AFT Amesbury

06/13/2026

Hallelujah AFT Massachusetts 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

With Gov. Healey’s signature, the 2026 Fair Share Supplemental Budget is law!

Today’s supplemental budget will provide critical, mid-year funds for our public schools and public transit, as well as funding contracts for our members at UMass Dartmouth—just as the voters intended when they passed the Fair Share Amendment.
�We’re forever proud of the work AFT Massachusetts members put in to make the Fair Share Amendment a reality! Thank you to Gov. Healey and the Massachusetts House and Senate for delivering another supplemental budget investing Fair Share funds in our public schools and transit.

06/12/2026

We will not stand for privatizing public education! We see through the ploy here and we object!
🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫

Today, President Tang joined 32 other union leaders from across the nation to call on our governors to reject the proposed federal private school voucher program.

“As the birthplace of public education, it is incumbent upon Massachusetts to hold the line and protect public education from privatization and further inequities,” said President Tang. “Shifting public dollars to private schools that are allowed to select what criteria they base admissions on, including income, religion, s*x, test scores, and more, is publicly-funded discrimination. It’s not only against the values we hold as a Commonwealth, it flies in the face of the Massachusetts Constitution.”

Massachusetts MUST hold the line.

Read more at ma.aft.org/press/national-voucher-letter

06/12/2026

A detailed post and information about where the Retirement Plus Revisit bill is at and what it means to you from our AFTMASS friend and ally Ted Chambers!

AFTMASS leads the way all the way to the end!

Proud to be associated!
We all should be!! 🙌
👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
Copied post

“Thursday June 11, 2026 8PM

Hello all - and again a special welcome to our many new members who have joined in the last ten days. The Committee for a Fair Fix just met on Zoom and I am going to provide some quick updates and answer a few questions.

1. When will the conference committee start and who will be on it? We don't know yet but we will let everyone know once it is announced.

2. Should I contact my rep and/or senator RIGHT NOW because I am worried about the Senate's proposed 7% compounded interest rate? Our committee does not recommend that anyone contact reps or senators about this issue at the moment because the Conference Committee has not even met yet and according to our trusted friends and allies, pressuring everyone before those proceedings begin will be viewed as toxic. Of course, there may be a time moving forward when we need folks to lean in again and reach out to their reps and senators. We will not hesitate to ask if that need or opportunity arises.

3. I am new to this group and I have a million questions about all of this. Is there a Frequently Asked Questions document that you can share with me that can help answer many of my questions? Not yet, but we are working on this and hope to have at least a partial version ready to go on Sunday June 14th.

4. How much is it going to cost me to buy back into RetirementPlus and is it going to be a lot of money? First, the only agency that can tell YOU how much you are going to owe is the MTRS (and this is true for everyone - including members of the Boston Retirement System bc MTRS ultimately handles all benefit payments and administration). So you should get in touch with the nice folks at MTRS and/or create your personal account on their site and begin the process of investigating And yes, it is going to cost you a lot of money for a number of reasons that we have covered in detail in posts over the last three or four years here in the Facebook group. What our Committee has always stood for and fought for is the opportunity for everyone to have a chance to buy back in to R+ (principal and negotiated interest) if it works for them and their family. Our hope of course is that we can convince the legislature to set the interest rate at the lowest amount possible - and our friends and allies at the negotiating table will certainly fight to make that happen for us. And if our trusted advisors and allies believe that it will help to communicate en masse with reps and senators again, we will not hesitate to ask you to lean in as you all have done so many times before.

5. How will the re-enrollment process work? Ultimately, it will be up to the MTRS to explain this to all of us, but we can provide some explanation based on the bill that allowed transfers to opt back in back in 2022. There will be an election where you check off (vote) that you want to join and agree to pay back the principal and the interest; then they will review your account and send you an invoice along with options for options for repayment (lump sum or various schedules for installment payments).

That's all for now friends. Look for the next update - most likely on Sunday!

In solidarity,

Amy, Bridget, Chris, Emily, and Ted

The Committee for a Fair Fix for R+”

06/11/2026

Your backing is crucial as the contract barging team invests three hours of their Thursday evening to fight for your interests. Please consider signing up to act as a silent representative to show your support. Your attendance for the full duration is entirely optional.

