In New Attack on MTEA Members, Superintendent Cassellius and Director Zombor Make Unprecedented Move to Go Beyond Act 10 to Hurt Workers

Last Tuesday, the MPS School Board, led by Board President Missy Zombor, rubber-stamped Superintendent Brenda Cassellius’s less-than-full COLA on July 1 proposal for base wage increases in the 2026-27 school year. Director Mimi Reza was the only no vote, and Dr. Kate Vannoy abstained.

On Friday, MPS’s attorney sent a letter to MTEA proposing that MTEA execute a document that purports to be a collective bargaining agreement. No agreement exists and MTEA rejected the proposal.

Superintendent Cassellius is advancing a new interpretation of Act 10, stating that if MTEA did not agree to sign by 5pm today, future base wage adjustments would be based on employee wages as of January 1, 2026, instead of the salaries as adjusted this coming January 1, 2027. 

To our knowledge, no public sector employer has ever attempted to apply the law in this way, which goes beyond even what Scott Walker’s anti-worker Act 10 intended. Make no mistake: this is an aggressive anti-union, anti-worker, regressive approach by Superintendent Brenda Cassellius and Board President Missy Zombor against the members of MTEA.

The MTEA Executive Board and MTEA Bargaining Team held an emergency meeting Sunday to discuss these new attacks on MTEA members’ union rights by the superintendent and school board president. The less-than-full-COLA on July 1 increase forced onto members by the Superintendent and seven school board members was not agreed to by MTEA. There is no agreement to sign off on.

MTEA responded to the MPS letter today rejecting this attack on MTEA workers. 

Use Your Voice at the School Board This Thursday, May 7

As Superintendent Cassellius and Board President Zombor continue their anti-union attacks on MTEA workers, we need to continue standing together and educating the rest of the school board on how their attacks impact students and workers. This Thursday, May 7, at 5:30pm, the MPS Board’s Strategic Planning and Budget Committee will meet to hear from the Superintendent as well as members of the public about their MPS budget priorities. Take this opportunity to come out and stand together for MPS students and workers.

RSVP to attend the May 7 School Board meeting.