Dear Colleagues and Unionists:
Fundraising
Last week I wrote to you about the debt that the NTA has been left with due to the strike. When I asked for additional contributions, you responded generously, and donated $11,000 over the last week. To date, we have now raised approximately $230,000, which I find truly extraordinary. Yet, with the fines we accrued and the actual costs of the strike--nearly $800,000--, in spite of your generosity, we are still left with a $570,000 deficit.
What I need to ask again, if you received an NTA hat from us, AND HAVE NOT ALREADY CONTRIBUTED, would you consider giving a $25 donation--or more if possible--to the NTA strike fund to help pay for their purchase? To be clear, if you have already contributed, we are not asking for you to contribute more. I also understand that many of you cannot afford to do so. But if you can donate, please click here to do so!
Finally, would you consider participating in one of three committees that we are forming to raise funds? These are (1) a fundraising committee, (2) a social committee and (3) a group to organize selling NTA “swag.” If you would like to volunteer for any of these committees, please click here to sign up. Volunteers for all three meetings will have their first meeting this Thursday, March 21st, at 4:15, in the NTA office. Please sign up asap.
Educator Salaries
We fought a public relations battle with the Newton School Committee around whether our salaries and benefits were "competitive" with those in educationally similar communities--Weston, Wellesley, Wayland, Belmont, Brookline, Lexington, Concord-Carlisle and Lincoln-Sudbury.
Yet I believe the larger issue is the relative decline and/or stagnation of educator salaries, nationwide, in Massachusetts, and here in Newton.
I will say more about this in a later EBulletin, but for now I will leave you with three charts that I will use to tell that story
First, the trend in salaries for Unit A members here in Newton, where real wages have changed very little since 1970.
The trend for educators nationwide has been abysmal, with the "teacher pay gap" eating at educators earnings, and drawing future educators away from the profession. The below two charts from the Economic Policy Institute tell that story.
More soon about this.....
Thank you.
In solidarity,
Mike Zilles, President
Newton Teachers Association