March 22, 2024
AFT partners with Standing Together to work for peace
The Israel-Hamas war has been devastating. Many AFT members who have ties to the Middle East and/or work in affected communities are also feeling the impact. And so, amid the pain and turmoil, the AFT has been joining voices with those working for peace between Jews and Palestinians. On March 20, AFT President Randi Weingarten, along with Race Forward Executive Vice President Eric Ward, Jewish Council for Public Affairs CEO Amy Spitalnick and Daily Beast columnist Wajahat Ali, hosted a panel discussion with leaders from Standing Together—a grassroots movement based in Israel to mobilize Jews and Palestinians in pursuit of peace, equality, and social and climate justice.
Partnering for experiential learning and CTE
A constellation of experiential learning proponents, from the governor of Maryland to the president of the AFL-CIO as well as AFT President Randi Weingarten and the AFT teachers most immersed in this work gathered at a conference March 21 to showcase the power of hands-on learning and strategize on how to expand its reach. Co-sponsored by the AFT, the Albert Shanker Institute and the Center for American Progress, the convening underscored the potential for engaging students and creating multiple pathways to fulfilling work lives through career and technical education.
Building a community school, one connection at a time
AFT member Mary Moriarty is convinced that community schools—those thriving hubs where children and their families are mutually supported by educators, businesses and community organizations—are the answer for struggling schools in her town, Hammond, Ind. That’s why she is working every angle to help establish them at two existing middle schools, starting from scratch. Here’s her story about how she got started—and how it’s going.
‘The union kept my electricity on’: Why Kaitlyn Davidson became an OSEA activist
The Oregon School Employees Association had a banner 2023 legislative year. The union, which represents 24,000 paraprofessionals and school-related personnel across Oregon, mobilized hundreds of members to win groundbreaking legislation giving classified school employees unemployment benefits, protection from unfair discipline or termination, better training to work with students with special needs, more job security for bus drivers, access to students’ individualized education plans, and a statewide annual Classified School Employees Week. All are huge victories from a policy standpoint. But to Kaitlyn Davidson, it’s personal. Davidson, a bus driver in the North Clackamas School District, showed up at the state Capitol because her union was there for her when she needed it most.
Union Talk podcast has women’s rights in focus
Join AFT President Randi Weingarten alongside Laura Wiederhoeft, a registered nurse at Planned Parenthood, and Jessica Tang, president of the Boston Teachers Union, as they delve into a compelling discussion on the ongoing struggle for reproductive rights. Listen as they explore how assaults on abortion and contraception intersect with broader challenges to freedom, labor rights and the foundations of democracy.
Real Solutions for education technology grants
The AFT Innovation Fund is pleased to announce a new round of grantmaking for the upcoming 2024-25 school year. In this year of bursting artificial intelligence, we thought the grants should focus on those that create real solutions for how we use education technology. Local and state preK-12 educators, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel and higher education members, with support from their affiliate president, are invited to submit applications by April 21. They should focus on addressing the opportunities and challenges related to education technology in schools, including procurement, adoption and spread, as
well as policies governing use and effective practices for teaching and learning.
March 15, 2024
Standing Together
The tragic effects in Israel and Gaza since Oct. 7 have deeply affected all of us here in the United States and around the world. On Wednesday, March 20, you are invited to a discussion, hosted by AFT President Randi Weingarten and Eric Ward of Race Forward, with leaders from Standing Together, a Jewish-Palestinian grass-roots organization based in Israel that has focused its recent efforts on promoting peace, justice and equality of opportunity for both Jews and Palestinians. Our guests Sally Abed and Alon-Lee Green, the co-chairs of Standing Together, are featured in a New York Times article that details their initiative to engage activists in the U.S. We will livestream the event on AFT.org.
Join us for a conference on experiential learning
On Thursday, March 21, the Albert Shanker Institute, the AFT and the Center for American Progress will host a transformative and pioneering conference in Washington, D.C., on experiential learning, “Passion Meets Purpose: Promising Pathways Through Experiential Learning.” This conference will highlight various facets of experiential learning, ranging from career and technical education to the arts, music and action civics. It will begin at 9 a.m. Eastern time and will be free and open to all AFT members. You and your members can join in person or online; we will livestream the event on both the Shanker website and AFT.org.
Bill protects nurses from forced overtime, ensures patient safety
On Mar. 5, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) introduced the Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at fortifying federal protections for nurses. When hospitals are faced with staffing-related challenges, they often mandate that nurses work beyond their scheduled shifts, which jeopardizes both their well-being and the safety of the patients under their care. This legislation seeks to end the use of this tactic.
From tears to triumph: Pathways to college success
AFT members at the City University of New York work every day to keep community college students in class, helping them navigate unfamiliar territory and keep their grades up, making sure they have the textbooks and transportation and funding they need to be able to show up to class prepared and ready to succeed. They are mentors and guides, and sometimes they feel like campus parents. This AFT Voices post tells the story of how they help lead students to success—and why their union, the Professional Staff Congress, is fighting so hard to save their program, the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs, or ASAP, which provides free tuition, textbook stipends and free Metro cards as well as mentoring and moral support for community college students.
Women in labor history
This Women’s History Month, we honor the part that women have played in labor history, from Mother Jones, who was named “the most dangerous woman in America” at the turn of the 20th century, to AFT President Randi Weingarten, who was called “the most dangerous person in the world” in 2022. At one time, labor had a reputation as a big, brawling, male-dominated game, but it would be a mistake to overlook some of the powerful figures who have played key roles. Learn about them in our “Women in Labor History” AFT Voices post and tap into more women’s history resources on Share My Lesson.
AFT Book Club: Join us for a conversation with Edwidge Danticat
Join us for our April AFT Book Club event, featuring AFT President Randi Weingarten and renowned author Edwidge Danticat, discussing Danticat’s memoir, Brother, I’m Dying. Weingarten and Danticat will delve into the complexities of family, identity, immigration and political turmoil, framed within a deeply personal narrative. Brother, I’m Dying is not only a tribute to Danticat’s family and heritage but also a profound exploration of the themes that touch on universal human experiences. Through her intimate and evocative storytelling, Danticat offers insights into the intricacies of life, loss and the enduring power of familial bonds.
March 8, 2024
State of the Union: Joe Biden has our back
After President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address last night, AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement: “President Biden was on fire tonight, with a speech that embodied the promise of America. When the president took office, he inherited a country reeling from an insurrection and despairing from a pandemic. But challenge by challenge, the Biden administration has turned those setbacks into a comeback,” Weingarten said. “Tonight, we were reminded that Joe Biden embodies the fundamental values of America—freedom, democracy and opportunity—in word and in deed. America’s educators, healthcare professionals and public employees are proud to have his back, and we know he has ours.”
Kamala Harris and AFT activist headline webinar
A Democratic National Committee webinar honoring Black History Month (and featuring Vice President Kamala Harris) highlighted the many concrete ways the Biden-Harris administration has been delivering on the promise of America for Black Americans. During the event, Detroit Federation of Teachers member and trustee Cassandra Davis spoke about the real-life difference it has made for her: After decades, Davis is now free from nearly $100,000 in student debt.
Survey shows support for saving SUNY Downstate
A strong and united front has formed to oppose the planned closure of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y. Healthcare professionals, community activists, elected state officials and labor leaders have made it clear that Downstate needs to stay open. But beyond these voices, the true testament is in the sentiments of community members. A new Hart Research poll shows that the central Brooklyn community overwhelmingly supports keeping SUNY Downstate open.
Flipping the school board in Brentwood, NY
Last May, local union president and sixth-grade support specialist Kevin Coyne and the 1,500 members of the Brentwood Teachers Association on Long Island, N.Y., proved just what teachers and school staff can do when they see their students getting shortchanged: They achieved a school board composed entirely of pro-public education allies.
CTE in Los Angeles: Each one teach one
When Letecia Miller started teaching graphic arts in the Los Angeles school district, her school had substandard equipment and not much money to upgrade. But Miller had a vision, and after years of persistence she secured the grants she needed to build an impressive graphic design studio for her students. The effort, she says, was worth it: Here’s her story about how career and technical education can become a powerful pathway for education in communities like hers.
AFT Voices: Fighting for equality and respect
For 15 days in February, more than 90 registered nurses at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Home Health, represented by the Oregon Nurses Association, held a limited-duration strike. In an AFT Voices post, Erin Grace shares why she and her fellow nurses took to the streets to fight for equality and respect from PeaceHealth. Their motivation lies in delivering excellent care, understanding the unique demands of home health and hospice nursing, and ensuring patients receive the care they deserve.
For a story, he was willing to serve detention
Teaching assistant Sandie Carner-Shafran has a favorite memory from her years of working at an alternative school in Saratoga, N.Y. Her classroom had a more restrictive environment and her students were not supposed to talk in class, so she started reading aloud to them. One boy became so engrossed in a work of historical fiction that he volunteered to take detention the next day just to hear the rest of the story. Find out what happened in AFT Voices.
March 1, 2024
‘We Were There: To Rustin, with Love’
In this unique two-part episode of “Union Talk,” AFT President Randi Weingarten honors the legacy of civil rights luminary Bayard Rustin alongside esteemed labor figures who shared his acquaintance: Rachelle Horowitz, former AFT political director; Lorretta Johnson, AFT secretary-treasurer emeritus; and Clayola Brown, president of the A. Philip Randolph Institute. Also joining the discussion are Julian Breece, co-screenwriter of the movie “Rustin,” and Bruce Cohen, co-producer of the film. Watch here.
Maryland community college faculty join our union
It’s been years in the making, with efforts that included countless trips to the state Legislature as well as the usual member outreach, but faculty at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland have officially joined the union. That means they are now part of the largest higher education union in the country and the fastest-growing union on campuses in the state—where PGCC is the third college to join United Academics of Maryland this academic year.
Historic union takes shape at Bennington College
Vermont’s Bennington College is known as an unconventional campus, and in February faculty and staff maintained that tradition by taking an unusual path to unionization: They formed Bennington College United despite the fact that unions are rare at small, private colleges like Bennington, and they did it through the American Arbitration Association rather than the National Labor Relations Board. Their reasons for unionizing are not unusual though: They want to have a voice in their workplace.
AFT Book Club: A talk with author Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Join us for our third AFT Book Club session March 10, featuring AFT President Randi Weingarten and renowned author Ruth Ben-Ghiat, who will discuss her book Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present. Engage with Weingarten and Ben-Ghiat as they explore the power, personality and politics that define strongmen and authoritarian leaders. Gain insights into the past and present to better understand how history can inform our future. This is a must-attend event for anyone interested in history, politics and the lessons we can learn from the past.
A legacy of empowerment
March is Women’s History Month. Use these preK-12 lesson plans and class activities to incorporate key figures and historical events into your women’s history lesson planning this month and through the year. This Share My Lesson collection spans topics like women’s suffrage and women’s rights, featuring influential women in science, social justice and sports. Besides ideas on how to make women’s history relevant for all students, you may also be interested in the #MeToo resource collection on combating harassment and creating inclusive classrooms.
AFT Voices: Roots of solidarity
Although unions have always been a part of Kate Robbins’ life, she never imagined that her career as a physical therapist would provide her with the chance to join one. When her colleagues told her about the United Michigan Medicine Allied Professionals, she jumped at the chance to get involved. Now, being a union member plays an important role in her professional life.
Watch: Stories from Ukrainian children
At an AFT-sponsored event, five Ukrainian students tell the stories of how they were separated from their parents, sent to Russian re-education camps against their will and pressured to renounce their Ukrainian citizenship, but how they ultimately escaped with the help of Save Ukraine.
February 23, 2023
Funding our future, facing a fiscal cliff
Funding for public schools is an ongoing issue, but with pandemic relief ending this fall—$190 billion of which went to schools—the “looming fiscal cliff” threatens to make matters even worse, says AFT President Randi Weingarten in her monthly column. According to a new report from the Shanker Institute, the University of Miami and Rutgers University, “every single state funds its affluent districts more adequately than higher-poverty districts that serve the most vulnerable students—creating opportunity gaps ranging from moderate to huge,” she says. To narrow these gaps, states must target funds toward higher-poverty districts with greater needs and less ability to meet those needs with local property tax revenue. “The AFT is about real solutions that help create a better life and provide opportunity,” Weingarten says, “but that doesn’t happen without resources spent wisely.”
