gained strong wage increases, important language around parental leave, and an increase to sick leave accumulation. Once all the units ratify their agreements, the contracts will go to the Pittsfield School Committee for approval.

And in greater Boston, we’re also proud to announce the ratification of our Wentworth Faculty Federation contract, and we just reached a tentative agreement with our Weymouth Library Chapter for three year increases (4% 3% 2%), enhanced vacation benefits, and a clothing allowance increase for custodians.

Congratulations to all the AFT Massachusetts locals ratifying new contracts this summer! 

July was all about organizing, up-skilling and lifting up our locals. In collaboration with the Boston Teachers Union, we hosted our annual Summer Organizing Institute. It was our largest gathering to date! Over the course of two days, attendees honed their skills on critical issues like bargaining strong contracts, building efficient school-site union structures, and the importance of using these same skills to fight for a better life for all.  This means taking our movement—on behalf of our members, students, and families—to the streets during these critical times when our democracy is at stake. That’s why we hope to see you Labor Day actions across the state this fall.  Be on the lookout for more details soon! 

The month also featured a PSRP Leadership Institute and a day of training for local treasurers. AFT Massachusetts hosted the PSRP Leadership Institute, a day of collaboration and learning for local presidents of paraprofessionals and school support staff, in partnership with the AFT PSRP Division. ​The day provided leaders the opportunity to connect with their peers, create opportunities for collaboration, and have important discussions around the critical issues facing PSRPs and the locals that represent them. Last week, treasurers and leaders from AFT Massachusetts locals across the state also convened for an important training session focused on administrative duties and growing local memberships to build strong locals. It was the latest in a series of meetings, which all local treasurers are encouraged to attend!

The end of July means two things around here: (1) we’re moving closer to back-to-school season, with most districts starting in just 4-5 short weeks; and (2) we are in the final days of the 2025-2026 Legislative Session on Beacon Hill.

First, action is needed today to get more funds to our pre K-12 schools:  

• Governor Healey filed a $100M supplemental budget that would provide all public school districts with a little extra funding as we head into the new school year—funding that will be crucial in many districts to keep positions. Join us in reaching out to your State Representative and House Ways & Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz and urge them to act immediately on this important bill. Just one minute spent using our email tool can help to save hundreds of jobs across our union.

As we wrap up this legislative session, we have seen some additional strong wins and advances for AFT Massachusetts:

• Retirement Plus Conference Committee: After years of advocacy, a bill to fix Retirement Plus has finally passed both the House and Senate. The House has already named their three members, and we are happy to share that, yesterday, the Senate named their three members:  Senators Rodrigues, Lovely and O’Connor.  Now the committee will be able to meet and resolve the differences between the two bill. We will continue to advocate that this get to the Governor’s desk as quickly as possible! 

• AFT MA advocacy led the effort to include two priority bills as amendments to the recent Economic Development Bond Bill passed by the Senate: Retirement Equity for Parenting Teachers (allowing educators to buy up to 5 years of full-time credible service for those years they worked part-time for the purpose of raising a family); and the PROTECT Labor Act (protects private sector union organizing in Massachusetts by codifying key protections provided by the National Labor Relations Act in state law). The bill also included amendment language to protect revenue collected through the Fair Share Amendment from triggering unnecessary and costly rebates. 

• AFT MA educators and members were strong advocates for safeguarding public schools in the PROTECT Act to support our immigrant families and communities from ICE. We are thrilled to say the Conference Committee bill has been released and does, in fact, ensure public schools are considered secure locations! This version of the bill is slated to be voted on this week by both chambers and sent to the Governor for her signature. 

• Key bills we’ve advocated for currently in conference committee that are currently awaiting final votes:

  • Cell Phone Ban to help ensure educators and students are able to have distraction-free learning environments

  • Right to Read legislation to protect Massachusetts libraries and residents from book ban efforts

The AFT Massachusetts is also leading the charge against the White House’s dangerous education voucher scheme. Governor Healey has until the end of the year to formally opt-in or opt-out of the Trump administration’s latest step in their efforts to dismantle public education across the nation. Learn more about the dangers of this program and what we are doing to take action. Please read and share our recent op-ed in CommonWealth Beacon urging Governor Healey to opt-out. Finally, please join us in contacting the Governor directly on this issue, using our Action Network tool! 

