Georgetown Education Association

Dear Colleagues: On the heels of a successful parent/educator forum, we have our first combined (GCAT)-Georgetown Contract Action Team and (PAT) Parent Action Team meeting slated for this Thursday, May 2nd.  At this meeting, we will discuss our next collective steps to address district leadership and the serious morale issue.   The Negotiating Team will also be meeting on May 2nd to discuss the district's last set of proposals and formulating our responses.  This Friday, May 3rd, MTA Rep Kevin Tierney and I will be listening to a district response regarding the "Involuntary Transfers" grievance filed and heard a few weeks back.  We will update membership with the district response, asap. Tuesday, May 14th is our next Negotiating Bargaining session.  A reminder that the session will be held in the GMHS Cafeteria beginning at 4:30 PM.  Silent members please be in the cafeteria by 4:15 PM and we need as many members to be there as possible. Finally, I wan...

  Dear Colleagues: Thank you once again for showing up to negotiations this afternoon.  Your presence was valuable and continues to hold the district bargaining team accountable. Our union starts with you!  Our main focus at this session was to emphasize the importance of providing the benefit of  paid family and medical leave for members as many private sector employees and other public school educators are already receiving. Thank you to Lauren Dennett for sharing her personal story to help us fight for our collective benefits regarding this proposal. If you have a story or testimonial related to the proposals that you'd like to share, please send it along to Kevin Tierney ( ktierney@massteacher.org ) and members of the GEA negotiating team.  As Corey mentioned near the end of the session, the GEA has tentatively accepted 44% of the district's proposals, while they have tentatively accepted just 18% of our proposals.  Please mark the f...

 

  4/10-Paid Parental Leave Walk In   (See description below) 4/10-Negotiating Meeting at GMHS Library .  Silent negotiating team members please be in the GMHS Library by 4:00 PM.  We need as many silent members to attend, as possible.  Your presence at these meetings is very important.   4/22-Level II Grievance regarding transfers - After many rounds of back and forth with the superintendent on dates and times, she has agreed to tentatively hear our grievance on 4/22 at 3:30 PM and only over ZOOM.  The GEA is still discussing this option and will let membership know the date and time that this grievance will be heard, as soon as possible. 4/25 Tentative-Parent/Teacher Forum.   Time & place to be determined.  We are asking as many members to attend this meeting as possible.  MOre information will be forthcoming. Paid Parental Leave Walk-In    As you know, we are in contract negotiations. We have worn our ...

Dear Colleagues: We just received word that Dr. Ferrick has a "Scheduling conflict" and is unable to hear our Level II Grievance tomorrow (Thursday, April 4th at 3:30 PM) as planned. She suggested the meeting be moved to this Friday at 1:00 PM.  We, too, have a scheduling problem with that date and time.  We suggested next Wednesday at 3:15 PM at GMHS and segue from the grievance meeting right into our negotiations meeting.  We are awaiting her response. Tomorrow night, Thursday, April 4th is the Penn Brook public forum that begins at 6:00 PM.  We are asking members to be at Penn Brook at 5:30 PM with their signs and ready to join the meeting at 6:00 PM.  WE NEED YOU THERE TO ASK QUESTIONS THAT WE NEED ANSWERS TO.  Showing up is one thing but actively participating is another.  We look forward to seeing you tomorrow night. Joe 

Greetings Union Colleagues, On Friday March 29th, the District gave us an illegal directive to remove our union signs from our classrooms. Despite the Union demanding that they cease and desist this unlawful behavior, the district is choosing to instead double down and has once again reaffirmed their illegal directive. At this time, they have dug their own hole.  Unfortunately the GEA will be forced to file an Unfair Labor Practice/Prohibited Practice charge against the district. Our lawyers will file charges with the Labor Board this week. In the meantime we are asking members to  comply,  (despite this directive being unlawful), and take down the signs from our classrooms.  We want to avoid any of us being brought up on bogus insubordination claims by our unhinged school leadership. To be clear, we are not foregoing or relinquishing any of our rights, and members should feel free to continue wearing union buttons, wearing union t-shirts, keeping signs posted in com...