Please sign up at least 24 hours in advance for the day(s) you would like to attend. You can also visit the Bargaining HQ for more info. See your email for the link to the HQ

06/09/2026

Important info if you are carrying student debt 👇👇👇👇

Join our upcoming town hall on June 17 to learn about major changes coming to the federal student loan system next month. AFT President Randi Weingarten and Protect Borrowers will share important info and deadlines about new repayment rules, PSLF restrictions, and borrowing limits.

Register here ⤵️

https://sharemylesson.com/webinars/student-loan-borrowers-how-we-fight-back

06/08/2026

An extremely detailed update on the Retirement Plus Revisit Bill. Please take note if you have questions.
This is a well crafted thoughtful response. Thanks for all Ted!
👏

Monday June 8th, 2026 6:30PMish

Hello friends. Some quick updates and clarifications:

Where are we in the process? The House reportedly sent the senate version of the bill to the House Committee on Bills in the Third Readings today. It's a procedural step in negotiations with the senate along the way to passage. It is not an attempt to kill or table our bill.

We are still very very much on track for final passage.

*****

How are the buy back amounts going to be calculated and why will some folks have to pay more than others? This is a great question, and before I go into details let me provide a very simple explanation. In order to qualify for R+ you must have contributed 11% of your pay to the retirement fund since 2001, and; you have to have at least thirty years of service. The vast majority of folks NOT in R+ have paid less than 11%, and those who have paid the least are now going to have to pay the most (8+2), while those who have contributed more are going to have to pay less (9+2). And believe it or not, there are some folks who have been charged the full 11% for nearly 25 years (or some part) and those folks will have to pay a lot less or perhaps nothing at all (depending upon how long they have been paying at the full 11%). So there is going to be a range based on a number of factors, and two of the biggest drivers of individual cost will be the amount you have contributed and the interest rate included in the final bill.

*****

How much do you think the interest rate will be and why haven't you shared that yet? The House version of the bill has no interest (which would mean that folks only have to pay the principal), and the Senate version is 7% compounded. So the final interest rate will be somewhere between those two numbers. Obviously our hope as a committee is that the interest rate is set at rate that is affordable to everyone, BUT we have been very clear with everyone from the beginning that in order for this campaign to be seen as fiscally and politically legitimate we all had to accept the fact right from the beginning that folks who want back in will have to pay the principal and some negotiated level of interest.

We have not shared specifics of what we hope and expect because the issue is under negotiation, and it is extremely important at this point that we not undermine our friends and allies while they are working to negotiate the best deal possible.

*****

Why can't there be no interest?

The reason that there has to be some interest is that when the state collects our retirement contributions, that money goes into a massive investment fund. The benefits paid to retired members every month essentially come from two sources: the interest from those investments AND the state's annual budget (ie taxes collected and spent by the state). Because most of us were contributing at a lower rate, the state lost out on some level of revenue that the fund would have otherwise earned. As a committee we learned a long time ago that the only way that our effort would eventually be viewed legitimately (both fiscally and politically) was to accept that everyone would have to pay back the principal owed in full, and then also pay some level of "fair" interest on top of that, as negotiated within the legislative process (with input from us via our sponsors and allies).

And the reasons for the need are pretty simple.

The first is that in order to get to where we are right now our bill has had to make it past at least EIGHT fiscal watchdogs (the Joint Committee on Public Service, House Ways and Means, Senate Ways and Means, the Governor's A&F staff, the MTRS, PERAC, and the State Treasurer's Office). Overcoming this has been quite literally an epic accomplishment - and one of the most important reasons we have is because we knew from the very beginning that not a single one of these entities was going to accept a 'no interest' buy back. The easiest argument for any of them to make against us would be the potential longterm negative impacts on the over all fiscal health of the retirement fund if some level of interest was not also included.

