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Hello, and welcome to the Westfield
Education Association (WEA). We are committed to teaching the
children of our future. The Association consists of approximately
700 teachers, administrators, nurses and classroom aides. Union meetings are on the first Monday of the month, 3:45, at 16 Union Ave, second floor.
Coats for Kids - Back in late November of last year the area was hit with the first cold air of Winter with temperatures in the mid 20s. A teacher at South Middle school noticed that 22 of her students did not have adequate winter clothing, so she called the WEA Union President. Later that day the President came to that school with 2 boxes full of winter clothing. She also called a retired teacher who came by the next day with a car load of coats, hats and gloves, enough for all 22 students!
WEA Scholarship Application
MTA and NEA Recommend Markey for U.S. Senate
The Massachusetts Teachers Association and the National Education Association are recommending U.S. Representative Edward J. Markey (5th Congressional District) in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State John F. Kerry. "Congressman Markey has been a strong and effective advocate for public education and the rights of working men and women," said MTA President Paul Toner. "He knows how to get things done. He is intelligent, hard-working and principled. If Ed Markey is elected, we are confident he will fight as hard for students and public education in the U.S. Senate as he has done in the House."
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One of the major education policy events of the past year was the establishment of a new educator evaluation framework for teachers and administrators in MA. Click for details.
The new municipal health insurance law was passed at the State House on July 11, 2011. Note that all public sector Unions have forfeited their collective bargaining rights regarding health insurance. An argument exists that the state's collective bargaining rights law under Massachusetts General Law, CHAPTER 150A LABOR RELATIONS, Section 1 Public policy, does not include health insurance. Another argument exists that indeed it does. Read the law and decide for yourself whether health insurance falls under collective bargaining rights in MGL 150A. Rather than legally challenge giving up this right, the MTA and other public sector unions have worked with the legislature to pass a responsible health insurance plan. We have done this because we know that every municipality and state in the country is facing tough economic conditions and budget shortfalls. We are doing our part to make the cities and state economically viable, this is part of the shared sacrifice that many in the state and nation are making to deal with the present fiscal crisis. We hope that all will participate in this shared sacrifice so as to keep our country strong. Click here to see the history of this MHI development.
Over the course of the last year, attacks on public sector employees have been happening across the nation in Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Iowa, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Nevada, Florida and in February Rhode Island, where all teachers in Central Falls were fired. The sole purpose of these attacks in to bust Unions nationwide. Over the past 70 years Unions have outlawed child labor, and given employees the 40 hour work week, weekends off, health care, pensions, worker safety, vacations and collective bargaining rights. Do you want to lose all these rights? Do you want to lose your job? That's what the nationwide coordinated game plan is for the Republican party.
Michigan Governor signs Right to Work Bill into Law, 12/11/2012
Studies have long shown that the family environment has the greatest impact on student performance in school, now a recent nationwide survey reinforces the importance of family in a student's education, and President Obama says the same in his 2011 State of the Union address.
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