Tomorrow is MAY DAY! There will be actions across MA—check in with your local union for their plans! If you’re able, join us in Boston @4:30pm where @aft.org Secretary-Treasurer Fed Ingram will join Pres. @jessjtang.bsky.social on stage to close out the day. RSVP to join: tinyurl.com/aftmayday2026

🚨ACTION NEEDED‼️ Mariola is a mom & dedicated Lynn Teachers Union paraprofessional. 16 years ago, she came to the US fleeing violence & persecution—now ICE is threatening to deport her, separating her from her son & students. TELL ICE: STOP MARIOLA’S DEPORTATION: tinyurl.com/aftma4mariola

One big piece of news out of our Lobby Day: State Senator and longtime AFT MA friend Sal DiDomenico telling us, “I don't guarantee anything in this world. But I can guarantee that [Retirement Plus] is very close to getting done.”

This week, President @jessjtang.bsky.social joined the Mass TPS Committee for a press conference calling on the Supreme Court to stop what could become the largest de-documentation of legal immigrants in US history.

Lobby Day 2026 was a huge success! 🥳 Thank you to the nearly 100 AFT MA members, staff, and kids who came out for our second annual lobby day. Together we advocated for legislation and critical funding that will directly support our students, our communities, & working families across MA. @aft.org

Today’s the day! Don’t miss our Spring Town Hall TONIGHT @5PM! Tune in to learn about school safety teams to support students & families navigating ICE intimidation, hear from organizers at Berklee about their work to unionize staff, and ask Gov. Healey your questions! RSVP at tinyurl.com/SPTH26

Happy National Unicorn—we mean, “Unique-corn”—Day from Boston’s Baldwin Early Learning Center!🦄 President @jessjtang.bsky.social, @btu66.bsky.social VP Lea Serena, and BPL PSA & MLSA VP Pres. Allie Hahn read unicorn books at Baldwin's “Unique-corn” Day, which celebrates what makes all of us unique!

The best day to thank a para is: ⭕️ Today ⭕️ Tomorrow 🔴 EVERY DAY! Join us in celebrating #ParaprofessionalAppreciationDay today by showing a para in your life some love and showing up for them when they bargain their next contract. @aft.org

UMassD GSU has a TA!! UMass Dartmouth grad student workers fought hard to form a union three years ago, & today they finally have a tentative agreement on their first contract! Congrats to the UMassD GSU members who worked so hard to get here & the whole UMassD Maintainers community! @aft.org

Berklee staff are UNIONIZING!! 💪🥳🎺 Today, Berklee staff delivered a petition to recognize their union to College President Jim Lucchese, signed by a supermajority of staff—backed by a brass band and the most joyful union march across campus. @aft.org

Brant Duncan of @aftmass.bsky.social on the fiscal crisis facing communities: “To call the situation dire would not be hyperbolic.” #mapoli

Over 250 AFT MA and fellow union members showed up today as part of No Kings III to 🧊🙅🏻‍♀️ DE-ICE CITIZENS BANK!! 🙅🏻‍♀️🧊 @aft.org @btu66.bsky.social

President Tang and Lawrence Teachers Union President Kimberly Barry were invited to testify before the MA Legislature’s Joint Committee on Ways & Means yesterday about the FY27 budget.

Over 500 Chelsea community members, students, and @ctu1340.bsky.social educators came together last night at the city's school budget hearing calling on the city to come up with a school budget that is good for students and fair to educators. @aft.org

Lawrence Teachers Union showing us what SOLIDARITY looks like! Last week, LTU members across 24 schools united for a day of action calling on the district to honor the professional license pay that LTU’s PTs and OTs are entitled to—but which they still have not yet received! @aft.org

👏👏 AFT Massachusetts President @jessjtang.bsky.social featured as @aflcio.org's #WomensHistoryMonth leader of the day for her trailblazing work with the AFT! aflcio.org/2026/3/9/wom...

Did you see what Chelsea did? 👀 Last night, 400 @ctu1340.bsky.social educators, students, and community members turned out at the School Committee budget hearing to give feedback on their proposal to cut *76* student-facing positions (and zero central office staff) amid an enrollment crisis. (1/2)

Last Saturday, over 250 activists from 70 local labor & community groups gathered for the first MA Fight Back Table Solidarity School. We were lucky to be joined by so many inspiring speakers! MA is organized & reday for our next days of action: No Kings III (3/28) & May Day (5/1)! See you there? 👀

Everyone did a great job, but those kids really shine through with their homemade signs. bsky.app/profile/aftm...

AFT MA is at the State House today with our friends for Common Start Lobby Day! Massachusetts families deserve quality, affordable, accessible child care!

We’re kicking off @aft.org's Protect Our Communities day of action with @btu66.bsky.social at the Curley & Bates Schools! #March4Communities is a national day of action mobilizing union educators, students, & communities to protect our kids, our families, and our communities.

President @jessjtang.bsky.social joined Harvard Kennedy School’s Labor Rights Caucus, Education Caucus, and Professor Archon Fung today for a discussion of public education and unions’ roles in combating rising authoritarianism. (1/3)

Starting off Read Across America Week right at the Greenhalge! President @jessjtang.bsky.social, Secretary-Treasurer Duncan, and AFT MA staff joined United Teachers of Lowell’s own Mickie Dumont today in Lowell to read some of our favorite books to classes across Greenhalge Elementary School.