Higher ed conference lifts up democracy
Faculty and staff from dozens of colleges and universities converged in Los Angeles Feb. 16-18 for the first AFT Higher Education Professional Issues Conference since before the pandemic. The air was charged as cross-country colleagues shared experiences, brainstormed solutions and rallied. They returned home with fresh energy and new ideas focused on preserving funding for higher education, championing academic freedom—a precious element of learning that is increasingly threatened—addressing job security at every level, and ensuring that the academic enterprise serves the public good.
AFT leaders resolve to organize and get out the vote
Despite the toxic political culture in America, the AFT executive council this week resolved to “do what it does best by organizing our members, working with labor and community partners, and building union power” to preserve democracy. To that end, the council passed a resolution that the AFT and its affiliates must educate, organize and mobilize members and allies to get out the vote and elect leaders who will represent everyone. Further, the AFT leaders vowed to educate the public about the issues and candidates in this year’s election and beyond. Read the resolution here.
Nurses strike for equity and patient safety
More than 90 registered nurses at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Home Health who are represented by the Oregon Nurses Association are holding a limited duration strike, which began Feb. 10 and will end Feb. 24. The home health and hospice nurses are taking a stand not only to safeguard community health and safety but also to confront the ongoing staffing crisis and care delays, and to secure fair compensation.
White House celebrates progress on racial equity
At an event Feb. 14, the White House marked the one-year anniversary of President Joe Biden’s second executive order on advancing racial equity and supporting underserved communities. The gathering of Cabinet members and deputies enumerated the successes of the past two years and pledged to continue their work making government resources more accessible and more equitable for the people who need them most. Biden’s first equity order, signed on his first day in office, outlined the “human costs of systemic racism and persistent poverty” and laid out a broad mandate for all federal agencies, demanding they address these injustices at every level. The more recent order continued that mandate, recognizing that “underserved communities … still confront unacceptable barriers to equal opportunity and the American Dream.”
New ‘Union Talk’ episode focuses on AI
In the latest episode of the AFT’s “Union Talk” podcast, U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna of California joins AFT President Randi Weingarten to outline strategies for ensuring that artificial intelligence enhances the nation’s workforce rather than displaces it. They discuss essential institutional safeguards needed to protect our economy and democracy in the face of AI advancements.
February 16, 2023
Learning and lifting up: AFT celebrates Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action
AFT members and affiliates were busy Feb. 5-9 during the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, participating in everything from curriculum-sharing sessions to film screenings, door decorating contests and classroom activities to underscore the principles of the movement. It was truly a demonstration of BLM at School’s aim: to commit to “a week of action, a year of purpose, a lifetime of practice.”
Michigan Medicine healthcare workers secure collective voice with a union
In January, more than 600 dedicated audiologists, physical therapists and occupational therapists certified the United Michigan Medicine Allied Professionals as their union. They join the 1,300 healthcare professionals—600 mental health workers and 700 medical assistants—welcomed by the local through certification in December. UMMAP now represents more than 3,700 healthcare workers in the University of Michigan Health System.
The transformative power of accessible healthcare: Janice Poirier’s story
In August 2022, President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act revolutionized prescription drug prices and gave hope to millions of Americans struggling with the rising cost of lifesaving medications. Amid the statistics and policy changes is the story of Janice Poirier, president of the Florida Education Association Retired chapter, who faced the daunting reality of escalating insulin prices.
New York authorities considering closure of SUNY Downstate hospital
On Feb. 6, leaders of the AFT, the New York State AFL-CIO, New York State United Teachers, and several legislators joined hundreds of members of the United University Professions and the New York State Public Employees Federation at the state Capitol in Albany to demand that the state halt the closure of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and Medical Center. SUNY Downstate graduates more doctors of color than any medical school in the country, creating a vital pipeline of professionals for the short-staffed medical profession. It cares for thousands of patients every year in Brooklyn, and it saved thousands more lives at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hospital’s “transformation” plan, which was made public during the budget bargaining process, sparked the protest.
AFT Book Club: A talk with gun safety activist Fred Guttenberg
Join us Feb. 18 for our next AFT Book Club session, featuring author and gun safety activist Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was killed in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Guttenberg and AFT President Randi Weingarten will discuss his book American Carnage: Shattering the Myths that Fuel Gun Violence. This is a unique opportunity to take part in the conversation about our country’s gun violence epidemic. Explore the depths of Guttenberg’s powerful and eye-opening narrative, as Weingarten leads a discussion that seeks to unravel the complexities and confront the myths surrounding guns in America. Join us on Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. Eastern time for a dialogue that will challenge and expand your understanding of this critical issue.
February 9, 2023
It’s time for a PSRP Bill of Rights
Last fall, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass., pictured above left), with co-sponsors Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), introduced a sweeping resolution to help paraprofessionals and school-related personnel. The measure calls for fair wages, paid leave, full benefits, safe working conditions and more. Just last week, Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) introduced the Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Bill of Rights in the House of Representatives. It’s because of our PSRP activists’ work that the legislation has gotten this far. Now we need everyone’s help in turning this from resolution to reality. Tell Congress to pass the bill. And share it with your members so they can do the same.
AFT Book Club: A talk with gun safety activist Fred Guttenberg
Join us for our next AFT Book Club session featuring author and gun safety activist Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was killed in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Guttenberg and AFT President Randi Weingarten will discuss his book American Carnage: Shattering the Myths That Fuel Gun Violence. This is a unique opportunity to take part in the conversation about America’s gun violence epidemic. Explore the depths of Guttenberg’s powerful and eye-opening narrative, as Weingarten leads a discussion that seeks to unravel the complexities and confront the myths surrounding guns in America. Join us on Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. Eastern time for a dialogue that will challenge and expand your understanding of this critical issue.
Lunar New Year: Longevity, lion dances and learning
When AFT member Tracy Lai was a little girl, she loved the warmth of family coming together during Chinese New Year—and the noodles and special foods were fun, too! Now Lai teaches Asian American history and believes that the more people understand cultures and traditions different from their own, the better the world will be. In this AFT Voices post, she shares her memories of the holiday, which starts tomorrow, and her hopes for the year to come.
Celebrating visual artists during Black History Month
The AFT’s Share My Lesson is a deep well of free lesson plans. New this year for Black History Month, you’ll find a high school lesson plan that provides a comprehensive and engaging exploration of the contributions of Black visual artists from the 19th and 20th centuries. The lesson plan spans two or three class periods, uses interactive and collaborative learning strategies, and aims to enhance students’ appreciation of Black history beyond February.
Share your perspective on mandatory reporting
The AFT and the University of California, Irvine, are conducting an online survey to learn more about educators’ perceptions of reporting to Child Protective Services. Even if you haven’t reported to CPS, we want to hear from you. Survey participants will be entered into a drawing to receive one of 65 Target, Staples or Bookshop gift cards for $15. Get more information and participate in the study. Please invite other educators, as well.
AFT Voices: Becoming a US citizen
Ruxandra Westra arrived in the United States just months before the Romanian revolution, and she’d been shaped by the communist regime she’d grown up with—so when she walked into the AFT’s Together We Rise citizenship clinic, she was “like a scared little rabbit,” fearful of authorities and afraid she’d make a mistake. But after patient volunteers triple-checked her paperwork and helped her study for the exam and interview, Westra, a special education assistant in Oregon, sailed through the process and even got help with the application fees. “I am finally a U.S. citizen,” she says in her AFT Voices post. “I feel like I finally belong.”
Podcast: Finding the real Rosa Parks
In this excerpt from our “Finding the Real Rosa Parks” episode, AFT President Randi Weingarten is joined on the AFT’s “Union Talk” podcast by award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien to discuss her new documentary, “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks,” the political threat to Black history and the importance of good storytelling.
October 20, 2023
AI is a) powerful, b) perilous or c) both
It’s head-spinning enough for educators in the United States today, and now they are confronting a juggernaut that is revolutionizing education and society: generative artificial intelligence. Educators are mostly having to figure it out on their own, AFT President Randi Weingarten writes in her latest column. That’s why the AFT is offering hands-on tools that provide real solutions. Our union has a new partnership with GPTZero, the leading AI identification platform, and we have strengthened our media literacy partnership with NewsGuard, an anti-misinformation tool, offering both as resources for classroom educators.
Colleges reflect increasing Latino population
There are 63.7 million Hispanic people living in the United States, 19.1 percent of the total population, so it’s no surprise that college enrollment among Latino students is rising. More and more universities are designated Hispanic-serving institutions, including dozens among AFT affiliates. We take a look at what this population shift means, and our members share their ideas about how best to support Latino students, faculty and staff.
1 union + 1 city = 2 great conferences
Registration is still open for both the AFT Nurses and Health Professionals and the AFT Public Employees professional issues conferences. These concurrent events will be held at the Baltimore Hilton in Baltimore Nov. 16-18. The deadline for registration is Nov. 9 but don’t wait until the last minute—register now! We’re excited to see you and share ideas, learn from one another and grow as activists.
A downward spiral in higher education funding
When West Virginia University announced deep cuts that would eliminate 28 majors and, over the course of 2023, lay off 281 faculty and staff, the campus community erupted. But despite protests, the cuts are going through and reverberations are being felt far beyond the WVU campus. At a panel discussion, the AFT and the American Association of University Professors flag a “downward spiral” in funding for higher education across the nation, exploring the details with WVU faculty and students, considering similar cuts at the University of Wisconsin, and thinking about the implications for colleges and universities everywhere.
Brush up your skills in teaching reading comprehension
We’re excited to share a new online module for members on the AFT’s eLearning platform: Reading Comprehension Instruction. From Oct. 30 through Nov. 20, this 10-hour module will address how to teach reading comprehension effectively, focusing on best practices. The content is appropriate for all K-12 teachers who need help to increase their students’ comprehension of text, whether the text comes from literature or a textbook. Participants will have opportunities for interaction and engagement, including short videos, research, journaling and knowledge checks. A certificate of 10 contact hours will be provided upon full completion of the module.
New AFT video and podcast: Career ready!
Corcoran High School in Syracuse, N.Y, is helping prepare students for bright futures. Watch this new AFT video to get a glimpse of classes offered on urban teacher preparation, manufacturing technology and welding. And while we’re talking about career and technical education, let’s revisit part of a podcast in which AFT President Randi Weingarten discusses with Brent Parton from the U.S. Department of Labor and Billie Helean from the Rio Rancho (N.M.) School Employees Union about how experiential learning is providing real solutions in education.
October 6, 2023
AFT resolution: Urgent call to address the climate emergency
The AFT has passed a resolution addressing the climate emergency, emphasizing the urgent need to combat climate change. Recognizing the devastating impacts of the climate crisis on our planet and daily lives, the resolution calls for immediate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by transitioning away from fossil fuels. It also highlights the inadequacy of many facilities in protecting students and workers from climate-related hazards, affecting physical and mental health, academic performance and even college prospects. Additionally, it stresses the significance of green investments in schools, colleges, universities and hospitals to safeguard health, promote learning and address the climate crisis.
Faculty in Illinois take ‘hot labor summer’ into fall
In a huge win for public higher education and the labor movement, 650 tenured and tenure-track faculty at Illinois State University filed authorization/membership cards Oct. 4 with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, expressing their intent to unionize. “It’s a really exciting moment for us,” says Xiaoying Zhao, ISU assistant professor of teaching and learning. “We have taken the necessary steps to formalize our union and send a clear message that the faculty at ISU want a strong voice to advocate for the needs of our students, this institution and our colleagues who are dedicated to them both.”
Read the new issue of AFT Health Care
Nurses and other healthcare professionals are exhausted, burned out and disillusioned. COVID-19 worsened a staffing crisis that had been building for years—yet healthcare executives continue to place profits over patient care and worker safety. In the new issue of AFT Health Care, read more about how problem-solvers across the AFT are winning protections for patients and the people who care for them. Also in this issue: a longtime nurse and union leader shares her struggle with moral injury, a psychiatrist explores systemic solutions for moral injury, mental well-being experts highlight a holistic model for mental health and substance use care, a public health nurse discusses advancing health equity, and a policy expert shows how housing discrimination affects health.
Congressional push for fair Social Security benefits gaining steam
A bipartisan plan aimed at securing retirement benefits for public employees has been quietly gathering steam in Congress, representing a substantial boost to address a long-standing wrong. The Social Security Fairness Act, championed by Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Garret Graves (R-La.), targets the repeal of two provisions, the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, embedded in the Social Security Act. These provisions have long been criticized for unfairly reducing or altogether eliminating Social Security benefits for people who have devoted much of their careers to serving the public. The bill has amassed 290 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, largely thanks to the efforts of grassroots activists, including thousands of AFT members.
