Boston First Responders United File for Superior Court Injunctive Relief Against BTU Union & Jess Tang re: Mandate MOA

Boston – February 14, 2022

Mayor Wu attended a Boston Teachers Union meeting last week promoting her agenda, minutes before Union President Jessica Tang rushed a vote on an MOA that would strip hundreds of members of their collective bargaining rights and cater to Wu’s inequitable vaccine mandate. “Why was the Mayor present at our meeting, where she spoke, immediately before this controversial vote took place?” John Daley, member of the Boston Teacher Association and also of Boston First Responders United.

The vote, which was not advertised to members beforehand, was to ratify an MOA that would put BTU members’ livelihoods at risk in order to adhere to Wu’s vaccine mandate. The MOA would place unvaccinated staff on indefinite unpaid administrative leave and ultimately lead to termination if Covid metrics increase. Boston First Responders United, which includes Boston Fire, Police, EMS, teachers and other city workers, have rejected Mayor’s Wu’s vaccination mandate that would place employees on leave if they cannot take a vaccine for religious or medical reasons.

“Segregation is back” said Ms. Paula Taylor, a 20-year BPS veteran educator and woman of color, speaking on behalf of the 400+ unvaccinated BPS staff now at risk of being fired if metrics shift. “I no longer have the same rights as my colleagues. I get fired it Covid comes back.” To vaccinated colleagues Taylor said, “You don’t.”

As such, Boston First Responders United has filed an injunction in Suffolk Superior Court, on behalf of two named BFRU/BTU members, BPS Teacher Plaintiffs, representing all similarly situated BTU members who will be negatively impacted by Jessica Tang and Mayor Michelle Wu’s cronyistic, rushed MOA. BFRU, on behalf of it’s teacher members, seeks a declaration from the Court that, …”the BTU has pursued an unlawful course of action and is without authority to bind the union to the terms of any agreements that are not approved by the membership in accordance with the notice and voting requirements of its bylaws.” and to issue relief immediately.