MTA Today - Fall 2018

towns and unions to defend the rights and interests of
all working people.”
In the case of Everett, that solidarity has
manifested itself in creative ways. Members of nearby
local associations were outraged when they learned
through social media about an incident outside the
Parlin School on Sept. 25. Kim Auger, president of
the Everett Teachers Association, had invited Najimy
and MTA Vice President Max Page to share coffee
and doughnuts with Parlin teachers on their way into
school. The idea was to give the beleaguered members
a chance to share their concerns with the union, and
for the union to show it has their backs.

Before long, three Everett police officers arrived and told the union leaders that the school administration had claimed they were picketing — which was obviously false — and that they had to disperse. Najimy posted the story on social media and in short order, union leaders in Burlington and elsewhere organized their own coffee-fueled conversations with members and posted images declaring their solidarity with Everett’s teachers.

While the Janus v. AFSCME U.S. Supreme Court decision handed down on June 27 was a test for public-sector unions, the Everett story is one example of how the MTA has remained strong.

In the Janus case, the court upended a 41-year- old precedent and ruled 5-4 that unions can no longer charge nonmembers an agency fee to offset the costs of bargaining and maintaining the contracts under which they work.

Anticipating that ruling, the MTA and other public-sector unions braced for the possibility that a significant number of members — especially newcomers — might be persuaded to save a few dollars in dues by dropping their membership. MTA administrative staff were trained in how to respond to drop requests. But the deluge never arrived. As of mid-October, only a handful of MTA’s 110,000 members had dropped their membership. It’s as if a big storm was forecast and sandbags had been piled high, but the storm blew out to sea.

The MTA is taking nothing for granted, however.

The All In experience has reinforced the philosophy that members, local leaders and staff must have ongoing conversations with one another about what they want from their union and how to accomplish their goals.

During the school year, locals are building on efforts begun over the summer by 84 summer member-organizers working with preK- 12 locals and another 18 with public higher education members.

Gary A. Maestas, a summer organizer and middle school science teacher in New Bedford, explained why he was drawn to the mission.

“Public employees, especially educators,
need unions,” he said. “The collective bargaining
agreement is central to our existence as educators.
It’s about so much more than how much we are paid.
It’s about how long you have to prepare for your
classes and how much time you are given to eat
“Our union is strong and getting stronger,” said
Page. “All of the conversations we’ve been having
in our locals have helped a lot. Even more, members
become committed when they take part in actions —
when they stand up for themselves and their students.”
The corporate interests behind the anti-union
efforts must be disappointed. They have spent
a small fortune sending propaganda to union
members in states across the country, including
Massachusetts.

One group behind this outreach is the Mackinac Center in Michigan, a pro-privatization organization that receives substantial funds from the family of U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

The day after the Janus decision was handed down, the Mackinac Center flooded the inboxes of MTA members’ school e-mails. Many never reached their targets because they were caught by district spam

Continued on next page
Supreme Court’s Janus decision. In the photo
above, MTA President Merrie Najimy spoke
to protesters outside an event held by the
anti-union Pioneer Institute on Sept. 24. In
the photo at left, a crowd gathered at the
Everett School Committee meeting on Oct. 1
to support the city’s teachers.