September 2022
THE COMMON PURPOSE
The monthly Newsletter of the Holyoke Teachers Association
Peter McAndrew, President; Quentin Donohue, Vice President; Brigetann Reilly, Secretary; James Slaney,Treasurer; Kathleen Engelson and Anne Brennan, Membership, At Large
President’s Message
Welcome back to the 2022-23 school year. By now you have welcomed your students into the classrooms and settled into the routine of your day to day schedules. It was a pleasure to see and speak to many of you last Friday, August 26th at the contract vote. On behalf of Quentin, James, Briget, Katie and Anne- the rest of the HTA leadership, I want to wish you all the best in the 2022-23 academic year.
CONTRACT NEWS:
On Friday, August 26, 2022, members of the Association met at Holyoke High School North Campus to discuss and vote on the proposed contract to be in effect from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2025. At this meeting, the majority of the members voted in favor of this Agreement. The agreement will now go into effect.
UPCOMING BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
The September meeting of the Holyoke Teachers Association Board of Directors (also known as the “Union Meeting”) will be held on Tuesday, September 13, 2022 at 4:15 pm at the HTA Office, 476 Appleton Street, Suite #6, Holyoke, MA.
HTA REPS NEEDED!
The Board of Directors will be composed of one Faculty Representative for each fifteen members in a school. Each school shall have at least one Faculty Representative. Elections shall be held prior to the October meeting. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a Union Rep, please join us at September’s meeting to see what it is all about!
BYLAWS COMMITTEE
We are looking for a few devoted folks to serve on the newly formed bylaws committee. This committee will work over the next few months to look at the HTA bylaws and see where they can be improved, tightened up and otherwise updated for 2022. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please submit your name and contact information via email to our Secretary, Bridget Reilly at brigetreillyhta@gmail.com by September 10, 2022.
IMPORTANT RIGHTS: Your Weingarten Rights Weingarten rights guarantee an employee the right to union representation whenever an employer’s investigatory interview could lead to discipline. The MTA has prepared some very informative reading about these rights for you. If you have any questions about your rights during any situation, always feel free to reach out to your union representative or a member of the Executive Board.
Holyoke Teachers Association 