Day Beholden To The Union Brass Who Fund His Campaign

A Letter to the Editor from Mary Lou Bracciotti:

After reading the predictable press release from Representative Mike Day stating the obvious endorsement of every union under the sun, one thing struck me as rather revealing: Both Mike Day and the Massachusetts Teachers Organization are not focused on getting the job done for our kids, their education, and what is best for the teaching profession.

I know my statement seems bold, especially when it comes to my former state teachers’ union, but it is sadly the truth. I have read countless emails and communications from the MTA over the past few years, and their focus has been on raising taxes - the failed so-called millionaire’s tax proposal, resisting Donald Trump and Republicans, and open borders for illegal immigrants. All during this time, teachers have been saddled with an oppressive teacher evaluation system and the adoption of the weak Common Core standards into our curriculum.

For the life of me, I don’t understand why a state teachers union with arguably the best public schools in the nation would be focused on a national progressive agenda. My best guess is that our unions today have become appendages of the overall Democrat Party advocating their agenda instead of advocating the needs to classroom teachers and the students they teach.

When you take a look at Mike Day’s tenure as a State Representative, his record on education is as unfocused as the MTA. He has failed to deliver on his promise for more Chapter 70 Local Aid for our schools. He has also failed to get MBSA reimbursement for a new Stoneham High School. He sat for a little while on the Joint Committee on Education and was ineffective, so he has moved on to another committee. In short, like the MTA, Mike Day has short changed those of us interested in great schools and an improved professional environment moving forward.

The laundry list of unions in his press release tells all of us who he has always been beholden to: the union brass who fund his campaigns. These unions even have a special provision, known as the union loophole, where they can give up to $15,000 to one candidate per year. The don’t only give him money, they force members to hold signs, drop literature off at the doors, and make phone calls at election time. But when they advocate, they work together to advocate a progressive agenda that raises our taxes, attacks DC politicians, and supports open borders that threatens our security and overwhelms our services for those in need.

The only way to break this stranglehold on this political machine is to vote their candidates out. I will be voting for his opponent, Caroline Colarusso. We need change.

Mary Lou Bracciotti, Broadway, Stoneham