The other reason has to do with the issue of fairness. Many of us at some point have had to face a confrontational colleague or fellow union member who told us to our face that they would outright oppose this campaign if they found out we were trying to get something "for free" that everyone else had to pay for/contribute to - which is completely understandable. There are many folks on Beacon Hill (both legislators and staff) who agree with this position as well - and again the only way to win this fight was to disarm absolutely everyone who might oppose us by accepting "some level of negotiated 'fair' interest" from the very beginning.

The great news is that the vast majority of citizens (fellow teachers, experts, elected officials, average voters) are enthusiastically supportive of our bill once they learn about the problem and the fix that we have proposed. This is why and how we have been able to take an issue that only impacts 8000+ people (in a state of more than 7 million) and build a statewide coalition so broad and powerful that every single state rep and senator in the legislature now supports us.

Shouldn't folks who want to buy back in have to pay an exact amount of interest based on the retirement funds returns over the last 25 years?

No. They should not. And even if it were possible to actually calculate that exact amount (which it is not), there are other factors to take into consideration, the first one being that the flawed enrollment of the R+ program initially caused real harm to thousands of teachers and family members. While a a fair fix and interest rate is going to have some fiscal impact on the fund, it is not going to create any lasting harm or fiscal challenges. (The MTRS staff told us when we met with them that they estimate the impact to be equal to a 'rounding error').

In the end, teacher pensions are a thing that our state government funds, and since many thousands of teachers were injured through no fault of their own - the simplest and most fair approach is for elected leaders and our advocates to work together to craft the best deal they can in a timely fashion.

Since everyone has known about this problem since 2001, why didn't this campaign start earlier than 2019?

Around 2018, the MTRS began to send notices to many thousands of teachers around the state (who thought that they were in R+) that they were in fact NOT in R+. The Committee for a Fair Fix began in the BTU not long after that and we have been working continuously ever since to pass legislation to fix the problem.

06/07/2026

To keep you informed about the Retirement Plus Revisit Bill:✔️✔️✔️

Copied from the R+ Group:

“Saturday June 6th, 2026

Good morning friends and colleagues from across the great state of Massachusetts. It's been an exciting few days for all of us, and after taking a few days (mostly) off to celebrate our recent victory in this long journey, this is going to be a long-ish update to bring everyone up to speed so that we are all on the same page. Believe it or not, we have had another wave of new folks joining recently so it is important that we all know what to expect in the coming weeks and next two months and we remain celebratory and excited....but still vigilant and ready for action.

But the first order of business today is a HUGE SHOUT OUT to the other members of the Committee for a Fair Fix for R+: Chris Leone of East Boston High School, Amy Piacitelli of Charlestown High, Emily Bibbins Silas of English High, and instructional coach and former Haley teacher Bridget Galvin. Everyone of them is an absolute rock star and they have played a huge role over the better part of the last decade to keep our campaign moving and growing!! Other former members who played key roles at various stages: Lee Franty, Jason Raisner, Angel Cartagena, Karen Karin Barooshian Rizza, and former BTU field rep and secretary treasurer Michael Michael McLaughlin.

Gigantic thanks to all of you as well.

****

Second order of business: thank your state senator!

So obviously the other day the State Senate took up THEIR version of our bill and passed it unanimously. This was the first time in this long fight that they have taken official action toward resolving this issue for us and we are deeply grateful to everyone in the Senate who has played a role in getting us to this point. There are many factors that led to that sweeping victory, but none has been more important than you and your willingness to lean-in every single time we asked you to. Your passion, patience, and steadfast positivity are what got us here. So cheers to you all!

Before I continue, I want to put our next "Action Alert" right up front here in this post. Because what we all need to do is a new round of thank-you calls and emails to your state senator.

Here is a simple template you can follow:

1. Address them as "Dear Senator _____"

2. Tell them your name and which town you live in. Chances are they have already heard from you a dozen times or more and already know this! But say it anyway.

3. Thank them sincerely in your own words. Copy and pasting won’t cut it here. Give it to them from the heart. They will appreciate it.

4. Tell them we look forward to celebrating with them after final passage (which we hope will happen before the end of July).

5. Sign your name.

A few other suggestions. Email is fine. A handwritten note is even better. Also, DO NOT ask them for anything in this communication (help getting it done by the end of July; request to bring the interest rate down; please support another bill, etc.,). We will very likely do all of that in future communications in coming weeks and months.