One union. One community. Countless words. #AFTStrong #UnionProud @aft.org

Reading and literacy are always a priority to us at AFT MA. It was such a joy to partner with @aft.org's Reading Opens the World & Lynn Teachers Union to help make CASA Lynn’s first school library possible! Check out the full story at itemlive.com/2026/02/13/c...

In her new column, @rweingarten.bsky.social writes about how Americans want us to treat each other with dignity, not inhumanity, and seeing reasons for hope in challenging times. www.aft.org/column/toget...

Due process is a bedrock of union values—when our due process rights are violated by an employer, we always fight back. President @jessjtang.bsky.social spoke to unions’ role in fighting back against federal overreach at BC Law. (pc: Reba Saldhana) (1/3) Check it out at tinyurl.com/rappaport2526!

In Boston, MA, I joined @btu66.bsky.social @aftmass.bsky.social members in welcoming students for story time and book giveaways through Reading Opens the World, showing how literacy, joy, and community come together in public schools. #PublicSchoolProud bsky.app/profile/aft....

Love for Local 3954 💙 The incredible educators of the LEA Professional Assn. at Shore Education Collaborative provide essential special education services to students in Chelsea & surrounding communities. Thanks for hosting President Tang at your monthly meeting! Keep up the amazing, work, LEA!

AFT MA lobby team in the (State) House! Another day of making sure your voices are heard on Beacon Hill 💪

Last year’s One Big “Beautiful” Bill is already wreaking havoc on health insurance plans and offerings in unions across the country. Tune in tomorrow night for the latest on what’s happening, how it’s impacting our locals, & how we’re fighting for your benefits. RSVP to join at tinyurl.com/WTH26

Every educator—every local—is feeling the effects of MA’s school funding crisis. Join us tomorrow night for all the news you need on what’s happening, why, and how our union is tackling the funding crisis. RSVP to join at tinyurl.com/WTH26

Join us tonight at 6pm to learn more about what's happening in MN, ways to stand in solidarity with MN, & build our capacity to keep our communities safe and fight back against federal attacks on our rights. Who keeps us safe? We keep us safe. RSVP at tinyurl.com/MA2MNwebinar @btu66.bsky.social

This is what solidarity looks like ✊ Union leaders and members are here in Minnesota standing together in solidarity in response to ICE’s assault on our communities. #ICEOUT @educationmn.bsky.social @mfelocal59.bsky.social #SPFE28 @aftmass.bsky.social @ctulocal1.bsky.social @neatoday.bsky.social

This is not normal. ICE out of MN.

Yesterday, after a lawsuit backed by the AFT, the Trump administration dropped its appeal, ending its attempt to force schools to censor lessons, abandon student supports, and rewrite civil rights law. Read more about this victory for public ed & students everywhere: www.aft.org/press-releas...

It’s time to TURN OUT!! Join AFT MA & 20+ unions, plus community ally groups, for a Solidarity with Minnesota standout this Friday at 3pm. Bring your coworkers, friends, and family and meet us at Boston’s South Bay Mall between Home Depot & Target! Look for the AFT MA flag ✊ @btu66.bsky.social

This weekend President @jessjtang.bsky.social presented at the @aflcio.org Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Human & Civil Rights Conference. Thank you, AFL-CIO, for convening this annual event! Gathering to share best practices with fellow unions & AFT locals is a fitting way to embody Dr. King’s legacy.

81 years ago, Fred Korematsu stood up to injustice and cruelty by challenging Japanese internment during WWII. President Tang was honored to speak at Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties & the Constitution, lifting up our collective work as educators to help pave the path to more justice & equity.

Workers must UNITE! If you’re a union member—get active in your union! If you’re not in a union—join one or form one! The opponent isn’t just masked ICE vigilantes terrorizing schools and communities, it’s the billionaire corporations profiting from terror. But WE THE WORKERS have the power.

Tell Congress: keep ICE out of schools!!

This weekend, AFT MA members rallied for justice & safety! The horrifying acts of the militarized immigration enforcement in cities across this country are not about safety. They are about power, & they are putting innocent working people in danger. These harmful, violent federal actions must end.

SAY IT LOUDER

Wondering what you can do? Find a list of local actions happening statewide at tinyurl.com/FBT-Community-Actions (1/2)

🎉 New TA alert!!   Everett Library Staff Assoc. reached a tentative agreement yesterday that features big wage increases—including 25% over 3 years for library aides!—new paid family medical leave benefits, and boosts to longevity pay. (1/2)

Welcome to AFT MA, Belmont Public Library!
 Their independent staff union chose to affiliate with AFT MA this year because they were eager for the kind of solidarity, training, and resources that weren’t accessible as a single unit union. We’re so proud to welcome another chapter of the MLSA!

Let’s hear it for North Attleboro Federation of Teachers! Last month, NAFT ratified their strongest contract in a generation, winning long-overdue stipend reform, longevity increases, sick leave buy-back, and more. Read the full story at ma.aft.org/naft2025

President @jessjtang.bsky.social joined the Board of Elementary & Secondary Education to celebrate the 2026 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year: Lowell’s own Dr. Tara Goodhue!! A three-year United Teachers of Lowell member, Dr. Goodhue is an exceptional science teacher. (1/2)

President Tang testified at today’s BESE meeting, highlighting the fiscal cliff our schools are facing while they navigate over $120 million in federal funding cuts. Further crippling budgets is the current immigration climate, which has resulted in dramatic drops to attendance and enrollment. 1/3