Contract negotiations update: board comes back to the table

You did it. You heard our call and you took action! Over the long weekend, you made calls, and you sent texts and emails. At Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, members raised their voices demanding respect and a fair contract. Collectively we sent hundreds of messages to the mayor and BOE members to urge them to return to the negotiations table. And it worked! The Board of Education’s attorney called our team on Wednesday morning to schedule two additional negotiation sessions next week. Now we need to keep up the pressure.

To show your support for our negotiations team and our fight for a fair contract, please wear blue to work on Monday, October 17. Then post pictures of you and your colleagues wearing blue on social media and tag us on Facebook (@NHFT - New Haven Federation of Teachers) and Twitter (@NHFT933). Please help spread the word to your colleagues throughout New Haven.

We want to make sure that our working conditions and our rights as teachers are protected. We want to make sure that every teacher gets a raise while also defending against unfair increases to our health insurance. Our team has been committed to this process for months. We started in the spring when we surveyed our members and hosted open contract working group meetings. We continued this summer when we worked hard to write comprehensive and fair proposals to support our teachers, our students, and our schools. And we will keep working this fall to reach an agreement with the Board that ensures New Haven educators receive the compensation, benefits and support we deserve.

We know the outcome of this contract will affect teacher retention in New Haven. And we know that our students deserve fully staffed schools where teachers are respected as professionals. And it is for these reasons that we need you to show your support for a fair contract and wear blue on Monday, October 17.

Because of you and your willingness to take action, our union is getting stronger everyday. Let’s keep up the momentum until we get the contract that we deserve.

In solidarity,

​Leslie Blatteau
President, NHFT