The 2025 MTA Annual Meeting of Delegates will be held in person on May 2 and 3 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. Once again, virtual participation will be available for those who request it in advance.
The meeting is the 180th since the MTA was founded in 1845.
The agenda includes all essential business, including union elections and approval of the association’s operating budget for fiscal year 2025-2026, which begins July 1.
The first session will begin at noon on Friday, May 2. The agenda for that day includes action on proposed amendments to the MTA Standing Rules and Bylaws, as well as New Business Items with and without budgetary implications.
On Saturday, May 3, the meeting resumes at 9 a.m. The election of candidates is expected to begin at 11 a.m., after action on the proposed budget, and will include both virtual and in-person voting.
If action on the budget goes beyond 11 a.m., the elections will take place immediately following it.
Delegates from District 16G and the Statewide Retired District will vote to elect their district directors on the MTA Board of Directors. Positions on the Retired Members Committee have been filled by waiver, under MTA Bylaws, as have numerous positions on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
The recognition portion of the meeting will be held on Saturday morning.
The 2025 MTA Friend of Education Award will be presented to Stacy Davis Gates, president of the Chicago Teachers Union and a vice president of the American Federation of Teachers. Davis Gates is a longtime union leader in Chicago and Illinois who in 2019 helped lead a 15-day strike by Chicago teachers that resulted in a contract providing smaller class sizes, a nurse and social worker in every public school and sanctuary protections for immigrant families.
The 2025 MTA Friend of Labor Award will be presented to Chrissy Lynch, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. Lynch was unanimously elected as the president of the labor organization after serving as secretary-treasurer and chief of staff. She ran the political and legislative departments of the AFL-CIO for 15 years prior.
The President’s Award will honor U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Representative Ocasio-Cortez was elected to Congress in 2018, defeating a longtime incumbent in a primary election. She recently was re-elected to a second term. A leader of the national progressive movement, Ocasio-Cortez refuses to accept contributions from corporations and is a strong advocate for public education and environmental protection.
The delegates also will recognize Katherine Monteiro, the MTA Education Support Professional of the Year. Monteiro is a member of the Weymouth Educators’ Association and a registered behavioral technician who works in elementary schools.
The delegates will consider a proposed MTA operating budget of $58,692,057 for the coming year.
A vote is scheduled for Saturday morning, according to a preliminary agenda.
The Advisory Budget Committee, the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors have proposed annual dues of $550 for full-time active members. This is an increase of $14.
Dues for the category of secretaries, clerks and custodians would be $330 under the budget proposal, an increase of $8.25.
Dues for ESPs, including food service personnel and paraeducators, would be $165, an increase of $4.
Retiree annual dues remain at $30 under MTA Bylaws.
In addition to the operating budget, the proposed Public Relations/Organizing Campaign budget of $1,844,860 will be considered. The recommended general dues assessment for the PR/Organizing budget is $20. For secretaries, clerks and custodians, the assessment would be $12. Paraeducators, food service personnel and other ESPs would be assessed $6.
For additional information on the Annual Meeting, please visit massteacher.org/annualmeeting.
