The 2022 MTA Annual Meeting of Delegates will be held in person on May 20 and 21 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. Virtual participation will be available for those who feel the need for it because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the first time since 2019 that the Annual Meeting delegates will gather in person. The meeting will be the association’s 177th since its founding in 1845.
The decision to hold a two-day in-person meeting with a virtual component was made by the MTA Board of Directors at its meeting in March, as infection rates for the coronavirus were dropping. To promote safety for those attending the meeting in Boston, proof of vaccination and face masks will be required. In addition, participants attending the Annual Meeting will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours of the start of the event.
To ensure that all delegates feel they can take part in the meeting safely, the MTA Board agreed to provide three options for attendance. The options are participating in the main meeting space, with traditional seating by region and without any spacing or social distancing; seating in a separate room in the convention center that provides for a 3-foot separation between people and for video and audio streaming; and virtual attendance.
The meeting is where essential MTA business takes place each year, including union elections and approval of the association’s operating budget. The new budget year, fiscal 2022-2023, begins on July 1.
The meeting will feature reports by MTA President Merrie Najimy, whose second term is drawing to a close, by Vice President Max Page, and by Executive Director-Treasurer Lisa Gallatin.
The first session will begin at noon on Friday, May 20, and the agenda for the day will conclude with speeches by candidates for president and vice president. The following day, the meeting resumes at 9 a.m. The election of candidates is scheduled to start at 11 a.m., after action on the proposed budget, and will take place within the business session (in person and virtual). If action on the budget goes beyond 11 a.m., elections will begin immediately afterward. Delegates will vote to select officers — including MTA President and Vice President — as well as decide races, by district, for positions on the Board of Directors. Retired Members Committee seats also will be filled.
There are three candidates for MTA President: former Vice President Erik J. Champy, Lamikco "Meka" Magee of the Amherst-Pelham Education Association, and current Vice President Page. Two candidates are running for Vice President: Donna Grady of Franklin and Deb McCarthy of Hull.
The Annual Meeting also will include the consideration of amendments to the MTA Bylaws and Resolutions and voting on new business items with and without budgetary implications.
The recognition portion of the meeting on Saturday morning will include presentations to two national figures, U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who each will receive the 2022 MTA Friend of Education Award.
Pressley, who represents the highly diverse 7th Congressional District, won her first term in November 2018, becoming the first woman of color to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts. She is a dedicated activist for social and racial justice and a former member of the Boston City Council. During her time on the council, Pressley was heavily involved in working on education issues.
Warren, who was elected to a second term in the Senate in November 2018, is a leading voice for progressive policies and a fierce advocate for consumers and the middle class. As a senator, she has helped secure $750 million in debt relief for students who were misled by predatory for-profit colleges.
The 2022 MTA Education Support Professional of the Year, Naomi Akan, also will be honored. Akan is an Applied Behavior Analysis Tutor who has worked at an elementary school in Canton for the past six years. She is a member of two influential community organizations, Canton Families Embracing Diversity and the Canton Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee, which helps the public schools develop intentional and inclusive hiring practices.
The 2022 MTA Friend of Labor Award will be presented to Natalicia Tracy, a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Tracy previously was the executive director of the Brazilian Worker Center in Boston, a professor at UMass Boston and a lecturer and resident scholar at the university’s Labor Resource Center. Tracy cofounded the Massachusetts Coalition for Domestic Workers.
The President’s Award will honor Gladys Vega, executive director of the Chelsea-based nonprofit La Colaborativa, a community organization that works with residents of several cities to strengthen economic empowerment, health, education, and food and housing security. Vega became the executive director after a 16-year tenure as a community organizer.
The delegates will consider a proposed MTA operating budget of $50,066,992 for the coming year. A vote is scheduled for Saturday morning, prior to the election of officers. The Advisory Budget Committee, the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors have proposed annual dues of $483 for full-time active members, which is the same amount as this year. Dues for secretaries, clerks and custodians would remain at $290 under the proposal, while dues for Education Support Professionals, including food service personnel and paraeducators, would remain at $145.
In addition, the proposed Public Relations/ Organizing Campaign budget of $1,790,120 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 Education Support Professionals would be assessed $6.
For additional information and updates concerning the Annual Meeting, visit massteacher.org/annualmeeting. Statements by candidates appear on Pages 20 through 25. A story on contested races and candidates declared elected is on Page 30.