On top of our work at the state-level, we are proud to say that the AFT Massachusetts had a HUGE presence at the AFT National Convention held earlier this month in Washington, D.C. Delegates passed three resolutions we submitted, with a fourth resolution on its way to approval! Four dedicated educators from the Boston Teachers Union were recognized for their service with Living the Legacy awards. AFT Massachusetts also had a presence on panels and sessions, and many of our members served not only as delegates, but also as volunteers in many important roles. 

One of the most important actions we take at Convention is voting for our national officers and board. Randi Weingarten, Fedrick Ingram and Evelyn Dejesus were re-elected as officers, and I was honored to be re-elected to serve my third term as a Vice President on the AFT Executive Board.  I will also be continuing to serve as an Executive Committee member and co-chair of the Women’s Rights Committee, Resistance Committee, Climate Task Force and AANHPI Task Force.. For more on AFT Massachusetts at the 2026 AFT Convention, check out our feature. You can also head to the AFT’s Convention page to watch clips, see photos, and read the highlights! 

Just as the school year is right around the corner, so is our Massachusetts Election Day. Later in this edition of the Communicator, you’ll find some information on ballot questions Massachusetts voters will face in November. There have been some updates since we last connected on this and AFT Massachusetts is working hard on critical voter education campaigns around the questions our Executive Board has voted to engage with. Speaking of election day—in order to vote in the Primary Election on Tuesday, September 1, you must be registered by August 22! We’re proud to launch a special AFT MA Voter Registration Hub with everything you need to make sure you and your household are registered and ready to cast your ballots this fall. Check it out at ma.aft.org/voter-reg.

Finally, in the coming weeks, please keep an eye out for announcements and updates on important events for members this late summer/early fall, including our Back to School Town Hall on August 26 (you can register today!), opportunities to rise up on Labor Day 2026, and our Fall Conference on September 19. And enjoy the rest of your summer!!

Take Action:

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

• Check out our new AFT MA Voter Registration Hub!

• Become an AFT Democracy Defender!

• Join AFT’s Count Me In!

• Read up on AFT MA’s Ballot Question Guide

Upcoming Events: 

• 8/22: Primary voter registration deadline

• 8/26: Back to School Town Hall!

• 9/1: MA Primary Election!

• 9/7: Labor Day 2026!

• 9/19: Fall Conference!

Launching our new Voter Registration Hub! We’ve pulled everything you need to vote in this year’s elections into one handy-dandy place: AFT MA’s new Voter Registration Hub! There you’ll be able to find key election dates—including when to register, early vote, and more—a resource guide that will help you double check your registration and find our 2026 endorsed candidates & ballot questions, and a new relational-organizing tool to help you get thinking about who in your circle you can help get registered and ready to vote!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Save these key election dates in your calendar now:

• Saturday, 8/22: Voter Registration Deadline for MA Primaries! 
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  • Did you know that AFT Massachusetts members live with over *five thousand* unregistered voters? Double check your voter registration today, then talk to the rest of your household and make sure that they’re registered and ready to vote!
• Tuesday, 9/1: MA State Primary Election!
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  • You can vote early in-person, vote by mail, or vote on Election Day, but Tuesday, September 1, is your last chance to make a difference in our state’s primary election! Make a plan to vote on or before Tuesday, September 1, and check out our endorsed candidates to make sure you’re voting for your local AFT MA labor champion! 

Exciting news: We have our ballot question numbers! 

• VOTE YES on Question 2 to provide collective bargaining rights for Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) employees.
• VOTE NO on Question 3 to prevent MA from having a “Jungle Primary” election system.
• VOTE YES on Question 4 to establish same-day voter registration.
• VOTE NO on Question 5 to stop efforts to dilute the impact of the Fair Share Amendment.
• VOTE YES on Question 9 to safeguard the Massachusetts gun-safety law passed in 2024.

Learn more about AFT Massachusetts’ endorsed positions on upcoming ballot questions and why these issues are so important for our union with our updated quick-start ballot question guide!

Join us at an upcoming event to support our endorsed candidates & ballot questions! 