Learning traditions
Tucker Quetone’s family was stripped of their Native American traditions back when his grandparents attended the government boarding schools set up to assimilate Indigenous people into Euro-American culture. But Quetone has resisted that loss, learning more about Native culture and building a robust program of Native education as a teacher, a union leader and an activist. Read about how he has made a difference for his students and countless others in the state of Minnesota by ensuring that Native culture and customs are a part of their public school education.
AFT celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus shows how the AFT is honoring Hispanic Heritage Month by giving out 40,000 books—many of them bilingual and reflecting the community's language and culture—to children and families in El Paso, Texas.
We’re celebrating PSRPs this week!
Last fall, the AFT resolved to designate the first week of October every year as National Paraprofessionals and School-Related Personnel Week, when our union lifts up the contributions of PSRP members. The AFT welcomed its first PSRPs into the union in 1930 with the chartering of the Education Secretaries of Chicago. Today, the AFT represents more than 370,000 paraprofessionals, bus drivers, custodial and maintenance employees, health assistants, clerical employees, secretarial staff, and other school and college support staff nationwide. Because we know that PSRPs nurture, clean, cook, fix, drive, paint, type and file—all for the education of our children.
September 29, 2023
Oregon nurses reach a landmark deal
After months of stalled negotiations, the nurses at Oregon Health & Science University and hospital management reached a provisional deal on Sept. 25, avoiding a strike. The agreement secures historic wage increases along with workplace safety and safe staffing language for OHSU’s more than 3,100 nurses who are represented by the Oregon Nurses Association.
AFT’s federal workers brace for a shutdown
We are hours away from an unwarranted shutdown of the federal government on Oct. 1 that could cause 1.8 million workers—including hundreds of AFT members—to stop receiving their paychecks until Congress funds the government. MAGA Republicans continue to demand cuts to essential programs that working families rely on, including Social Security, housing, education and climate funding. Read what members of the Overseas Federation of Teachers, the Federation of Indian Service Employees and the Illinois Federation of Public Employees stand to lose if a shutdown happens.
5 ways to save on student debt
After a three-year hiatus, monthly student loan payments resume on Oct. 1, and many borrowers are dreading the drain on their finances. Our AFT Voices post outlines five ways you can save on student debt—and maybe cancel your debt entirely—by enrolling in programs like the Saving on a Valuable Education plan and Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or using our student debt clinics and navigation tools to get yourself on the best and fastest path to debt relief.
Protecting the future of Black education
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference was abuzz with big names, big ideas and big aspirations, and AFT members were right in the midst of it, attending two days of professional development in education for Black students and educators. The event was co-sponsored by the AFT, the National Education Association and the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans. Sessions titled “The Courage to Teach” featured educators, union leaders, activists and elected officials who conveyed the urgency of this moment—as white supremacist ideology undermines public education, and its proponents attack Black people—and offered real-world solutions.
Register for AFT healthcare issues conference
Registration is now open for the AFT Nurses and Health Professionals 2023 conference, which is tailored to members who work in healthcare. The conference will be held concurrently with the AFT Public Employees Professional Issues Conference at the Baltimore Hilton in Baltimore Nov. 16-18. Register now and start planning! The housing deadline is Oct. 17 and registration closes Nov. 9. We’re excited to get together with you and share ideas, learn from one another and grow as activists.
A school any student would love
In this excerpt from “The Promise of Community Schools” episode of the AFT’s “Union Talk” podcast, AFT President Randi Weingarten engages in a captivating conversation with two educators from a Baltimore-area community school. Together, they delve into the school’s transformative strategies and comprehensive wraparound services—and their effect on students and families. Discover the role community schools play by checking out the AFT’s visionary Real Solutions for Kids and Communities campaign.
Help students ‘Walk with Amal’
Little Amal is a 12-foot puppet representing a 10-year-old Syrian refugee who travels the world and shines a light on the international refugee crisis. Her journeys are led by The Walk Productions and a team of theater professionals and puppeteers from more than 12 countries. Little Amal is a global symbol of human rights who continues to spread her urgent message: “Don’t forget about us.” Amal’s U.S. tour, in partnership with the AFT’s Share My Lesson, culminates in San Diego on Nov. 5. Find out more.
September 22, 2023
Taking on teacher and staff burnout
Educators, like their students, have always felt a mix of joy and jitters at the start of the school year, AFT President Randi Weingarten writes in her latest column in the New York Times. What’s different these days is the stress plaguing them. Teachers are burned out. They are overworked and underpaid. Now more than ever, they are called on to be caregivers and crisis managers. Teachers and staff are depleted by the difficulties of the pandemic and demoralized by the creep of culture wars into education. All this is contributing to alarming staff shortages.
Real Solutions: The trail to experiential learning
When he was a young student, Washington, D.C., teacher Raphael Bonhomme was inspired by the active learning of the old Oregon Trail computer game, imagining how he might possibly survive the rugged wagon trail in the mid-19th century. Today, he uses experiential learning in his own classroom, guiding students through hands-on activities, role-playing and more to help them learn deeply about math, science and even the economy. In this AFT Voices post, he shares some of his favorite activities to inspire other educators.
AFT shows solidarity with UAW on the picket line
This week, AFT President Randi Weingarten and members of the Toledo (Ohio) Federation of Teachers joined the picket line in solidarity with striking United Auto Workers members at the Stellantis plant in Toledo. As the strike expands today to more manufacturing plants, the AFT continues to stand with autoworkers demanding that management give them the fair contract they deserve, with raises they earned by making concessions during the Great Recession and working through the pandemic. If the carmaker CEOs can give themselves 40 percent pay hikes, then employees deserve a fair cut of the billions raked in by the Big Three. Watch this video from Toledo.
Creating connections in more than one language
Culture lies at the heart of literacy, and what better way to celebrate culture than through reading? The El Rancho Federation of Teachers in Pico Rivera, Calif., gave away hundreds of Spanish and bilingual books at a book fair and citizenship event Sept. 16 to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month. For local president Lilia Carreon, distributing Spanish and bilingual books to kids is about more than literacy, more than sparking a love of reading, and even more than finding joy on the page of the book. It’s about creating excitement around books—kids connecting with their families and communities. Watch as AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus joins the El Paso (Texas) AFT in putting 40,000 new books into the hands of children during a community festival celebrating Hispanic heritage.
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
For the past 50 years, Americans have celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Through Share My Lesson, the AFT’s free treasure trove of instructional resources, educators can honor the history, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino has compiled additional resources to celebrate Hispanic history and culture. Check out special programming from NPR Extra. And finally, watch Hispanic Heritage Month greetings from space.
September 15, 2023
Career and technical education builds real-world skills and then some
From information technology to plumbing, education to culinary arts, career and technical education provides pathways to learning for so many students—and a workforce for the communities where they live. Learn more about why the AFT is making experiential learning, and in particular career and technical education, a foundational element of our Real Solutions for Kids and Communities campaign.
AFT ad stresses solutions to help with learning loss, loneliness and literacy
The AFT has launched an ad as part of our ongoing $5 million Real Solutions for Kids and Communities campaign, highlighting sustainable, integrated and scalable solutions to help America’s students deal with learning loss, loneliness and literacy challenges. While extremists ban books and smear teachers, we are giving books away and offering real solutions that will help students, teachers and communities thrive.
Stand with UAW
As union members, we know that the labor movement is the engine of the middle class and keeps the wheels on our democracy. We support United Auto Workers members as they strike for fairness and opportunity. Whether you’re a teacher, a healthcare professional, a public employee, a professor, a school support professional or an autoworker, we’re all fighting for the same thing: Fairness. Justice. Opportunity. Sign the petition to drive the message home to the Big Three automakers that it’s time to come to the table and negotiate.
A gem of a school in Oregon
Greenway Elementary School has everything: vital and respected classified staff, loving families, a caring principal and teachers, a supportive community—even an emotional support dog. That’s why, when AFT President Randi Weingarten visited the school with the Oregon School Employees Association, their recognition put a cherry on top.
5 things to know about Medicare drug pricing negotiations
In 2006, Medicare began paying for older Americans’ prescription medicines if they enrolled in a Medicare Part D plan. More than 90 percent of Medicare recipients currently have access to drug coverage. Now Medicare will have the ability to directly negotiate pricing with drug companies for the first time, resulting in price reductions on some of the most expensive prescription drugs, thanks to President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law last year. Here are five things you should know regarding Medicare drug pricing negotiations.
Evidence-based webinar offers strategies to help students read
Join a Share My Lesson and Reading Universe webinar on Sept. 26 to learn about a free new resource offering evidence-based strategies and practical guidance to help students learn to read. Teaching children to read is a science—one that takes a lot of love and brings a lot of joy. But when children struggle to read, their teachers often struggle too. With a classroom full of children, it is hard to determine what each learner needs. And it’s difficult to know where to turn for the most trustworthy guidance. This webinar can help.
September 8, 2023
Tackling teacher burnout with real solutions
We all know how exhausting it can be to work in our public schools, but how do we keep from burning out? A new report from the AFT and Educators Thriving offers some proven strategies based on what our own members tell us about their experiences. At the core of these solutions is a call for connection, collaboration and commitment from leaders to support the well-being of educators so that they can, in turn, support their students.
New ‘Union Talk’ podcast: ‘The Real Lives of Teachers’
In the most recent episode of the AFT’s “Union Talk” podcast, AFT President Randi Weingarten hosts a session with influential journalist and author Alexandra Robbins, whose books focus on young adults, education and modern college life. Her work has had a wide-ranging impact, including changing baby food labels and revealing hidden academic records of a U.S. president. Weingarten and Robbins take a candid look at today’s teaching profession, discuss Robbins’ latest book, The Teachers: A Year Inside America’s Most Vulnerable, Important Profession, and explore ways to support our nation’s educators.
Voices: What we’re doing about educator burnout
California Federation of Teachers Vice President Ray Gaer writes about the new AFT and Educators Thriving report, “Beyond Burnout: A Roadmap to Improve Educator Well-Being.” Gaer writes that “a faction of our society is trying to use the pandemic to dismantle public education. In hotspots around the country, they are banning books and emptying libraries. They are listening to fearmongers who question our credentials and raise doubts about established curriculums.”
The value of belonging
The AFT is the home of the people who make a difference in other people’s lives: 1.7 million educators and support personnel, healthcare workers and public employees fighting for and caring about what kids and communities need. While we face opposition from some corporations and extremists, recent trends show growing support for unions, especially among young Americans. America knows it’s better in a union. Unions play a vital role in uniting people, inspiring hope for better working conditions, economic opportunities, and a voice in our democracy!
American Educator: Collaborative community schools
When well implemented, community schools are a comprehensive equity strategy that brings entire communities together to address children’s educational challenges. Leveraging the wisdom, assets and participation of the community, these schools can create opportunities for learning that promote academic success and stronger, healthier families. In this American Educator article, teacher-turned-researcher Emily Lubin Woods draws from extensive research on community schools to describe the critical factors in creating a sustainable community school and to provide questions for assessing district and city readiness to create a community school.
September 1, 2023
Reflections on the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington
Sixty years ago, our forebears marched for jobs and justice, AFT President Randi Weingarten writes in a reflection on the day. They marched for the promise of public education. For dignity at work and a voice in our democracy. This past weekend, hundreds of AFT members joined thousands of demonstrators gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to mark that anniversary, crowding the historic landmark with iconic civil rights leaders young and old, and vowing to carry the fight forward.
AFT Voices: Career education turned my life around
When Linda Romano was a teenager, her mother’s illness required a lot of home care, school just didn’t seem important, and she racked up so many absences that she nearly gave up on school altogether. Then she discovered the nursing track of the local career and technical education program, and everything changed. Her studies were more meaningful, she could see a career for herself, and she became a nurse immediately after graduation. Now a health science educator, Romano passes that inspiration on to her high school students. “This sort of experiential learning doesn’t just build a skill set—it builds confidence,” she says.
Mental health workers in Oregon vote to unionize
Mental and behavioral health professionals at Legacy Health’s Unity Center for Behavioral Health in Portland, Ore., voted to join the Oregon Nurses Association on Aug. 23 after months of organizing. The majority of the 62 healthcare professionals voted to unionize to improve staffing and safety, boost patient care standards, have a voice in healthcare decision-making, and ensure equitable pay for frontline mental health employees.
