Striking while the electoral iron's hot

Integrating clinical departments and collaborating across disciplines allows Mass General Brigham to elevate the quality of patient care across our system. Patients have access to world-class physicians and care informed by cutting-edge research and innovations—all for one seamless experience.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association has racked up major wins at the ballot box in the last decade, defeating an expansion of charter schools, helping shepherd an income surtax into law, and in a near-standalone effort, eliminating the requirement that a high school student pass the MCAS test to graduate.

Those wins have prompted political chatter about a possible ballot question granting educators the right to strike. While they are prohibited by state law and face fines for striking, 12 MTA affiliates have gone on strike since 2019, including four last year over pay and parental leave.

It’s up in the air whether the union, which has 117,000 members led by Max Page, makes a move towards the 2026 ballot, but so far there has been little action behind the scenes. A deadline is fast approaching: Aug. 6 is the last day to submit a ballot question, with 10 initial signatories, to the state attorney general’s office.

The MTA’s 74-member board of directors plans to meet July 27 in Amherst, and decide whether to pursue any ballot initiatives, according to Deb McCarthy, the union’s vice president.

Worth keeping in mind: The concept of legalizing strikes is a different pitch to voters, more about the bargaining table than the classroom desk that the union sought to center in its other ballot battles. Public opinion has been divided.

The state’s business community, on the opposite side of the union’s winning streak, would oppose a right-to-strike measure. “Now whether or not enough of an effort can be mustered to defeat it, if it comes onto the ballot, that remains to be seen,” said Bob Rivers, Eastern Bank’s executive chair.

For the union, the legislative process remains another avenue, though Beacon Hill leaders have previously said they oppose legalizing strikes. The Legislature’s Labor Committee held a hearing Tuesday that took testimony on bills that would allow educators to strike after six months of negotiations. Paul McMurtry, the House chair who witnessed a teachers strike in Dedham in 2019, said he is “in favor of looking at” the bill.

Should the MTA run with a ballot question or choose a different battle? Let me know what you think: [email protected].

MASSterList Job Board
Learning and Finance Director — NEW!, Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General
City Clerk/Clerk of the Council — NEW!, City of Newton
General Counsel, Massachusetts Gaming Commission
Senior Manager, Harborwalk, Resilience, and Access, Boston Harbor Now
Director of External Affairs, Framingham State University
Vice President for Legal and Government Affairs / General Counsel, Framingham State University
Major Gifts Coordinator, Conservation Law Foundation
Executive Director, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Regional Assistant, Senator Ed Markey

Jobs continue below the fold — post a job

Happening Today

11:00 | House lawmakers meet in a formal session to consider a redraft (H 4271) of Senate-approved legislation further shielding reproductive and transgender care from federal or out-of-state legal action. | House Chamber

1:15 | Gov. Maura Healey swears in Democrat Lisa Field as the newest member of the House of Representatives. Field, of Taunton, narrowly won a special election to succeed the late Rep. Carol Doherty. | House Chamber

3:00 | The conference committee tasked with ironing out a fiscal 2025 supplemental budget (H 4151/ S 2540) meets for the first time. The legislation includes money for home care services, rental aid, hospital funding and more. | Room 212, State House

NEWS NEXT DOOR

ICE PRESSURE: In a lawsuit brought by higher education groups over Trump administration immigration policies and the arrest of a Tufts PhD student, a Boston ICE official said agency employees have been ordered to prioritize immigration enforcement cases instead of criminal ones. - Boston Globe

ZONING VARIANCE: After Marblehead voters rejected zoning requirements under the MBTA Communities Act, the select board is asking Gov. Maura Healey for an exemption from the law. The noncompliance is expected to cost them grant money. - Marblehead Current

BLUE LINE BLUES: Hundreds of MBTA riders were forced to evacuate a stuck Blue Line train under Boston Harbor. - NBC Boston

JOB CUTS: Boston-based State Street, one of the Bay State’s largest employers, is cutting jobs as its owner eyes more efficiency through artificial intelligence. - Boston Business Journal

STRIKE SUIT: Republic Services, the trash company warring with Teamsters Local 25, has filed a lawsuit alleging that during the strike in several cities and towns, union members may have stolen a truck and slashed vehicle tires. - WBUR

FROM BEACON HILL

VOTER ROLLS: Secretary of State Bill Galvin, in his capacity as the state elections chief, is asking a federal judge to toss a lawsuit from a conservative group looking to access voter files. - Gloucester Times

SHELTER SPENDING: An estimate puts spending on emergency family shelters at just under $900 million for fiscal year 2025, which just ended, though the final number is likely to be closer to $1 billion, according to a new report. - Boston Herald

STARTER HOMES: A Beacon Hill committee on Tuesday heard a proposal for financial incentives tied to zoning for allowing starter homes as a way to make homeownership more affordable. - State House News Service

MORE HEADLINES

UMass researchers: International deaths, money can predict volume of news coverage

State to hike fees for cremation reviews

Chelsea named 2025 All-America city for sustainability projects

Job Board

Do you have an open job you'd like to feature here? Click here to place a job board order, or email Dylan Rossiter at [email protected].