Yes, the summer is coming to a close. Some of you started this week; everyone else after Sept. 1. Let’s launch this new year in a righteous defense of unions and public education with a powerful Labor Day parade. In Boston, we’ll march from the State House down School Street, where we will raucously highlight the site of the first public school in the United States and the birthplace of our centuries-long tradition of leading the nation in public education. In Holyoke, Labor Day marchers will gather at Holyoke City Hall and march to Veterans Park.
We can never remind ourselves too often of the few fundamental principles of what we do as educators and unionists:
– You are some of the most respected people in your communities. You educate, care for and inspire every community’s children, effectively raising our youth in partnership with parents. That is an unbreakable bond.
– You have won tremendous local victories one contract at a time – living wages for ESPs, paid family and medical leave, greater longevity pay, more school counselors, and on and on. Each victory is for yourselves and all future educators in your community.
– Together we have ended the high-stakes graduation tests; brought in $3 billion for public education and transportation from the multimillionaires and billionaires; won overrides; increased pay for ESPs; elected pro-public education candidates; and much more. This year we will advocate together and win a fix to RetirementPlus; protections for our public higher education staff and faculty; and more money to address the preK-12 fiscal crisis.
– With our national union, the National Education Association, and union allies, we will do nothing less than defend democracy against those who are intent on cementing an authoritarian regime in Washington. Without a strong labor movement with educators at the front, the assault on democracy will likely succeed; with it, we can reverse democratic backsliding.