Defying the conventional notion of retirement
For many, retirement is a chance to escape the daily grind and savor the joys of life that might have taken a backseat during their working years. However, for some, retirement is not a destination; it’s merely a checkpoint in a lifelong journey of dedication. Such is the case with Ulysses Floyd, a retired elementary school teacher who has continued to work tirelessly for causes close to his heart long after his official retirement in 1990.
AFT and AAUP celebrate first year of affiliation
One year ago, the AFT and AAUP joined forces, knowing that together we can accomplish more than we ever could alone. With our affiliation, higher education faculty and graduate workers across the country have a stronger voice to stand up for academic freedom, shared governance and the rich postsecondary education that students need.
August 25, 2023
AFT joins 60th anniversary of March on Washington
On Aug. 28, 1963, more than 200,000 people went to Washington, D.C., to demand freedom, equality and justice. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was held at a time of huge struggle. See the AFT’s remembrance here, relive the day through a member here, and let us know if you’ll be joining the 60th anniversary celebration tomorrow. Anytime, you can visit the Albert Shanker Institute website for a wealth of resources about this historic day. We are all in this together, AFT President Randi Weingarten notes, adding that the march is “not a commemoration, but a continuation” of our work.
Nurturing joyful and confident readers
In her latest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten writes about how the AFT is dedicated to combating learning loss and helping students become joyful, confident readers through our Real Solutions for Kids and Communities campaign. Recognizing the vital role of evidence-based reading instruction, the AFT is supporting Reading Universe, an online platform providing educators with free, ready-to-use teaching strategies and resources to help with reading instruction. And the AFT’s efforts extend beyond the classroom: The new issue of American Educator focuses on family literacy, and our Reading Opens the World initiative continues to distribute free books.
Oregon wins historic safe staffing bill
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed House Bill 2697 into law on Aug. 15, marking a historic win for healthcare workers and patients. The safe staffing legislation was made possible by members of the Oregon Nurses Association and the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals. This measure is the most significant legislative improvement in patient care in a generation and puts Oregon at the forefront of the nation’s safe staffing laws.
Maryland community college workers say ‘union yes’
Faculty at two community colleges filed for official union recognition to join the American Association of University Professors, the AFT and AFT-Maryland Aug. 21. The move is especially significant as the first card check—in which potential union members sign cards indicating they want to unionize—since state legislation paved the way for collective bargaining at Maryland’s 16 community colleges. The newly minted union members will focus on winning job security, respect on the job, fair compensation and reasonable workloads.
Student loan payments resume: AFT debt clinics can help
Student loan borrowers are dreading the resumption of student loan payments after a three-year hiatus that began during the pandemic. Interest on student loans starts to accrue again beginning Sept. 1; loan payments resume Oct. 1. To help ease the transition, the U.S. Department of Education has made some changes, including much more generous parameters for income-driven repayment. The AFT is here to help you sort through it all and find the best path to debt relief, with weekly student debt clinics, resources at cancelmystudentdebt.org, and access to Summer, an online resource that helps AFT members navigate student loan repayment for free. Sign up for a clinic here.
Order your free organizing materials today
Every day, the AFT fights for the people who make a difference in others’ lives: fighting for better wages and working conditions, for a voice at work and in our democracy, for what kids and communities need, and against the extremists and privatizers. That all starts with you, but we want to make sure you are armed with the materials you need. These free back-to-school and organizing materials, available year-round, can help your affiliate strengthen and grow. Whenever you are planning an organizing push, union event or other mobilizing opportunity, just select the resources you need.
Weingarten joins National Union Solidarity Day
AFT President Randi Weingarten joined a diverse coalition during National Union Solidarity Day in New York City. Tuesday’s event marked the 113th day of the Writers Guild of America strike and the 40th day of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Weingarten highlighted the need for unity and fair contracts in the face of corporate greed, emphasizing that collective efforts among industries make a big impact “because we know an injury to one is an injury to all.” Read the article and see the other notable people who rallied in New York City.
August 18, 2023
Raising joyful, confident readers
Reading teachers and researchers explain how families can help their children develop foundational literacy skills to become competent readers—and inspire a love of books—in this special issue of American Educator on family literacy. Copies of the fall 2023 American Educator are available for free. Use this order form to request copies—and thank you for helping us support family literacy!
Building connections for Latin American labor advancement
The AFT continued to show its deep commitment to the Latino community during the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement convention Aug. 2-6, where AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus was elected LCLAA president, AFT President Randi Weingarten addressed the opening session, and dozens of AFT members and leaders attended workshops and demonstrated solidarity with the Latino community.
Ohio parents, kids and teachers want diverse books
When the Ohio Federation of Teachers gave away nearly 2,500 books last month as part of the AFT’s Reading Opens the World initiative, the union noticed a recurring theme among parents, kids and teachers alike: an overwhelming need for diverse books with characters who didn’t—or did—look like them.
AFT leaders at nexus of Asian American and labor movements
As hundreds of people from across the country gathered at the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance’s 17th biennial convention, some of the AFT’s most active leaders were there to drive compelling conversations and workshops, spotlight Asian American and Pacific Islander workers in the labor movement and help build power across union affiliations and nations of origin.
Voices: Unionizing is a game-changer for resident physicians
Wen Chen, a resident physician at Wayne State University, reflects on a momentous time for the residents in an AFT Voices post. Residents at Wayne State received official recognition of their newly formed union, the AFT-affiliated Alliance of Resident Physicians. "It was an incredible feeling to know that we now have the support we need to improve conditions for ourselves and, most important, for our patients," she writes.
Voices: My journey to student loan relief
Luz Sosa, a professor of economics in Milwaukee, had nearly given up on ever being free of student debt. Then her union stepped in to help with information and tools to move her toward debt cancellation. Although the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program was tricky at best, changes made by the Biden administration and advocacy from Bernie Sanders and others put debt relief within reach, and today Sosa is thrilled to write that her debt burden has been lifted.
Apply now for new Powerful Partnerships grant
The AFT Powerful Partnerships Institute is pleased to announce its request for proposals for a second year of PPI grants covering the 2023-24 school year. PPI supports the work of AFT affiliates, families and local partners advocating for real solutions for kids and communities. Learn more about PPI’s first year and the vision of the initiative here. Locals and state federations, with support from their affiliate president and at least one local family or community partner, may apply for grants of up to $60,000. Allow yourself a few hours for preparation and to complete the form. Deadline is Aug. 29.
August 11, 2023
Kids and communities need solutions
The AFT’s yearlong Real Solutions for Kids and Communities campaign rejects the toxic attacks against public education in favor of working to strengthen public schools, making real solutions for kids a national priority. We are addressing learning loss, loneliness and literacy through transformative strategies that can be sustained, integrated and scaled to help children recover and thrive. Public schools are the vehicle that anchors our democracy and creates opportunity for our children. The Real Solutions for Kids and Communities campaign is about strengthening those opportunities and helping kids prepare for college, career and life. Visit our page to find out how you can get involved and share success stories about programs that work in public schools and communities.
Ohio State respiratory therapists say ‘Union Yes’ in 50th AFT victory this year
Respiratory therapists at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center have voted overwhelmingly to unionize, 101 to 19, joining with the Ohio Nurses Association and the American Federation of Teachers to fight for the pay and conditions they deserve. The win brings the number of new AFT organizing victories this year to 50, a record for the union, totaling more than 8,000 workers. National AFT membership is at a record 1,719,060, up from 1,688,886 in June 2022. Workers join unions because it gives them a voice, and the AFT has made significant investments in organizing.
Fall 2023 American Educator explores family literacy and student well-being
In this special issue of American Educator on family literacy, reading teachers and researchers explain how families can help their children become confident readers—and develop a love of books. Also in this issue: AFT President Randi Weingarten outlines five strategies to address students’ loneliness, learning loss and literacy; AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick C. Ingram champions historically Black colleges and universities as institutions that make our society more equitable; and teacher-turned-researcher Emily Lubin Woods helps communities decide if they are ready to establish and sustain community schools.
Five days, 2,100 miles, 13 schools and 700 books
When Amanda Curtis drove more than 2,000 miles across Montana to deliver books to schools, she found libraries with books more than 115 years old. Now they have brand-new, relevant literature that reflects kids’ own lives and gives them windows into other worlds.
Finding a place for AI in the classroom
Artificial intelligence is already pervasive in our lives. But the introduction of platforms like OpenAI/ChatGPT has the education world questioning how it should be used or if it should be used at all. In the AFT TEACH workshop “Use It or Block It? Using OpenAI in the Classroom,” presenters Peter Guyon and Kathleen Torregrossa addressed this question with educators—some of whom were already utilizing AI in the classroom, and others who were curious about its potential.
Wenatchee nurses vote to join Washington State Nurses Association
Registered nurses at Wenatchee Valley Hospital voted overwhelmingly last month to form a union with the Washington State Nurses Association as their bargaining representative. WSNA will now represent about 100 registered nurses at the facility, which is part of Confluence Health.
August 4, 2023
Real solutions for kids and communities
What are the carefree days of summer like for America’s teachers? Many may wonder as they plan their lessons whether topics they teach and books they offer students will get caught up, baselessly, in the tempest of the culture wars. They might hear presidential hopefuls slander dedicated teachers as “groomers” who teach “filth.” More than 1,000 educators spent part of their “break” last month at the AFT TEACH conference in Washington, D.C. That’s who educators are—focusing on their students and their craft, no matter what is swirling around them. Read more.
Brain science suggests how kids and teachers thrive
Emerging work from the world of neuroscience is providing exciting new clues into how students learn and how teachers can tap that knowledge to help them thrive. In the closing keynote at AFT TEACH, Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, a professor of education, psychology and neuroscience at the University of Southern California, demonstrated that social-emotional learning is essential to children’s brain development.
Bringing civics to life with experiential learning
A healthy democracy depends on active civic participation—but participation depends on believing your voice matters. During “Every Day Is a Civics Lesson These Days,” a Lunch & Learn session at the TEACH conference, presenters demonstrated how to incorporate experiential learning and action civics into a well-rounded curriculum and show students that they can make a difference.
We must have student debt relief
Broad-based student loan debt cancellation is crucial to avoiding the “debt sentence” so many AFT members live with. In her comments to the U.S. Department of Education, AFT President Randi Weingarten describes how teachers, faculty members and nurses in our union are required to earn advanced degrees—but the high cost of higher education sometimes prevents them from advancing their careers, and it prevents others from entering the professions at all. She applauds President Joe Biden’s efforts to ease student debt and urges the Department of Education to do everything possible to continue to move toward broader debt relief.
Apply now for new Powerful Partnerships grant
The AFT Powerful Partnerships Institute is pleased to announce its request for proposals for a second year of PPI grants covering the 2023-24 school year. PPI supports the work of AFT affiliates, families and local partners advocating for real solutions for kids and communities. Learn more about PPI’s first year and the vision of the initiative. Locals and state federations, with support from their affiliate president and at least one local family or community partner, may apply for grants of up to $60,000. Allow yourself a few hours for preparation and to complete the form. Deadline is Aug. 29.
Video outlines AFT and Education International’s work in Ukraine
During TEACH, AFT President Randi Weingarten unveiled a new video highlighting the humanitarian mission of Education International and the AFT in Ukraine. Weingarten recounted her experience visiting bombed-out schools and apartment buildings and the sense of heartbreak they evoked. At TEACH, she was joined for a panel discussion by AFT Vice Presidents Dan Montgomery and Shari Obrenski, EI leader Larry Flannagan, and videographers Adam and Dyba Lach. Obrenski reflected on what it was like to deliver AFT-funded generators to Lviv kindergartens, and Montgomery discussed the EI mission. The video shows the destruction of this war and the hope and perseverance of the Ukrainian people. Watch and share.
How education is bridging divides in the Middle East
In a new “Union Talk” podcast, AFT President Randi Weingarten sits down with Dani Elazar and Manar Hayadre to discuss the impact of their multicultural Hand in Hand schools, which bring Jewish and Arab students and teachers together. The schools aim to influence Israeli society and demonstrate how empathy can be a good tool for combating long-standing strife.
