Again, another beautiful weekend. I hope all are doing well, though I also know this is a very stressful weekend, as everyone prepares to greet students this coming Wednesday, whether virtually or in person, with some trepidation and anxiety, and a lot of "just not feeling ready." There is still so much that seems undecided; there are still so many unanswered questions. Negotiations Update Your NTA negotiations team met on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday with central administrators and members of the School Committee, and we spent most of our time going through the counter-proposal the NTA shared with the School Committee on Tuesday. It is unfortunate that we have not reached a tentative agreement before the return of students to the buildings. We are making progress and have reached broad agreement on a number of issues ("broad agreement" meaning we've agreed in principle but the details of the language still need settling.) We will be negotiating again on Tuesday, and expect to have a written response to our proposal before then. We don't know if it will happen, but we do have reason to hope we will be able to reach an agreement by the end this week, or early the next week. When we do reach a tentative agreement--and I believe both sides want an agreement as soon as possible--please be aware that we will bring this to the membership for a ratification vote in a General Membership Meeting. And we will make sure that you have ample time to review and understand the tentative agreement before that meeting and ratification vote. Building Safety Committees If you are interested in joining a building safety Committee, please contact your building rep. And don't forget, if you need to report a concern in your building, please do so following all the normal protocols you would, but also record the problem with us using this NTA Health and Safety Concerns Form
"Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose." Please take care and stay well. Mike