MTA Retired Members Gathering

Join us for an overview of the current state of the teacher pension COLA (Cost Of Living Adjustment) system in Massachusetts and a discussion of legislative efforts to address it. We will include information on actions you can take to advocate for a stronger pension COLA.

In addition, we will address the WEP-GPO (Windfall Elimination Provision - Government Pension Offset). The WEP reduces the Social Security benefits of people who work in jobs covered by Social Security and jobs NOT covered by Social Security over the course of their careers. 

Presenters:

COLA

Anthony Moreschi, Government Relations Specialist, MTA Arthur MacEwan, professor emeritus in the Department of Economics and a senior research fellow at the Center for Social Policy at UMass Boston

WEP-GPO 

Robert Whalen, Retired Member Organizer and Staff Consultant to the Retired Members Committee Kip Fonsh, MTA Board of Directors, Statewide Retired District

Please join us for a conversation of how the threats to public libraries and school libraries are unprecedented.

Book banning is on the rise and freedom of speech is at risk. Still, there are reasons to hope that freedom to read, to inquire and to learn will prevail.

Presenter: Bill Newman is an attorney with the ACLU of Massachusetts and co-host of a daily radio show, Talk the Talk, where he interviews newsmakers, activists, authors & artists and available as a podcast at whmp.com

This workshop will be a fast-paced program on sex and aging. From hormonal changes to sex toys, Dr. Fleishman will describe the current research in the field of sexuality and aging that address your most intimate concerns and answer questions about sex over 60.

Presenter: Dr. Jane Fleishman, award-winning sexuality researcher and educator

Sixty years ago, white supremacist groups in the American South bused Black community members North. Today, mayors and governors across the United States are busing migrants to cities and towns far away.

What can we learn from resistance to the reverse freedom rides of the 1960s? How might those lessons be applied today?

Presenter: Sarah Sherman-Stokes is a clinical associate professor at Boston University School of Law. Ms. Sherman-Stokes teaches Immigration Law and is the associate director of the Immigrants’ Rights & Human Trafficking Clinic. Her scholarship takes a critical look at immigration law and policy, including at the intersections of asylum law, detention and deportation, and immigrant surveillance, enforcement, and abolition.

Youth and elder climate activists will share their perspectives and explain their organization's strategies for addressing the catastrophic nature of global warming, and what they think their constituency brings to the fight.

Members of MTA's Climate Action Network (MTA CAN) will moderate and share a bit about our strategy and projects as a group specific to the MTA. There will be plenty of time for discussion, as well as opportunities for participants to learn how to get more involved.

Presenters: Members of MTA's Climate Action Network

Along with democratizing collective bargaining, local unions are increasingly developing Contract Action Teams (CAT teams) to work hand-in-hand with the bargaining committee members in organizing major job actions and escalating campaigns that support and strengthen contract negotiations at the table.

This includes bargaining for the common good, identifying and developing leaders and key issues that unite educators with students and their families, building escalating campaigns with the intention of securing a fair contract, and understanding how to navigate the legal landscape in Massachusetts labor law, especially when engaging with collective actions which are “extra-legal”.

Presenters:

Max Page, President MTA

Ross Berry, MTA Organizer

Kevin Tierney, MTA Organizer

Deb Gesualdo, President, Malden Education Association

Strike Leaders from various locals

This workshop will offer an introduction to the Museum of Fine Arts recently renewed efforts to create opportunities for our audiences to engage with the visual arts by revealing connections, exploring differences, and fostering moments of discovery and learning.

We will explore the variety and impact of the MFA’s initiatives, programs, and special events for children, families, communities across the region, and learners of all ages. Finally, we will also solicit and discuss creative and innovative ideas for our continued engagement of educators and their students in Massachusetts and beyond.

Presenter: Dr. Nile Blunt, Senior Director of Museum Learning at the Museum of Fine Arts