July 21, 2023
Weingarten launches new campaign: ‘Real Solutions for Kids and Communities’
The AFT has always been a solution-driven union, and our new campaign, launched during TEACH on July 21, proves it once again with a fresh, practical approach to strengthening public education. As AFT President Randi Weingarten pointed out during her keynote speech, the $5 million, yearlong campaign, Real Solutions for Kids and Communities, stands up against attacks on public schools and offers real-world solutions to build up, rather than break down, our communities.
‘TEACHing on the Hill’ amplifies educator voices in Washington
More than 100 AFT members fanned out across Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., July 20, visiting dozens of U.S. senators, representatives and congressional staffers to show elected officials just what life is like in our public schools—and urge them toward policies that will truly support their communities. Among their top issues: school funding, educator pay, over-testing and school safety.
Strategies and resources to support classroom reading instruction
We should support all students in becoming joyful and confident readers as they enter the classroom with many diverse language experiences. Educators have differing perspectives and experiences when it comes to teaching reading, but they share the need for strategies, resources and support to be successful in reading instruction. And that’s what attendees received at yesterday’s pre-TEACH literacy mini-institute session “Teaching Reading Today: Knowledge, Tools and Strategies to Navigate Fast-Moving Waters.”
AFT’s Teacher Leaders Program empowers educators
The AFT Teacher Leaders Program expands the leadership capacity of educators so they can solve problems at the school level and help students thrive across the entire school community. Read about this union-driven program in one Florida county where teacher leaders got their stipends adjusted for reading certification and special education, translated a teacher test-prep course into Spanish, refined training in school technology, created a mentoring program to keep teachers in the profession, and—last but certainly not least—developed a club for students grieving the loss of a parent.
New report surveys state legislation to enhance reading instruction
A new report from the AFT’s Albert Shanker Institute, “Reading Reform Across America,” analyzes state legislation enacted between 2019 and 2022 that aims to enhance reading instruction for students. It highlights positive aspects of these efforts, pointing out that they have bipartisan support and include evidence-based practices, but it also acknowledges their limitations, including unequal attention to certain marginalized student groups and insufficient focus on alignment and coherence. The report features exemplary states and emphasizes the importance of collaboration among educators, families and communities to achieve effective reading policies.
June 30, 2023
Ban on affirmative action is a blow to equity in higher education
In a 6-3 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court has voted “no” on affirmative action, making it illegal to consider race in college admissions and reversing decades of practice that has made higher education more accessible to Black, Indigenous and Latinx people. The AFT joins other civil rights advocates in condemning the decision as harmful not just to those who will be shut out of colleges and universities, but to every student and to society. “Today’s draconian ruling by the Supreme Court is a catastrophic decision that will have dire outcomes for millions of Americans for decades to come,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Supreme Court refuses student debt relief
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this morning against student debt relief, striking down President Joe Biden’s plan to relieve up to $20,000 in student loan debt for some 40 million borrowers. It is the second decision in a week to limit access to higher education; the first, delivered yesterday, banned affirmative action. “Today, the court launched a full-frontal attack on young people’s futures,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “If there was any remaining doubt, the majority has exposed themselves as a group of politicians in robes, determined to put the interests of their wealthy supporters over the lives of working families.”
Mandated supporting, not mandated reporting
If any school staff member suspects child abuse, neglect or maltreatment, mandatory reporting laws require that they report the incident to child welfare authorities. But for a variety of reasons, those reports can do more harm than good. A new approach—for mandatory supporters rather than mandatory reporters—makes room for a more nuanced response when children and families need a helping hand.
Oregon healthcare workers call for improved care
In a powerful display of unity and determination, nearly 1,800 nurses and clinicians from three Providence healthcare facilities in Oregon engaged in a five-day limited duration strike to demand fair contracts that will help recruit new staff, retain nurses and clinicians, and honor members’ commitment to patients with safe patient-care standards and competitive compensation. Workers at Providence Portland Medical Center, Providence Seaside Hospital and Providence Home Health and Hospice, represented by the Oregon Nurses Association, began their strike June 19. AFT President Randi Weingarten joined them at a rally June 22.
Voters win key battle in war on gerrymandering
Rational court-watchers breathed a sigh of relief this week when the U.S. Supreme Court, in Moore v. Harper, rejected the “independent state legislature theory,” a quack reading of the Constitution that would have killed checks and balances in federal elections and ushered in extreme partisan gerrymandering. “This decision is a welcome relief,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. To read about a gerrymander attempt that backfired and a thumbnail history of the gerrymander, click here. For Weingarten’s statement on the decision, click here.
Don’t miss out on these free organizing materials
Every day, the AFT fights for the people who make a difference in others’ lives: fighting for better wages and working conditions, for a voice at work and in our democracy, for what kids and communities need, and against the extremists and privatizers. That starts with you. These resources, available year-round, can help your affiliate strengthen and grow. Whenever you are planning an organizing push, union event or mobilization, just visit go.aft.org/AFTmaterials and select the resources you need.
Pride Month closes, highlighting sense of purpose
AFT members marched with joy and determination in New York City’s Pride parade June 25, joining AFT President Randi Weingarten in support of LGBTQIA+ people, especially transgender children. During her “Union Talk” podcast, Weingarten and Brian Bond, executive director of PFLAG, discuss the history of the LGBTQIA+ community and today’s fight against anti-trans legislation. Weingarten also was a guest on “Pride and Promise,” a show on WBAI 99.5 FM hosted by Jeff Simmons and Carlos Menchaca. Listen as they celebrate Pride.
June 16, 2023
We're endorsing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
The AFT has voted to endorse Joe Biden for president and Kamala Harris for vice president in the 2024 Democratic primary. Following extensive member consultation, the union's executive council unanimously approved a resolution to endorse Biden and Harris because of their profound understanding of the issues facing working families and their impassioned commitment to using government to help make people’s lives better. This will be a vital election with so many key issues at stake—from book bans, to school funding, to safe staffing, to the very foundations of our democracy. Visit AFTvotes.org to get involved and to stay up-to-date.
Community schools: From inspiration to actuality
We know that children are more likely to thrive at community schools with wraparound services like food banks, social workers and healthcare—but more importantly, with caring relationships among families, educators and staff. To help strengthen the power of these community hubs, the AFT co-hosted a community schools intensive workshop, guiding teams of stakeholders toward next steps in building these important centers of learning and connection.
Asante tech workers vote to unionize
In a vote certified by the National Labor Relations Board on June 9, more than 250 healthcare technical professionals at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, Ore., overwhelmingly decided to join the Oregon Nurses Association. The newly formed union includes radiologic technologists, licensed practical nurses, respiratory therapists, physical therapy assistants, occupational therapy assistants and surgical technicians.
Celebrating LGBTQIA+ pride: Joy as an act of resistance
It’s been a rough year for the LGBTQIA+ community, with hundreds of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills designed to shut down trans healthcare, misgender children, ban books and pass “don’t say gay” policies, and with threats to the health and safety of our students, patients and members. But Pride Month is a time for celebration, and the AFT is doing just that. In this article, hear from members who are leading the movement and learn about AFT resources and activities that not only fight the injustice but also bring joy to the full expression of our true selves.
AFT Voices: Vying for a seat at the table
People often think of retirement as a time to slow down, take it easy and enjoy the fruits of their work. But for Phyllis Ruffin, retirement has become an opportunity to continue serving her community in a different capacity. As a Texas AFT retiree member, Ruffin has taken on the challenge of running for a seat on the Teacher Retirement System of Texas board of trustees, and her dedication has caught the attention of many; she is ready to make a difference.
June 9, 2023
Poll: Americans say teachers are underpaid
New polling from NPR and Ipsos proves that people’s concerns with teacher shortages and low salaries vastly outweigh politically motivated culture wars, AFT President Randi Weingarten points out. A pair of new, nationally representative polls does reveal division among Americans: A majority of Republican parents worry about what children are taught, compared with a minority of Democratic parents. There’s also division among Republicans on banning books and silencing teachers. But the general public agrees: Americans have a sweeping respect for teachers, and there’s consensus that teachers are overworked and should be better paid.
Resolution supports healthcare workers and patients impacted by abortion bans
On June 1, the AFT executive council adopted a resolution addressing the impact of abortion restrictions, emphasizing the crucial role healthcare workers play in navigating the challenging landscape created by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade.
AI resolution aims to help build ‘guardrails’
The AFT’s executive council is calling for social media, generative AI and machine learning models to be developed and employed ethically, with developers held accountable for any real-world harm. In adopting a resolution last week, council members agreed to take first steps toward learning about emerging best practices in AI law and regulation, and to work directly with industry leaders on safeguards.
AFT stands with GLSEN amid attacks
After Target announced it was pulling some Pride Month merchandise from its stores in response to extremist threats, GLSEN, a group founded to support LGBTQIA+ students, called on the business community to rise up against such hate speech. Since then, right-wing media have spread harmful and vicious lies about GLSEN—and these attacks have spurred an onslaught of threats. AFT President Randi Weingarten calls the attacks “cruel and heinous.” Read her statement.
Biden vetoes GOP rollback of student debt relief
AFT members worked hard to get Joe Biden elected president, and now their work has paid off yet again. After Biden vetoed a GOP resolution that would have canceled student debt relief, AFT President Randi Weingarten said: “The Biden administration has stepped up again, when so many others have failed, to help the millions of borrowers who’ve had their lives derailed by unsustainable student debt. The Republicans’ extremist plan would have reinstated already forgiven loans for more than 260,000 public service workers and driven more than 2 million teachers, nurses, first responders and others further into debt.” President Biden stands by his convictions and stands with American families.
Join this free webinar on mandatory reporting
For decades, educators have questioned mandatory reporting. Many have been dismayed to see the intrusive surveillance, coercion and painful family separation that sometimes result from it, especially among marginalized families. The term “mandated support” reflects a more expansive approach and a broader menu of ethical options for caring professionals. You’re invited to a new webinar about what is best for students, “Mandated Support in Education,” co-hosted by Share My Lesson and the AFT Children’s Health, Safety and Well-Being program, on Thursday, June 22, from 2-3:30 p.m. EDT. Register now.
May 19, 2023
Beyond rebuilding: Organizing charter schools in New Orleans
Education policymakers all remember when Hurricane Katrina shut down the public schools in New Orleans, and charter schools took over the city. Ever the innovator, the United Teachers of New Orleans, a union known for its solid stance on equity and justice, never abandoned school workers in its city and is now organizing individual charters one by one, proving that solidarity is not just for workers in traditional public schools, but for everyone.
Faculty win union at Miami University in Ohio
More than 800 faculty members at Miami University in Ohio officially have a union after an overwhelming majority of faculty cast ballots saying “Union, yes” this month. The Faculty Alliance of Miami includes tenured and tenure-track faculty and longer-term contract faculty, including teaching professors, clinical faculty and lecturers. The win was motivated by shared governance issues, workloads and the arbitrary and unfair dismissal of a large number of faculty during the pandemic, among other concerns.
The dream: Learning to be bilingual
When JinHui Liu was in middle school, he was embarrassed by his mother; she didn’t speak English and relied on him to translate for her. But as he learned more about the American dream, he realized his mother’s dream actually mirrored it: She wanted him to thrive in this new country—and to be bilingual. Read about his touching journey and his gratitude to a woman who urged him to learn and become fluent in a second language.
AFT shows solidarity with WGA members
AFT President Randi Weingarten was among leaders who joined picket lines in New York City to support members of the Writers Guild of America as they strike. Weingarten spoke to the crowd, saying, “Teachers love great writers. Teachers nurture great writers. Teachers live for great writers.”
May 12, 2023
Oregon nurses union on a winning streak
The Oregon Nurses Association added three new bargaining units within the Providence Health System this spring. The elections added 215 new members, including registered nurses, physical therapists, social workers, doctors and nurse practitioners. These groups are part of a larger movement of healthcare workers joining unions in Oregon and across the country. And at the Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center in Gresham, Ore., more than 300 nurses voted in favor of ONA union recognition in April. Nearly 700 health professionals have been organized in the state this year, and more are expected to join soon.
Bringing healthcare benefits over the finish line for part-time faculty
This year, the California Federation of Teachers celebrated a historic win: state-funded healthcare benefits for part-time community college faculty. For educators who often struggle with low pay and inadequate benefits, scraping out a living by teaching at multiple campuses with little support, the new policy is a huge victory, and one that is likely to set a new precedent in the availability of benefits nationwide.
