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Contact Congress for federal money and an update on legislative efforts

5/13/2020

Dear Colleague:

We know that many of you are concerned about the non-reappointments of NTT associate lecturers and some lecturers, and budget cutbacks. We will be following up directly with members who have received such notices with more information.  In the meantime, here’s how you can help:

Thanks to your help, there is another COVID-19 relief bill, called The HEROES Act (for more information on this see here), which is expected to be voted on in the House this Friday.  This bill:

  • Allocates $900 billion for state and local fiscal relief.
  • Provides $100 billion in emergency aid for public education, from pre-K through college.
  • Provides $10K in student debt relief

Send a letter to Congress on the Heroes Act to pass this bill even if you already sent one encouraging the ‘people’s bailout’ that got this bill written (correction on an earlier email today—the House released but has yet to vote on this bill). 

Email your state legislators to urge UMass not to cut personnel, to use non-personnel cost savings to address budget shortfalls, and to fight for federal relief for higher education:  https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-our-state-legislators-umass-works-because-we-do/

►UMass Lowell leaders are organizing a car caravan this Friday at noon to protest the layoffs of nearly half the Maintenance & Trades Union members and threatened layoffs of the Classified and Technical Union.  Let us know if you can mask up and drive to UMass Lowell. There will be a Face Book event up as soon as MTA has the departure location. Visit the MTA Higher Ed page (see below) to send an email and post to social media.  Sign the letter to stop the layoffs here:   https://actionnetwork.org/letters/stop-layoffs-at-umass-lowell

►Stop layoffs at Bristol Community College:  This and all higher ed actions (including the letter to Meehan and state help for adjunct faculty) are on the MTA Higher Ed page:

https://massteacher.org/about-the-mta/who-we-are/higher-education/take-action-for-public-higher-education

Pushing back works!  The combination of member and political pressure got one Community College to pull back on planned layoffs. 

Sincerely,

Marlene Kim

FSU President

Professor, Economics

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