• August 3: Ed Markey for U.S. Senate
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  • Come join a stand out for the Senator’s next debate from 5-6pm in front of Fox Studios in Dedham (25 Fox Drive)—then stick around to join us at the debate watch party from 6-8:30! Parking available at Legacy Place.
• August 7: Tara Hong & John Drinkwater for State Rep.
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  • Join AFT MA from 6-8pm at Gary's Restaurant in Lowell for the Lowell WFP Welcome to the Party, featuring our endorsed candidates, Tara Hong & John Drinkwater! RSVP to join.
• August 9: Ed Markey for U.S. Senate
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  • SAVE THE DATE: Join us at our AFT MA-BTU Super Canvass for Ed! More details to come.

Join the Activist List!

Want to get more involved with AFT Massachusetts? As we navigate this election year and the ongoing attacks on public education, unions, our immigrant students, and more, we’ve rolled out an email list to share opportunities to take collective action and show up for public education, our students and schools, and our labor rights and union siblings. You’ll hear about in-person events, text and phone banks, webinars, and more. If you’re looking for more opportunities to take action this year, the Activist List is the space for you! Sign up here to join!

Become a Democracy Defender 💪

Every Voter. Every Vote. Every Election. Democracy Defenders are AFT members who commit to helping voters get the information, support and protection they need to cast their ballots and have them counted. Together we’re building a team 5,000-strong across the nation—will you become a Democracy Defender and be part of the movement to protect our elections? Learn more and sign up today!

Join AFT’s Count Me In!

Count Me In! is the AFT’s activist recruitment program. It turns our collective strength into action, reaching AFT members, households and communities where we live and work. This isn’t just about winning elections—it’s about who we are, what we fight for, and ensuring that our members, families and neighbors have a voice. Sign up to be part of the AFT’s 2026 political program and you’ll get follow-up information about trainings, events, volunteer opportunities and ways to take action. Sounds great, right? Count Me In!

• Boston Teachers Union: Boston teachers, aides brace for coming layoffs - Boston Globe [paywall]

• Gov. Healey should reject the federal education voucher program - CommonWealth Beacon

• Neighborhood House Charter School, BTU: The American Federation of Teachers Has Outlined its Latest Priorities. See the List - Education Week

Saturday, August 22: Voter Registration Deadline for Massachusetts’ Primary Election!

Did you know that AFT Massachusetts members live with over *five thousand* unregistered voters? Did you know that moving, changing your name, and even forgetting to complete a local census can cause your voter registration to lapse? Check out AFT MA’s new Voter Registration Hub for more key election dates, a resource guide to double check your registration and find our 2026 endorsed candidates & ballot questions, and a new relational-organizing tool to help you get thinking about who in your circle you can help get registered and ready to vote!

Wednesday, August 26: AFT Massachusetts Back to School Town Hall!

Join fellow AFT MA members from across the state for a back to school town hall! We'll catch up on the latest contract wins from locals across the state, highlights and takeaways from AFT's national convention, and gear up for a big fall of protecting the vote and electing labor champs! Sign up here to join!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Massachusetts Primary Election will be Tuesday, September 1!

Unions know just how important an election can be (and we also know that most of us don’t wake up on the very first day of September and think “Oh yay, it’s election day!”). We’re cooking up a statewide voter guide that will include all the resources you need to make your vote count this year, but for now, check out our new Voter Registration Hub and consider this a reminder to make a plan to cast your ballot on or before September 1!

SAVE THE DATE: Boston Labor Day 2026!

Labor Day feels like a lifetime away right now, but we’re barely a month out! So put a hold on your calendar because we need you to TURN OUT with our union to build on the strength and power the labor movement has shown in recent Labor Days and show that we’re ready for a fall of action. Labor Day 2025 was a pretty good time, if we do say so ourselves. Sign up here to join AFT Massachusetts in Boston on Monday, September 7, and let’s make this year even bigger and better!

Saturday, September 19: Fall Conference 2026!

Join leaders, building reps, and rank-and-file members from across AFT Massachusetts for the AFT Massachusetts Fall Conference! You'll gain new tools and resources to help engage your members and continue to strengthen your local to meet the moment and fight for our students, our members. RSVP today to reserve your spot!

Boston Legacy FC, our women’s professional soccer team, has offered us special discounted tickets to their October 16th game at Gillette Stadium! Find out more and get your tickets here.