Right now we simply need to pause and offer an unqualified and unconditional THANK YOU.

Do this ASAP (today or tomorrow).

****

Next order of business.

We keep getting this question because there is some misinformation out there: “Will those who voted not to opt-in back in 2001 be allowed to opt in now.”

Yes. According to both the House and Senate versions of the bill the answer to this question is yes.

******

So what comes next? The answer: conference committee.

Because both chambers (House and Senate) have passed slightly different versions of our bill, the next step is that the leadership will appoint three members from each chamber to a conference committee (so three House members and three Senate members). If memory serves, there will be two democrats and one Republican from each chamber because the Dems control both chambers. That's not much of a concern for us in this case since every member of both parties voted for us (and we are deeply grateful to our Republican allies in this fight as well since nearly all of them have been in our corner in this fight since the very beginning).

The conference committee will meet in private to negotiate a compromise version of both bills (a report), and if and when they reach an agreement they will forward that report/new bill to both chambers for a last and final vote.

*****

What are the main differences between the two bills?

The first main difference is that the House bill has no interest and the Senate has 7% compounded interest. Obviously we would all lean toward the House side on this.

The second difference is that while both bills would allow the election to begin right away, the election period in the House version is 6 months while the Senate provides a full year. We obviously lean toward the senate position on this one because some folks are going to need more time to figure out how to make this work for them.

A final significant difference is the House bill includes language that would allow employees at DESE who used to be in R+ (former district teachers and administrators) to opt back in as well, while the Senate version does not.

****

How long will this conference committee take vs how much time do we have?

Conference committees can go on for months, or longer - but our goal is to get this done relatively quickly because the formal session ends at the end of July - and there are many practical and political reasons for getting it wrapped up by then. Our hope is that leaders in the conference can reconcile the differences within this window of time so that both chambers can pass the final version and send it to the Governor to be signed before the August recess.

*****

What happens if this doesn't get done by the end of July?

Because the bill is going to conference, technically the process could extend into the informal session which starts up again in September and runs right up to the end of the calendar year. This means that the legislature could vote on it sometime this fall. But as I mentioned before, there are lots of practical and political reasons for us to get this done before the summer break, and the sentiment among legislators we have spoken with is that there is a sense of urgency to get done by the end of July. There is some chance that we will apply appropriate pressure to help encourage this (which means asking you all to lean in again) but we will have to wait and see what happens.

****

Can I use my 403B savings to pay for the buy back?

The MTRS has confirmed that the answer to this is yes, but it depends somewhat on the rules of your fund (so you might want to start looking into this soon).

That's all for now friends. In the next update we will try to discuss potential cost and the factors that will influence buy back amounts.

Have a wonderful weekend!

In solidarity,

Amy, Bridget, Chris, Emily, and Ted

The Committee for a Fair Fix for R+

— with Jessica Tang.”

06/04/2026

Keeping you up to date on the Retirement Plus Revisit Bill.
FYI below ✔️

🚨R+ has passed the Senate!!

At 12:05pm today, the MA Senate voted 39-0 to pass Retirement Plus, legislation that would enable up to 8,000 of our state’s longest-serving educators to buy back into a retirement system they were left our of due to a confusing and bungled rollout.

Since the House passed R+ earlier this session, it will now go to conference committee, where the two chambers will draft a unified bill that amends the differences between the two versions.

R+ isn’t law yet, but today’s vote means we’re on track to get this bill to Governor Healey’s desk!!

Thank you, THANK YOU to Senate leadership and every single Senator who voted today to allow our longest-serving educators to retire with dignity. Thank you to lead sponsor Liz Miranda for getting this bill through the Senate after years of advocacy. And thank you to House leadership and all our friends in the House who unanimously passed R+ earlier this session! And most of all, thank you to every single educator and advocate who made calls, wrote letters, and visited legislators at the State House with us. Never forget that grassroots advocacy WORKS!

Next stop: Conference Committee! 🥳

06/02/2026

City Council AdHoc meeting of the Whole Budget Sub Committee meeting where our school budget FY 27 will be voted on.