Unions Fighting Hard to Preserve Voice and Save Springfield's Schools

On June 3, 2004, the day after Springfield’s bond rating dropped to junk status, Governor Romney tried to sneak through a bailout bill that would have eliminated our collective bargaining rights. He tried to do it in an “informal session” of the House. If there was no objection by any member of the House, it would have passed and gone to the Senate. As soon as MTA’s chief lobbyist Jo Blum learned of this, she got three Representatives to object (even though at the time there were only a few Representatives in the House). We stopped the bill. At the same time, an MTA lobbyist called and told me what was happening. I immediately began calling Representatives and Senators. Charles Baldwin, our MTA consultant, and I, later in the afternoon, went to the SEA Legislative Board meeting where we urged all SEA members to call Representatives and Senators. At the same time, MTA Leadership began e-mailing and telephoning all 400 MTA locals and our brothers and sisters in other unions throughout the state. They acted. Thousands of phone calls went into the State House from statewide MTA members and our other allies statewide. These phone calls and e-mails armed our lobbyist with the strength to fight Governor Romney’s potentially destructive legislation.

THE RESULT: OUR BARGAINING RIGHTS WERE PRESERVED.

The MTA staff in Boston had numerous talks with the legislative leadership and kept Springfield and our colleagues throughout the state informed of the various forms of bailout bills that were being considered and their potential legal ramifications.

Senator Brian Lees offered an amendment that might have resulted in us paying 50% of the health insurance costs; that too was defeated. We also defeated Governor Romney’s veto of the $50 million in the bill.

During this time, Charles Baldwin and I were in constant communication with everyone imaginable. We were in Boston or at the SEA office all of June and well into July until the final passage of the bail out legislation.

During the next few weeks, MTA President Cathy Boudreau, MTA Vice President Anne Wass, MTA Executive Director Ed Sullivan and I will be visiting all schools. They will listen to our concerns and offer their support and the support of out MTA brothers and sisters across the state in this crisis.

The SEA is committed to do whatever is necessary to accomplish our goal and with the help of our brothers and sisters in the MTA and our Union allies across this state, we will prevail.

Next School Committee meeting
Thursday, September 23, 2004 at 7:00 p.m.
Kiley Middle School

Save Friday, October 15, 2004, 4:30 p.m.
We are working with all city unions to put on a massive action.

More information to follow.