Posts tagged Massachusetts Teachers Association
The Largest Teachers Union Embezzlements of All Time
February 8, 2023 // Denise Inez Owens was the treasurer of the Worcester County Teachers Association when she stole more than $433,000 of state and national dues money to feed her gambling addiction. The Maryland State Education Association discovered the theft in March 2009, but did not report it to authorities. Instead the union persuaded Owens to sign a confession and agree to a restitution plan. Owens then resigned her union position and returned to work as a middle school teacher without notifying the school district or union members of her crime. A newspaper discovered the incident three years later when the state union filed an insurance claim for its losses, and stated the theft was “not reported because of potential impact on membership and loss of members.”
Wage activists thankful minimum wage has finally hit $15, but say it’s not enough
January 5, 2023 // “Inflation is putting real pressure on workers, and the minimum wage needs to keep up with their costs,” she said in the release. Lynch doesn’t believe another minimum wage increase would solve the problem, but said moving closer to a living wage would help. Tying minimum wage to inflation or indexing it could help workers keep up with rising costs, she added.
Right to strike among teachers union priorities
December 14, 2022 // Despite state law, educators in Malden, Brookline and Haverhill went on strike this year. In Malden, workers were asking for a contract that included higher pay, smaller class sizes and safer school environments, according to WCVB. “We had to take an illegal action because that illegal action is what was right,” she said. “The right to strike is a human right and the continued prohibition on the right to strike is a continued prohibition on every single blessed public sector worker’s right to free speech, we shouldn’t have less rights than any other worker in the Commonwealth.”
Teachers Unions Spent $22 Million Backing Massachusetts ‘Millionaire’s Tax’
November 14, 2022 // "The MTA has coughed up $13.3 million for the so-called Fair Share Amendment, while its national counterpart, NEA, has doled out $7.2 million," the Globe reports. "Which begs the question: What do the teachers want?" The constitutional amendment is an attempt to undermine the state's flat income tax system. Chris LaBella,
Classes canceled in 2 Massachusetts cities amid teachers strike
October 17, 2022 // Malden’s Superintendent says while this may be intended to send a message to school district leaders, in her opinion, it’s the students and families who are suffering the consequences. A union negotiator in Malden told Boston 25 that the district has not given teachers a date for their next negotiation session. Wood called the strikes a “coordinated effort” by the Massachusetts Teachers Association.