By David Yastremski
When Beth Passner became president of North Brunswick Township Education Association (NBTEA) in 2020, her students, her members and the entire world were in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a new president, Passner was confronted with an entirely new set of expectations regarding how NBTEA would serve the North Brunswick Township school community. She quickly realized she needed a new avenue to communicate how NBTEA was stepping in to help their students and families during the lockdown, so she created a public-facing Facebook account to help get the message out and to keep her members and students’ families informed.
“We wanted to showcase the great things that the NBTEA was doing for the students and schools during that time,” Passner said.
For the past six years, NBTEA’s Facebook feed continues to celebrate their members and profession on a weekly basis. Passner and her team highlight member achievements including awards, retirements and tenure, while sharing important information with the community regarding political action and endorsements at the local and state levels. Furthermore, they use their page to communicate opportunities for their students and families, including food bank information and backpack drives, along with other community initiatives, many of which are supported with $60,000 in NJEA Public Education Partnership (PEP) and Families and Schools Together Work for Children (FAST) grants.
Building bridges with other unions
Over time, more and more followers would access NBTEA content, building a network between the association and community, including other organizations and unions.
“We would also use our page to share information and updates from other union organizations so followers can be informed and offer their support when needed,” Passner stated. NBTEA supported the Robert Wood Johnson nurses during a five-month strike in 2023 and continues their annual support of the North Brunswick PBA Local 160’s toy drive.
Passner noted, “It’s important not to just build relationships for times of crisis. But when a crisis does occur in our neighborhood, we will be there.”
In 2024, NBTEA experienced its own crisis by declaring impasse during their contract negotiations. “It was the end of the school year but because we built our Facebook following, we already had the mechanism in place to run a focused public relations campaign to inform our community and engage our supporters,” Passner stated.
Social media and in-person organizing pay off
A crisis team was created with many new members who became active with the association for the first time. NBTEA began organizing their members and using their Facebook page to encourage attendance at board of education meetings.
“In April, we had 115 members at the meeting. In May, more than 200 people rallied outside our negotiations meeting. Again in June, more than 200 people attended the board of education meeting, including many parents who voiced their support,” Passner said.
After every meeting, NBTEA would use Facebook to share links to the statements and speeches at the board of education meetings. They created the hashtag #IamNBTEA campaign which also was used on lawn signs and shirts. Posts were communicated in English and Spanish.
The NBTEA’s public relations campaign paid off. Parents and community members spoke in support of the NBTEA during end-of-year and summer board of education meetings. The momentum led to their Aug. 13 negotiation session where 300 people rallied for a fair and just settlement. Passner noted how surprised the board was to see such an amazing turnout in the middle of summer.
Additionally, the other union organizations that NBTEA supported in the past returned the advocacy.
“The nurses said that we were there for them, so they were here for us,” Passner said. In addition, North Brunswick police officers provided Gatorade and water during the hot summer night rally while offering their support for NBTEA’s fair settlement.
And it worked. After seven hours of mediation that night, NBTEA settled their contract. “Even the mediator commented on how big the turnout was that night,” Passner said.
A contract that reflects the association’s values
NJEA Field Representative Tom Bohnyak emphasized that the NBTEA focused on making necessary improvements to their salary guides.
“The settlements reflected above county average percentages for all three years for both certificated staff and ESPs with guide enhancements that will benefit members for years to come,” Bohnyak said.
In addition, NBTEA received $120,000 to specifically support aides’ salary guides, including higher raises for aides with substitute certificates and modifying the steps to enable aides to reach the top in a shorter amount of time.
Finally, the NBTEA negotiated automatic overtime for their custodians on emergency closing days and delayed openings, a benefit NBTEA had fought for during the last 20 years.
At the table, Passner was joined by NBTEA officers, including Vice President and lead negotiator Jennifer Herrick; Vice President of Secretaries Arlene Baum; Vice President of Transportation Tasha Petrik; Vice President of Special Services Rina Richardson; Vice President of Aides Rona Hales; Treasurer Lindsey Simons; and Corresponding Secretary Joseph Landolfi.
They focused on building a diverse group of negotiating team members, including instructional aide Susan Waldron, custodian Yvonne Watson, CST member Maria Morales, and teachers Candy Hoffman and Michael Kestlinger, along with Bohnyak.
In October, the NBTEA was honored as one of the finalists for the 2025 NJEA Jim George Collective Bargaining Award, which honors excellence in negotiating contracts.
The NBTEA sees themselves as part of the North Brunswick family.
Building a union that strengthens the community
According to Passner, the campaign and outreach did not just achieve a stronger contract. The community connections the association has built have been an important factor in encouraging new staff to join the association.
“At staff orientation, we present a slideshow of all the work we do in the community, including the food banks and toy drive,” Passner said. “We emphasize that when you become part of the North Brunswick family, you are part of a union that cares about our entire community. We do more than settle contracts, we build lasting relationships that benefit our members, our community, and most importantly, our students and their families.”
David Yastremski teaches English and communication at Ridge High School in Bernards Township. He serves on the negotiations team for the Bernards Township Education Association and treasurer for the Somerset County Education Association. Yastremski is an NJEA Communications Consultant. He can be reached at dyastremski@njea.org.
Accessing NJEA PEP and FAST Grants
Public Education Partnership grants
Public Education Partnership (PEP) grants cover a variety of topics and areas, including combating privatization, passing school budgets, addressing drug and alcohol issues in the community, and helping to keep teen drivers safe. For more information about PEP programs and how to use them to increase community awareness of the great things happening in our public schools, go to njea.org/pep.
Families and Schools Together Work for Children grants
NJEA FAST grants, or Families and Schools Together Work for Children, seek to involve parents and families in their children’s education through programs and events to help improve student achievement and ensure that families feel welcome and connected to our schools. For more information, go to njea.org/fast.
Contact your local association president to identify your PEP and FAST chairs.