‘Union Talk’ podcast features ‘Abbott Elementary’ actor Sheryl Lee Ralph
In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, AFT President Randi Weingarten welcomes Emmy-winning actor Sheryl Lee Ralph on the AFT’s “Union Talk” podcast to discuss how “Abbott Elementary” shows love to educators, the importance of books and real-world solutions to heal our education system in America.
AFT Voices: I'm no longer ashamed to tell my story
In the early 1970s, Patricia McFarland worked with a University of Wisconsin campus women’s group that met at the YWCA to help women in need of resources and abortion counseling. She listened to women’s stories about having back-alley abortions or taking matters into their own hands. Then an unplanned pregnancy forced her to make her own choice. In this AFT Voices post, McFarland shares her story and how it inspired her activism to fight for rights that are being systematically eroded.
AFT TEACH 2023: First-time attendees save big
To align with our priority of increasing the number of first-time attendees, we are offering an additional $100 savings on registration for first-time attendees. Registration for first-time attendees is only $50! Be sure your members register by June 1. Click for registration costs.
American Educator: ‘Incentivizing Equity’
Federal aid policies are plagued by an inherent flaw that ends up shortchanging the schools and students most in need. In this American Educator article, the authors propose a new funding formula that considers each state’s capacity to contribute and the effort they put toward covering their costs, and fills in the gaps with federal funding. The result is an approach that would address racial disparities in funding levels and decrease the percentage of students in underfunded districts from 55 percent to zero—a difference of 26 million kids.
May 5, 2023
Let’s celebrate our AFT members!
It’s that time of year again: National Nurses Week, Public Service Recognition Week and Teacher Appreciation Week all fall in early May, and it’s an opportunity to lift up the professionals who have contributed so much to our communities. We are celebrating AFT members with stories, videos and graphics to show our appreciation. Check out our resources and take a moment to acknowledge them all by spreading the word!
Get your members registered for AFT TEACH 2023 now
The early bird discount for this year’s AFT TEACH conference ends June 1—get the lowest price and first choice of sessions! We know the last few years have been hard. Find support and solidarity for you and your members at AFT TEACH. You’ll be joining educators and union leaders from around the country. Attendees can choose from more than 70 professional development sessions. But workshop space is limited, so encourage your members to register early to secure their top choices.
Retirees learn to become an organizing force
More than 100 retired activists convened in Orlando, Fla., April 17-20, for the first organizing conference of the AFT Retirees Program. The goal of the conference was to train retirees in how to be better organizers and mobilizers. Workshops were interactive and included topics such as organizing principles, messaging and community engagement. The conference stressed the importance of retirees to the AFT's organizing strategy, emphasizing how crucial they are to the union's success. Retirees came away from the conference with plans to grow and empower retiree chapters in their states.
From invisibility to solidarity: An AAPI experience
Union leader Jessica Tang remembers growing up with no teachers who looked like her, and no Asian American or Pacific Islander history lessons in her classrooms. She hears similar stories from young people today, but also takes heart from seeing more and more AAPI educators and labor leaders, and she celebrates the many resources the AFT offers to support AAPI educators and students.
In Spring issue of AFT Health Care: ‘Profiteering in Education’
Weak quality assurance means that unscrupulous for-profit colleges and education companies can take advantage of students seeking careers in healthcare, leaving them in debt and without viable job prospects. In the new issue of AFT Health Care, Stephanie Hall and Anna Bernstein tell us how to avoid these traps.
April 28, 2023
Weingarten sets the record straight over school reopening
Truth will out, and nowhere was that more evident than at the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee hearing April 26, where Republican legislators falsely accused AFT President Randi Weingarten of working to keep schools closed during the pandemic. Nothing could be further from the truth. Citing example after example of the AFT’s commitment to the exact opposite—safely reopening, not closing, schools—Weingarten easily deflected the misrepresentations despite rapid-fire questions, interruptions and personal attacks, and level-headed Democratic legislators defended her with the facts.
‘Code Red:’ Spring edition of AFT Health Care is out
Corporate greed is putting patients and staff at risk. Staffing shortages are at crisis levels, workplace violence is rising and healthcare professionals are being pushed to the breaking point. In the brand new issue of AFT Health Care, four union leaders share how they’re addressing workplace violence, starting with safe staffing levels. Taking a deeper look at the underlying issues, an urgent care physician describes the appalling working conditions that led her and her colleagues to unionize. And a longtime emergency department physician explains how the corporatization of care exploits workers and patients. Hear these voices and more in the new spring issue.
Child care workers gain ground under Biden’s order
Just in time for Worthy Wage Day on May 1, President Joe Biden has signed an executive order that expands families’ access to affordable, high-quality care and provides support for care workers and family caregivers. At the same time, care workers met at a summit in Washington, D.C., to demand fair compensation, better working conditions, dignity and respect. During the summit, AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram joined an AFT member from Oregon in a discussion on wages, and he accompanied her to the White House for the signing ceremony.
Biden-Harris re-election bid presents historic opportunity
AFT President Randi Weingarten released a statement after President Joe Biden announced that he and Vice President Kamala Harris plan to run for re-election in 2024. “The Biden-Harris administration has prioritized making government work for families and communities and delivering what regular folks need to keep themselves and their loved ones safe,” Weingarten says. She points out that this administration has been the most pro-worker, pro-labor, pro-education administration ever. It also has created 12 million jobs, growing the economy at the fastest rate in nearly 40 years. Click through to read the full statement.
Reading opens a connection for Kansas kids
From back yards to church cafeterias to Grandma’s house, virtual read-aloud sessions have become part of the AFT’s Reading Opens the World campaign in Kansas. Last fall, the United Teachers of Wichita started voluntary supplemental reading sessions with third-graders deemed to be “at risk” of not passing the end-of-year reading assessment. After just a few months, students and teachers alike are seeing much more than reading gains.
AFT launches new home on aft.org for librarians and library staff
The AFT represents public library workers across the country, in separate municipal library bargaining units and as part of school and university bargaining units. Our union also represents workers in state libraries—including the Illinois State Library and the Connecticut State Library—and in other state agencies including Corrections, Developmental Disability, Education and Mental Health units. Library staff are organizing with the AFT to protect their work, their professions and those they serve. To that end, the AFT has launched a new webpage for our library members. What could be better to mark National Library Week?
Real wages for faculty decrease for third consecutive year
A recent survey from the American Association of University Professors shows real average pay for faculty has decreased by 2.4 percent. It’s the third year in a row of decline. The survey also calls part-time adjunct faculty pay “appallingly low” at some institutions and shows salary disparity by gender. The data covers many variables, including types of institutions and faculty rank; offers institution-specific information; and provides information on benefits, administrator pay and more.
April 21,2023
School and college support staff: This is how they do it
They were quiet at first. But by the end of this year’s PSRP conference, the 139 first-time attendees had made themselves known as the future of AFT PSRP. With a new emphasis on job classifications and a sharper focus on higher education, members of the AFT Paraprofessionals and School-Related Personnel division met in Baltimore April 14-16 and declared, “This Is How We Do It.”
Faculty walkout targets underfunding at community colleges
Faculty, staff, students and community members rallied at several college campuses in Washington state and at the state Capitol building for a full-throttle day of action April 11. Through walkouts, teach-ins, social media and picketing, educators and allies demanded full funding for the crucial work being done every day at community and technical colleges in Washington state.
The AFT slams GOP misinformation ahead of Weingarten’s testimony
The AFT sent a letter to the chairman and ranking member of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic on Wednesday, blasting Republicans for “false and misleading claims,” The Hill reports. This comes a week before AFT President Randi Weingarten plans to testify in front of a Republican-led committee featuring the QAnon conspiracy-theory-believing Marjorie Taylor Greene.
In Defense of Public Education
AFT President Randi Weingarten’s most recent column is adapted from her March 2023 speech “In Defense of Public Education,” in which she seeks to defend public education, transform learning, and support children as the institution comes under threat from extremist, culture-war peddling politicians. Weingarten also outlines a four-part plan to help young people recover from learning loss and disconnection, and to strengthen and transform public education.
City workers face unacceptable health and safety risks
Workers in Baltimore put their lives and health at risk daily due to the city's inadequate safety protections and regulations. In the last decade, four workers have died, and thousands have reported illnesses or injuries. Antoinette Ryan-Johnson, president of the City Union of Baltimore, wrote an op-ed in the Baltimore Sun calling for stricter laws and more thorough inspections to ensure worker safety. She also challenged lawmakers and bureaucrats to spend a day in workers' shoes to understand why safety violations must be taken seriously and safety regulations must be strengthened.
Union victory for Legacy nurses in Oregon
Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center nurses in Gresham, Ore., have voted to join the Oregon Nurses Association. The two-day election took place April 5-6. The 360 nurses at the medical center will now have more authority to defend the community's access to safe, high-quality healthcare; restore respect for frontline workers in the Legacy Health System; and gain a voice in decisions affecting their community's health and welfare.
April 14, 2023
Rutgers faculty and staff launch historic strike
The strike that began April 10 at Rutgers University is groundbreaking. For one thing, it’s the first time since its founding in 1766 that faculty at Rutgers have gone on strike. For another, demands include not only fair pay but also equity, diversity and justice in the community. And finally, this strike is one of the largest of its kind in the history of higher education, involving three unions representing 9,000 professors, part-time lecturers and graduate workers at a school serving 67,000 students.
We can end gun violence; let’s start with the facts
AFT President Randi Weingarten's recent address, "In Defense of Public Education," has been met with backlash from the far right, with extremists spreading false information about what she said and about the gun violence crisis in the U.S. This AFT Voices blog sets the record straight and puts an end to the rumors. Knowing and disseminating accurate information is the first step toward ending gun violence.
Where money for schools comes from matters too
A new study by the Albert Shanker Institute shows that the source of school funding—rather than its quantity—might be a crucial factor in the effectiveness and improvement of K-12 school finance systems. Using data from nearly all states collected over a two-decade period, the authors evaluate each state in terms of how much of its funding comes from state sources (mostly income and sales tax) versus local sources (mostly property tax), and whether variation in these state and local "shares" affects funding outcomes.
In latest American Educator: ‘Reimagining School Safety’
Years of research demonstrate the value and effectiveness of inclusive and comprehensive safety programs and policies, prevention and investment in data-driven practices, and the creation of welcoming and supportive schools and districts—whereas the same research demonstrates that more punitive policies fail to prevent violence and disproportionately impact students of color and students with disabilities. In this American Educator article, education professors Heather M. Reynolds and Ron Avi Astor make the case for restorative justice in schools and provide a roadmap for getting started.
April 7, 2023
Chicago elects Brandon Johnson mayor
In a victory for the city’s children and families, AFT member Brandon Johnson on Tuesday was elected mayor of Chicago. “Brandon Johnson is a teacher and a leader who believes deeply in the people of Chicago,” AFT President Randi Weingarten says. “The more they saw of him, the more they saw their future in his soul and on his shoulders—and the more they embraced his plan to invest in their city and the community.” Johnson, who enjoyed tremendous support from the Chicago Teachers Union, credited his win to the strength of organizing and collective voice, saying: “We will build a safer, stronger Chicago that reflects the hopes and dreams of every one of us—together."
Their patience wearing thin, university members strike
Faculty and staff at Chicago State University and Eastern Illinois University went on strike April 3 and April 6, respectively. While the schools are 177 miles apart, they share some of the most compelling reasons to fight on the picket line: too much work for too little pay, and contract negotiations that have stretched on too long with too little progress.
Bill aims to protect hospital patients through adequate staffing
Members of Congress are redoubling their efforts to pass legislation that would protect patients by addressing the hospital staffing problem. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) reintroduced the Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol, where dozens of supporters gathered, including members of the AFT Nurses and Health Professionals program and policy council.
Florida members rally against criminalizing educators, busting unions
Led by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Republican lawmakers in Florida have moved forward with union-busting legislation, in addition to their laws targeting public schools and marginalized people. “We have all watched Gov. DeSantis abandon the conservative notion of limited government, but in this session, he appears fixated on stripping away freedoms and silencing those who have raised doubts about his policies,” AFT President Randi Weingarten says. Read about last weekend’s rally and follow the hashtag #NotFoolingUs.
