MTA Today Summer 2020

Do you know an Education Support Professional who is creative and innovative, a tireless worker who stands up for union rights? If so, consider nominating

As educators across the state joined in demonstrations this spring calling for racial justice after the brutal killing of George Floyd by police officers, a Black teacher in Milton found herself threatened with discipline for addressing the role of race in the slaying of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Georgia man.

#OnlyWhenItsSafe We have been very clear. Schools should reopen for in-person learning #OnlyWhenItsSafe — safe for students, families, educators, individual communities and the Commonwealth as a whole.

This November, the MTA celebrates the 175th anniversary of the association’s founding. The Spring edition of MTA Today featured highlights of the MTA’s first 50 years.

We are facing the worst public education crisis in living memory. It didn’t have to be this bad. A mismanaged and chaotic response to the pandemic at the national level has been made worse by delayed and vague guidance from the state.

MTA members and other unionized workers on public higher education campuses are in the forefront of fighting for funding to save jobs and programs — and they are working furiously to help protect the health and safety of students, staff and faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 MTA Summer Conference — the first ever held virtually — was a tremendous success, with participants filling sessions focused on professional development and union leadership, learning about the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and exploring ways to bring social justice into the curriculum.

The vast majority of MTA preK-12 Education Support Professionals are women. Although more than half of them have at least a bachelor’s degree, 85 percent make $30,000 a year or less.

The MTA provides individual retirement consultations throughout the state to assist members. Proof of membership must be submitted when requesting retirement services.

The Greater New Bedford Educators Union, organized over the past year and granted state recognition in May, is bargaining its first contract with Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School.

A recently completed study urges state leaders to increase spending on public higher education to address the immediate financial crisis accompanying the COVID-19 pandemic and to build a more just and equitable economy in the Commonwealth.

A longtime activist and two student-led groups are recipients of the 2020 MTA Human and Civil Rights Awards. The awards will be presented at the next MTA Human and Civil Rights Awards celebration, which is scheduled for June 18, 2021.

MTA Benefits is excited to announce a new partnership with Boston-based Liberty Mutual to offer MTA members significant savings on their personal insurance needs.

As COVID-19 continues to affect our lives, MTA Benefits has the programs that members need to help navigate the pandemic, as well as resources to provide assistance when it’s needed.

MTA Benefits typically announces the release of the new Benefits & Discount Directory in the summer issue of MTA Today. Of course, these are not typical times.

President Merrie Najimy and Vice President Max Page were re-elected as leaders of the association at the 2020 MTA Annual Meeting of Delegates on May 2.

SAVE THE DATES Overcoming 400 Years of Struggle … and Still We Rise FRIDAY-SATURDAY DECEMBER 4-5 ∗∗This year’s conference will be held as a virtual event.

SATURDAY | NOVEMBER 14, 2020, This year’s conference will be held as a virtual event. A conference for educators in their early years of practice and prospective teachers enrolled in an educator preparation program.

massteacher.org twitter.com/massteacher facebook.com/massteacher youtube.com/massteacher instagram.com/massteacher Volume 51, No. 1 Summer 2020

SUPPORT CANDIDATES WHO WILL FIGHT FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION "Senator Ed Markey is a true champion of public education and working families.

"Senator Ed Markey is a true champion of public education and working families. He is doing everything possible to win the resources our public schools and colleges need to help create a stronger and more just Commonwealth — and we know that he will never let up.

U.S. HOUSE – 1ST DISTRICT U.S. HOUSE – 4TH DISTRICT

(D-Brockton) 2nd Plymouth & Bristol (D-Somerville) 2nd Middlesex (D-West Springfield) Hampden MTA’s member-elected Candidate Recommendation Committee

(D-Somerville) 34th Middlesex (D-Brockton) 10th Plymouth (D-Holyoke) 5th Hampden (D-Boston) 12th Suffolk (D-Revere) 16th Suffolk (D-Lowell) 17th