May 2021 News

Have you had an important milestone or accomplishment this year? Maybe you’ve finished a new certification/licensure program, graduated from a degree program you’ve been working on, learned a new skill or language, got elected to a committee/board in your city/town, etc. We know that members of the MEA do amazing things and we want to recognize all of the various milestones and accomplishments that you have achieved this year!

Email gesualdo.mea@gmail.com by 5:00PM on May 31 if you would like your milestone/accomplishment recognized in an all-member email.

 

The June 21 Professional Development Day will be virtual. Members will be able to choose to work from the buildings or from home on June 21.

 

Ana Curley (Linden), Deanna Bragger (COTA), Samira Chahbi (Beebe), and Lisa Davide (Forestdale) answered the call for Unit C bargaining team volunteers. This can be a big lift in typical times and even more so in times of a pandemic–thank you to Ana, Deanna, Samira, and Lisa for stepping forward and stepping up to work on behalf of Unit C to bargain a successor agreement.

Deb Gesualdo (MEA President), Jessica Gold Boots (MEA Vice President), Lisa Nazzaro (MTA Field Representative), and Ross Berry (MTA Organizer) are also part of the process of working with the team.

The team has convened to begin crafting a package of proposals to bargain for:

• Making it easier to move on the in-service credits grid;
• Increasing payments on the in-service credits grid;
• Increasing payments for Unit C members substituting for Unit A members;
• Increasing the number of sick days contractually allowed to be used for family members to match the amount in the Unit A and B contracts; and
• Language providing for parental leave and not just maternity leave.

The main focus of the team will be on:

• Raising the base wage for all;
• Bargaining for a just economic recovery from the pandemic; and 
• Creating a stepped payscale for the RBTs/LPNs/COTAs.

A formal request to bargain, required under MGL ch.150E has been sent to Mayor Christenson, as a chair of the School Committee, and has been responded to by the contact person for the School Committee’s bargaining team. We are currently working to coordinate dates/times to meet.

The goal of the Unit C bargaining team is to bargain a contract that is economically just for Unit C members and is done as expeditiously as possible. As soon as we have updates and information we will be in touch and will be scheduling Zoom meetings to give information to Unit C members.

The National Council of Urban Education Associations (NCUEA) is thrilled to invite you to join us at NCUEA’s 2021 Virtual Summer Meeting, “Racism and Radicalization in the Digital Age: A Robust Response.”

Racism and radicalization are nothing new. These two specters have long cast their shadows across the United States. Frequently, they act in concert resulting in the racialized radicalization of individuals, communities, and political actors. We then see the results of this racialized radicalization in our legislatures and public policies.

Before we can propose and apply solutions, we need to better understand the rules of the information age that we are living in. Join us as we learn the digital codes and blueprints of this digital era that have led to an increasingly racialized and radicalized America and importantly, the educational tools that we can use as to address these challenges. 

Click here for more information on the conference and guest speakers. To register, click here.

The Malden Education Association is an NCUEA member local, so the cost to attend is only $35 for this virtual conference. If you would like to attend and be reimbursed by the MEA for this conference, please send your registration receipt to lunden.mea@gmail.com.