AFT stands with students protesting gun violence
In solidarity with students and all our partners in the fight for sane laws to prevent gun violence, AFT President Randi Weingarten issued a statement this week supporting nationwide student walkouts. “Our country’s students are fighting against school shootings, and I am proud of their fight,” she says. Noting that guns are now the leading killer of young people, she renewed our demand that lawmakers pass commonsense gun safety measures. “Thoughts and prayers are important, but we must do far more than that,” she says. “Enough is enough."
Educators share resources for Deaf History Month
AFT members who work at state schools for the deaf are celebrating the culture of deaf and hard-of-hearing people during National Deaf History Month. The AFT represents employees at state schools for the deaf in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Montana, New York and Pennsylvania. Watch this video about a union election victory at the Maryland School for the Deaf. Read about 14 deaf and hard-of-hearing people who changed the world. Take free online lessons from Gallaudet University to learn some American Sign Language. And download the SignUp Chrome extension that provides sign language captioning over movies and TV on Disney+ and Netflix.
In praise of school libraries and access to books
April is also National School Library Month. Our union champions literacy, and we believe that every school in every community deserves a public library. Sadly, there has been a resurgence in efforts by right-wing extremists to ban books. These attempts at censorship hurt kids. This month provides an opportunity not only to celebrate school libraries and librarians, but also to emphasize the importance of children’s access to books. Find out where books are banned and learn more about the AFT's Reading Opens the World campaign.
March 31, 2023
Toward hope: Forging a clear pathway for public education
The threats against public education are dire, and in a major address March 28, AFT President Randi Weingarten was frank as she enumerated them. Yet, her leading message was one of hope. Weingarten not only described the shimmering promise and purpose of public education, she also laid out a clear and powerful pathway to realize its potential and overcome learning loss with four specific strategies: community schools; experiential learning; addressing teacher and staff shortages; and ensuring genuine partnerships among parents, families and educators. Click here to watch the full address.
Introducing our newest course for educators
AFT Professional Learning is excited to announce the release of Differentiating Instruction, an all-new, self-paced module that’s part of AFT Professional Learning’s Strategies for Success series. This research-based program consists of courses that address teaching and learning for new and veteran teachers alike. As with all our training modules, this one is designed to foster reflection on research, consideration of its application to classroom practice, and dialogue with other professionals to expand professional knowledge. The three-part module takes about four hours to complete. Learn more here.
AFT welcomes more HBCUs to our union family
Ida B Wells. W.E.B. Du Bois. Toni Morrison, Stacey Abrams, Kamala Harris. These are just a few of the accomplished graduates of historically Black colleges and universities, but there are millions more whose experiences, while not quite as high-profile, have been just as profound. Now the AFT is more connected than ever to that legacy, as we welcome 17 HBCUs to our higher education family. We take a close look at the powerful role these increasingly popular institutions play in higher education and how unions intersect with their important work.
‘Light bulb moments’ in becoming better readers
Five years ago, several educators in Vado, N.M., were convinced their students could become stronger readers. A few of these educators had attended professional development developed by Louisa Moats and were determined that their colleagues have the opportunity to do the same. Now, thanks to grant writing and hard work, the educators at Vado Elementary School are thrilled with their students’ progress. In this Q&A, they relate how their professional development changed their approach to teaching reading and increased the number of “light bulb moments” in their classrooms.
AFT Voices: The art of hope
When multiple crises kept rolling in—the pandemic, the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and mental health issues multiplying around her—student Ryan Lomber turned to art as a way to make things a little bit better. From the first poster she painted for her middle school principal to the hundreds she’s printed since, Ryan is papering classrooms, school hallways, medical facilities and more with uplifting art and messages of hope. Take a look and get inspired.
March 24, 2023
Why unions? Life-changing benefits and more
Although unions are more popular than they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives across the nation. In her latest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten describes the life-changing potential of unions and why we must continue to fight for workers’ rights to organize. Beyond a tongue-in-cheek observation by The Atlantic that union membership boosts one’s marriage prospects, research shows that unions provide higher pay and better benefits—especially for Black, Hispanic and female employees—and unions also work for more adequate staffing of public services, respect on the job and more.
Baltimore’s Wolfe Street Academy connects with the community
AFT President Randi Weingarten, AFT-Maryland President Kenya Campbell and Baltimore Teachers Union President Diamonté Brown visited Wolfe Street Academy in Baltimore last week. Wolfe Street Academy has been a community school for 17 years. Through collaboration between the administration, the teachers, the community school coordinator, the unions and the community at large, the academy has created a successful environment where students learn and thrive.
Florida Freedom Library town hall
AFT President Randi Weingarten and National Education Association President Becky Pringle joined members of the NAACP Florida State Conference for an education town hall on Saturday to defend truth, literacy and justice in the face of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ongoing attacks on parents, educators and students.
The healthcare staffing crisis is a patient care crisis
The healthcare staffing crisis has pushed the healthcare system to the brink of collapse, with disastrous implications for care delivery. Frontline healthcare workers are leaving the industry at an alarming rate. “We all know the answer is safe staffing,” writes Debbie White, president of Health Professionals and Allied Employees, in an AFT Voices post. White shares why it’s essential to develop methods for both recruiting new nurses and retaining existing workers; otherwise, nurses will continue to leave the field.
Black faculty kick off discussion series
As lawmakers in places like Florida continue to target public education at every level, trying to restrict teaching about Black history and banning books by and about Black, Latino and other marginalized people, the AFT has created a new forum to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion. On March 14, a panel of academics kicked off a series of conversations that will address the intersection of race, higher education and the labor movement, sharing their experiences as Black professionals in higher education.
March 17, 2023
Spring American Educator: The roots of learning
In the latest issue of American Educator, elementary teachers share how they’ve transformed their reading instruction, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) experts review how to ensure integrated projects don’t lose sight of essential mathematics. Plus, education professors discuss the potential of restorative justice practices in reducing bullying and violence, and experts put forward an alternative funding formula to ensure adequate funding for all students. Also in this issue: the tenuous state of academic freedom in the United States, partnering with parents to incorporate LGBTQIA+ content into the classroom, and higher education resources for teaching civics and inclusion.
AFT and Houston teachers union respond to Texas takeover
The state of Texas will take over the Houston Independent School District in what the Houston Federation of Teachers calls a "hostile takeover." AFT President Randi Weingarten says, "The state of Texas has tried to take over the Houston schools for years. The reason that states say they want takeovers is to improve student achievement. What’s so unnerving is that Houston schools have indeed improved achievement, and its schools are in better shape than dozens of districts that do worse yet have not been subject to state control.” She says that the takeover "is clearly a shameful power play to take away local control of local public schools and put in place charters and vouchers.”
‘Great Florida Read-In’ counters culture war book banning
While the governor of Florida is trying to ban books, the Florida Education Association is partnering with the AFT and First Book to give away 25,000 fun and diverse books to Florida kids and families through the AFT's Reading Opens the World campaign. The book giveaway and a read-in promote the joy of learning and are a perfect counter to right-wing culture wars.
AFT Voices: Staffing by the numbers
As a cardiac telemetry technician, Niky Jones is responsible for monitoring and interpreting patients' heart rates at all times, and for acting immediately on any changes she may detect. According to Jones, telemetry techs are used to caring for about 110 patients per day on average, but now they typically care for more than 150. Jones explains what those figures mean for her and her patients in this AFT Voices post. The AFT’s nationwide campaign, “Code Red: Understaffing = Patient Care Crisis,” is drawing attention to and addressing the country's healthcare staffing crisis, which is putting patients at risk.
Instructional coaching: Education buzzwords or effective PD?
A new blog post from the Albert Shanker Institute explores the effectiveness of instructional coaching. For instructional coaches to become a transformative presence in schools, says the author, they must have the proper working conditions and an environment conducive to real change.
Union Talk podcast: Finding the Real Rosa Parks with Soledad O’Brien
AFT President Randi Weingarten is joined by award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien to discuss her new documentary, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, the political threat to Black history and the importance of good storytelling. Listen where you get your podcasts.
March 10, 2023
AFT mourns the loss of leader Ruby Newbold
Our union family remains saddened by the sudden death March 2 of retired AFT Vice President Ruby Newbold, emeritus chair of the PSRP program and policy council and former president of the Detroit Association of Educational Office Employees. Uncommonly kind and, at the same time, keenly strategic, Newbold advocated for the most vulnerable students and the school employees who supported them. Read more about her wonderful life.
Legislative session amplifies the fight for academic freedom in Florida
Florida educators and unionists are fired up and ready to go: As the state kicked off its legislative session on March 7, they organized an all-day blitz, bombarding lawmakers with coordinated emails and phone calls to demand support for high-quality, accessible and equitable public education, from preschool through graduate school, free from censorship and government control. The action is crucial in a state where academic freedom, teacher autonomy, equity, diversity and the freedom to organize are all on the line.
Technologists at Michigan Medicine gain formal recognition
More than 900 diagnostic technologists at Michigan Medicine gained official recognition late last month from the University of Michigan/Michigan Medicine administration of their newly formed union: United Michigan Medicine Allied Professionals/AFT Local 6739. The technologists have been organizing for two years. Find out more.
Bilingual education conference embraces language as a superpower
AFT members and leaders gathered at the resoundingly successful National Association for Bilingual Education conference in Portland, Ore., sharing information and inspiration about educating more than 5 million English learners in the United States, and helping these students—native born, newcomers, refugees and immigrant youth—elevate their skills. It was the first NABE conference with AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus as NABE president.
Women’s history, AFT’s history
This Women’s History Month, the AFT celebrates both historical and contemporary commitments to women’s rights, gender equity and lifting up the contributions women have made since time immemorial—contributions that often go unrecognized. From our founder Margaret Haley (seen speaking to union members above) to our current leaders, the AFT has been led by women. We continue to honor women’s work through our commitment to issues that are crucial not just to women, but to all those touched by the public education, healthcare and public services arenas where we work.
The journey of a teacher leader in Houston
When Remigio Willman realized that public schools in Texas were under attack—and that the system would not take care of his students—he decided to do something about it himself. Willman is an AFT teacher leader: Read his story about making a difference by advocating for fairer testing, fewer vouchers and more resources for his schools in Houston.
Great keynotes, great learning opportunities
Join us for the 2023 Share My Lesson Virtual Conference’s three keynotes later this month. In the first, on March 21, producer Sarah Botstein will talk about Ken Burns’ acclaimed series on America’s response to the Holocaust. The March 22 keynote will feature leaders at NASA in a discussion of how to bring the excitement of space exploration to the classroom. These will lead up to AFT President Randi Weingarten's keynote March 23 on the state of public education. Mark your calendar for these free, for-credit sessions—all available live.
March 3, 2023
Hundreds rally at Supreme Court for student debt cancellation
While U.S. Supreme Court justices listened to oral arguments about whether to cancel student debt for millions of Americans, advocates and activists rallied outside, sharing personal stories about the heavy weight of student loans and framing the issue as one of equity and racial justice. Their message was clear: Higher education should be accessible to all, without a load of debt attached to it. Student debt cancellation—as outlined in President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 for borrowers who earn less than $125,000—is legal, just and necessary.
AFT, AAUP slam anti-worker, anti-academic bills
AFT President Randi Weingarten is responding to Florida’s SB 256, a noxious attack on the freedom of Florida’s teachers, staff and professors to join together in a union. Gov. Ron DeSantis not only abandons the conservative notion of limited government, she says, but he appears fixated on silencing those who question his authoritarian edicts. Weingarten also joined Irene Mulvey, president of the American Association of University Professors, and Chris Finan, executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship, in condemning Florida’s HB 999, which would amp up the governor’s attacks on academic freedom. “Anyone interested in preserving our democracy must fight these draconian measures with everything we have," they said, "in Florida and in every other state where they appear."
Rutgers faculty begin 10-day strike authorization vote
AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram led members of the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union and Rutgers AAUP-AFT in a rally calling on Rutgers University to negotiate a fair contract. Members who work at the university in New Brunswick, N.J., have worked without contracts since last summer. Voting began on Tuesday to authorize a strike. So far, the university has rejected demands the workers have brought to the table, including fair pay, healthcare and job security.
Brandon Johnson makes mayoral runoff in Chicago
Thanks to a multi-generational, multiethnic working-class coalition demanding transformative change in Chicago, Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson will advance to an April 4 runoff for the job of mayor, continuing to spread his vision for a better city. An educator, Chicago Teachers Union member and public school parent, Johnson will face Paul Vallas in the runoff; on Tuesday, the two defeated Mayor Lori Lightfoot and U.S. Rep. Chuy Garcia for runoff slots. “Today, we are on the verge of creating a new Chicago,” CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said. “It’s a Chicago for the many, not the few.”
