The Independent Socialist Group (ISG) supports the 10,000+ members of the Boston Teachers Union (BTU) in their fight for a contract to improve staffing and pay. The union wants a $4/hr increase for paraprofessionals, who make under $30,000/year yet are required to live in Boston, where median rent is almost $4,000/month. Inflation has gone up 20% over the last 4 years.
This past March, the Boston School Committee voted to cut hundreds of jobs. Some schools could lose 18% of their staff; as many as half of the schools might shut down entirely.
The money is there to prevent these cuts. The city as of July 2022 had $440 million in Free Cash (extra, up from $217 million a decade prior. Statewide, MA has a growing $8.2 billion Rainy Day Fund that generates $250 million in interest annually. The state also has a projected $4 billion in annual revenue through the “Fair Share” amendment – which taxes income above $1M an additional 4% – dedicated solely for education and transportation needs.
Money is there for top officials and for the Superintendent who makes $300,000/year. Mayor Wu and Boston City Council make $115-207k/year. 8 of the city’s 10 highest-paid employees are Boston police who make close to or over $400k/year.
Members of the Boston Teachers Union (BTU) rally on June 5 outside the Bolling Building before the union’s negotiation session.
ISG members in the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) stand with BTU members – our union is also facing significant cuts in cities and towns already struggling with understaffing and insufficient pay. MTA members have boldly gone on strike the last few years to win better contracts, and with joint actions between the MTA and the BTU, we can push back against the crisis in education and fight for quality education and the staff needed to get the job done.
ISG stands with the BTU and calls for:
- Full funding and staffing for all Boston Public Schools. Reverse all cuts; slash the bloated police budget; put Fair Share, Rainy Day, and Free Cash funds toward strong contracts for our schools.
- A $30/hr minimum wage in Boston
- Unified action among all union education workers in MA to fight cuts and improve wages, benefits, staffing, and programs. Organize joint actions, rallies, walkouts, and strikes.
- Tax large corporations and the rich to increase funding for education (federal funding currently only provides 8% of K-12 funding)
- Our unions to end financial support and endorsements for the corporate-controlled and anti-worker Democratic and Republican parties. Our unions should only support independent, pro-labor candidates accountable to working people and help lay the groundwork for an independent workers’ party.
Independent Socialist Group 