You can donate to the Newton Teachers Association here. If you're a Massachusetts resident or a fellow union worker, you can send an email directly to Newton on behalf of the union here
(📸 sourced from the NTA Facebook page)
In technical contravention of Massachusetts law—and after a year of unsuccessful negotiations, including six months without a contract according to Boston.com—the teachers of Newton, MA are on strike as of this morning. This was voted on, and 98% of members were in favor. It's the latest in a series of education strikes that have taken place in Massachusetts over the past few years; at least four other towns saw such strikes in 2022 and 2023.
The Newton Teachers Association has reached a tentative agreement with the town's school committee this week after two weeks on strike. Although they've not quite won the 20% pay increase they were hoping for (in no small part because courts have imposed $600,000 in fines on the union over the course of the strike), the 12% increase they've negotiated over 4 years will still go a long way for the town's teachers. The Boston Herald also reports that the union "won “concessions” for higher pay for aides, more parental and family leave, mental health counseling for students, and a cost-of-living raise for teachers."
and yet, they still work. huh. gotta study this whole "collective action" thing