Get Involved.
Active Membership
Being an active member is crucial for union success. Every building has 10-minute meetings every couple of weeks with your union representatives to keep it's members informed of all union business. These are great opportunities to expression your thoughts on how things in the building are running. Bring your questions, comments and concerns and your building rep will in turn share them with the union council.
Building Representative Support
There are several building representatives at each building, but they need your help to distribute information among all the staff in the building. If you are interested in helping, but maybe not the commitment of being a rep, talk to the reps in your building and see what you can do to help! Whether its connecting with people in your hallway or handing out flyers, they could use your help!
NEA and MTA Involvement
As an ETA member, you are automatically a member of the National Education Association and the Massachusetts Teachers Association. Both of these organizations have many opportunities from professional development to political action. Some of the current initiatives include: All In: Building Union Power, Charter Schools, Ending Gun Violence, Every Student Succeeds Act, Fair Share Amendment, High Stakes Testing, Legislative Action, Opposing Privatization, State Takeover Zones and State House Information. For more information go to: massteacher.org
Political Action
In solidarity, unions have the power to effect change. Throughout the year, there are several initiatives the ETA takes up to put pressure on our government to make the education of our students a priority.
For additional updates on political action, keep your eye on our ETA Newsletter. Also check with your building representative about upcoming events!
ETA Building Representative
Every building in the Everett Public School System has a group of Building Representatives, also called Reps. These Reps work to disseminate information among members as well as work to unify members. They are there to support you with any questions or concerns as well as run all 10-minute building meetings. A building Rep represents YOU and all other ETA members. Reps attend ETA Council meetings once a month to discuss the concerns of the members, gain information about union activity, and manage the union body. If you are interested in becoming a building Rep, talk to your building Rep!
ETA Executive Board
Ready for a big challenge after mastering building representative? The ETA Executive board consists of 13 elected members and they are responsible for managing everything from grievances to contract negotiations and management of the ETA budget. They attend meetings at least twice a month and are in constant contact about union business. A valuable resource to both members and building representatives, the E-Board is the foundation of the ETA. In addition to their executive responsibilities, the board members represent all ETA members throughout the entire grienvance process and are constantly looking for ways to support the EPS teachers. The E-Board consists of a President, two Vice Presidents, two Secretaries, Treasurer, one representative each from Units B, C, and D, 3 At-Large representatives as well as the immediate past president who holds a seat on the board to help advise and counsel the members.