The Rhode Island General Assembly will be reconvening on September 19 for a special session to tie up loose ends from the June adjournment. At the close of session, both the House and Senate passed H-5593A, the so-called continuing contract bill. The bill was sent to Governor Raimondo for her signature, but she chose to veto it instead.

In her veto message, the Governor called H-5593A a bad bill that would lead to higher property taxes. Not true.

The continuing contract bill levels the playing field and provides for the continuation of collective bargaining agreements for teachers, education support professionals, and other municipal workers – who do not have the benefit of binding arbitration – after a contract has expired until a new agreement is reached.

With the special session approaching, the General Assembly has the opportunity to override the Governor’s veto.

Please write to your state legislators today. Ask them to support the veto override of H-5593A to preserve fair labor management relations in our schools and our communities. It's a matter of fundamental fairness.

Please note that we are sending emails to the 83 elected officials who voted for the bill and the 9 members who did not vote on the bill. We are not sending emails to the 19 politicians who voted against the bill or the Senator who recused himself from voting - "No Recipients Found" will come up if you live in these districts.

The special session is around the corner, so please send your emails right away.

Thank you for taking action and for your continued support.

In solidarity,

Larry Purtill President, National Education Association Rhode Island