Weingarten applauds nomination of Julie Su for labor secretary
AFT President Randi Weingarten is among the labor leaders who have commended President Joe Biden for nominating Julie Su for secretary of labor. In a statement earlier this week, Weingarten praised Su for her work cracking down on wage theft, protecting trafficked workers and fighting for livable wages: “Julie Su has been a lifelong champion for workers’ rights—including their right to join together in a union. She will hit the ground running after 18 hugely productive months as deputy secretary.” Read the full statement.
Take action for fiscal responsibility on the debt ceiling
The AFT is pushing Congress to raise the debt ceiling so that America can pay its bills. Congress has a long history of working in a bipartisan way to raise the debt limit with no strings attached, as was done three times during the Trump administration. Congress must do so again—the sooner, the better. Join AFT members across the country in a Day of Action virtual phone bank on March 9. Sign up for a DIY phone bank on the debt ceiling you can do any time, any place. Or click to call Congress here.
Feb. 24, 2023
New AFT ‘Code Red’ campaign highlights how healthcare understaffing affects patient care
Our nation’s healthcare system and the health professionals who work in it are at a breaking point because of understaffed facilities. For some time now, even before COVID-19, hospitals and CEOs have prioritized their financial bottom line over patient care and the safety of their frontline workers. As a result, hospitals have failed in their most basic responsibility: creating a safe environment in which patients can receive healthcare. The AFT has launched a national campaign,“Code Red: Understaffing = Patient Care Crisis," to address the issue. Our Code Red campaign uses a variety of strategic approaches to improve the quality of care for our patients when they need it most.
A torrent of censorship
In her latest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten talks about the recent surge of censorship over the past few years, especially in schools. Both the freedom to read and the freedom to teach have come under fire, including in colleges, Weingarten writes. “Public schools have become this cultural battlefield even though they should be insulated from politics and culture wars so they are free to fulfill the fundamental purposes of public education: To help nurture the citizens of a democratic society.”
New AFT task force tackles public sector staff shortages
Highlighting the mission-driven work at the heart of public service, a new task force created by AFT Public Employees convened Jan. 27-28 in Albuquerque, N.M., to help local unions understand and address the causes of staffing shortages across the public sector.
Parent PLUS loans now qualify for student debt relief
The Department of Education has announced that Parent PLUS loans now qualify for student loan relief under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, but only for a limited time. Until now, the loans, typically held by parents who took on debt for their children and often added it to their own, were not eligible for PSLF, the program that cancels student debt after 10 years of public service and 10 years’ worth of loan payments. The rule change will make thousands more borrowers eligible for relief, but applications must be filled out by midnight on April 30. Learn more on the AFT’s PSLF page.
‘Union Talk’ podcast: ‘Are School Vouchers Good for Education?’
Listen to the latest episode of our “Union Talk” podcast, which features AFT President Randi Weingarten and Michigan State University education policy professor Joshua Cowen discussing the real impact school vouchers are having on public education, students and our democracy.
‘Legacy as Resistance: Because of Her, I Am’
Primrose Cameron writes about her experiences at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Fla., where she developed a lifelong appreciation for education and a strong sense of community. This blog post is the third in a Share My Lesson series celebrating this year’s Black History Month theme: Black Resistance. Cameron explains why she celebrates the life of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune not just during Black History Month but all year round.
At NY hospital, more than a thousand grievances lead to short-staffing arbitration victory
The Federation of Nurses/UFT reached a groundbreaking arbitration agreement with NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn in late 2022 that required the hospital for the first time to pay nurses for working without sufficient staff. The members used their contract’s grievance and arbitration process to challenge the short-staffing issues in many units at the hospital, and the arbitrator found short staffing to violate the contract. Registered nurse Rosemary Scheriff played a huge role in the victory and shares how they did it in this AFT Voices post.
Feb. 17, 2023
Bernie Sanders joins teachers to demand higher pay
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) threw a spotlight on the teacher shortage at the “Respecting Our Teachers: A Town Hall on the Teacher Pay Crisis in America,” held on Capitol Hill Feb. 13. With speakers including AFT President Randi Weingarten, National Education Association President Rebecca Pringle, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and the people closest to this problem—working educators—the event laid out what Sanders calls the “unconscionable” working conditions that have propelled so many people out of the profession. Read the story here and watch educator testimonials and the town hall video here.
Vermont health professionals ready to bargain first contract
Now that the support and technical staff at the University of Vermont Medical Center have joined the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals/AFT Vermont, they are ready to negotiate their first contract. Staffing is one of the biggest priorities, says Brett Rhodes, a licensed nursing assistant who has worked at the hospital for five years. The Vermont federation, which already represents 2,500 healthcare professionals in the hospital, will nearly double in size by adding 2,200 more support and technical workers.
Pushing to raise the debt ceiling and protect the economy
With a new ad, the AFT is leading 138 other organizations in pushing Congress to raise the debt ceiling so that America can pay its bills. Congress has a long history of working in a bipartisan way to raise the debt limit with no strings attached, as was done three times during the Trump administration. Congress must do so again—the sooner, the better. Have your affiliate join other AFT members across the country in a member-to-member virtual phone bank on the debt ceiling next Thursday, Feb. 23. Future phone bank topics will include gun violence awareness, voting rights, school infrastructure and more.
Temple students declare, ‘I Am a Core Function’
Teaching and research assistants who belong to the Temple University Graduate Students’ Association have been on strike since Jan. 31, demanding a fair contract with enough compensation so they can afford to live in Philadelphia where they work. They also need reasonable parental leave beyond the five days they now have, as well as family healthcare that won’t cost them 86 percent of their pay. But officials at Temple keep telling these workers, “You’re not a core function of the university.” Watch the graduate students strike back.
AFT Voices: From chaos to healing
Students ride a roller coaster of emotions in class, often taking their classmates and teachers along for the bumpy, sometimes scary ride. What can we do to prevent violent outbursts or at least address them as they come up? Veteran teacher Joel Richards reflects on some emotional moments with his students and describes how we might begin to regulate classroom behavior and help our children through the rough spots.
Rest and celebration as resistance
Our union’s immense sharing site for free lesson plans and activities, Share My Lesson, offers several blogs marking Black History Month. The first, “Rest as Resistance: Why Being Still Is an Important Part of Being Steadfast,” explores burnout prevention. The takeaway is that no matter what you’re fighting for, you are no good to the movement if you aren’t first good to yourself. The second, “Black History: Celebration as Resistance,” reflects on the power of inspiration, celebration and grace as ways to embrace the struggle of African American history.
The rich promise of community schools
Listen in as two experienced educators describe their masterwork: a wonderful community school in an urban setting. AFT President Randi Weingarten is joined by Mark Gaither and Katrina Kickbush, educators at Baltimore’s Wolfe Street Academy, for an inspirational conversation illustrating how community schools deliver on the promise of public education.
February 10, 2023
AFT Innovation Fund supports educators nationwide
This week, AFT President Randi Weingarten, AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram and Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar announced a new round of AFT Innovation Fund grants totaling nearly $500,000. Many of this round’s 14 projects tackle the teacher shortage by funding pathways to teaching for aspiring educators. Others provide professional learning opportunities for new teachers, support at-school child care and boost reading programs. The What Kids and Communities Need grants bring our union’s total Innovation Fund commitment to $1.6 million since early 2020.
Temple retaliates against striking grad workers
On Wednesday, Temple University retaliated against striking graduate workers by stripping away their tuition assistance and healthcare. Leaders across the state, including U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, denounced the retaliation and reiterated their support for these AFT members. AFT President Randi Weingarten says, “This is a slap in the face to the Temple grads and all of the work they do to serve their students.”
A week of action for Black Lives Matter at School
AFT teachers and school staff buzzed with activity this week, Feb. 6-10, celebrating a week of action for Black Lives Matter at School. Wearing their hearts on their shirts and in their work, they are proclaiming the value of Black students and educators, attending webinars on how to teach about enslavement and resistance, and encouraging students to express pride of ethnicity and race. Read about the celebration and use these AFT resources on how Black lives matter year-round.
Don’t miss these Black History Month treasures
Black History Month is an important time for educators and students to study the contributions of Black people throughout U.S. history. It also serves as an opportunity to learn how the injustices of the past have wormed their way into the present. Try incorporating these preK-16 resources into your lessons, including this new documentary about Rosa Parks. Share My Lesson helps us celebrate our diversity and give students a deeper understanding of the history that shapes our world today.
Pennsylvania court: School funding system broken
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled on Feb. 7 that the state’s school funding system is unconstitutional. The lawsuit was filed by six school districts, six sets of parents and two advocacy groups against state officials. The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers filed two briefs supporting the plaintiffs. Newly elected Gov. Josh Shapiro, in his former role as state attorney general, also supported the lawsuit. PFT President Jerry Jordan calls the ruling “a truly historic victory” and offers “incredible gratitude to the brave plaintiffs, their attorneys and everyone who has worked so hard to get us to this point."
AFT teams up to buy generators for Ukrainian preschools
Thanks to the AFT Disaster Relief Fund, together with the Ukraine Children’s Action Project, our members have bought and delivered 20 generators, with another 30 on the way—one for each kindergarten and pre-K education center in Lviv, Ukraine. The generators are being used in bomb shelters, giving light and heat to kids. AFT Vice President and Cleveland Teachers Union President Shari Obrenski, above right, is on-site helping deliver the generators. “Our commitment to children and to their learning in safe and welcoming environments does not stop at our nation’s borders,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “We are glad to offer what we can to curb the suffering and restore some hope amid darkness."
American Teacher Act: It’s high time for fair pay
AFT President Randi Weingarten visited Capitol Hill this week to support the American Teacher Act, introduced by Rep. Frederica Wilson, which would incentivize states to set minimum K-12 teacher salaries at $60,000 and adjust for inflation. “Teachers deserve a raise,” the Florida congresswoman said in introducing the bill. “Our nation’s teachers have been underpaid, overworked and deprived of resources for too long.” Weingarten thanked Wilson and noted that it’s high time America stopped relying on teachers’ goodwill to keep them on the job.
February 3, 2023
Black history, Black future: A lifelong commitment
Every February, a chorus of voices proclaims Black History Month. But the AFT insists on a more complete understanding of this country’s origins every month and every day, especially in our public schools. From its history of upholding justice within its own ranks and its fight for fair policy at the national, state and local levels, to its rich collection of resources that help educators teach about the history and the contemporary experiences of (in)equity and race, we value and amplify Black history and work toward a more hopeful Black future, all year long.
‘The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks’
This Monday, Feb. 6, we invite you to hear from author and AFT member Jeanne Theoharis on her book—now a documentary—“The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks.” She will discuss Parks’ activism before the Montgomery bus boycott and her decades-long work to challenge racism in the North. This online class starts at 7 p.m. Eastern time. It is hosted by the Zinn Education Project and is co-sponsored by Share My Lesson. Register today.
Weingarten: Don’t whitewash Black studies
The College Board announced revisions this week to its new Advanced Placement African American studies course, which had been attacked by right-wing politicians pushing culture wars over students’ education. AFT President Randi Weingarten is “disappointed” with the revisions, calling them out as political interference in a series of tweets. Despite the changes, Weingarten reiterates the AFT’s support for AP African American studies.
Healthcare workers implore lawmakers to enact staffing laws
Legislative sessions are underway across the country, and AFT healthcare members in Alaska, Connecticut, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon and Washington are expected to lobby their state legislators to pass laws that would alleviate staffing shortages. Nurses and other health professionals have been warning about staffing shortages for years, saying that it endangers them and their patients.
Temple University graduate workers on strike
With the administration at Temple University telling teaching assistants and research assistants that “you’re not a core function of the university” and refusing to bargain in good faith for more than a year, Temple TAs and RAs went on strike Jan. 31 for fairness and respect. They are demanding a living wage and decent benefits: enough pay so they can afford to live in Philadelphia, reasonable parental leave beyond the current five days, and family healthcare that won’t cost them 86 percent of their paychecks. Read the story and watch on YouTube or Facebook.
Maryland School for the Deaf votes ‘union YES’
Faculty and staff at the Maryland School for the Deaf this week overwhelmingly cast their votes, 158-2, to unionize and win collective bargaining. This culminates more than two decades of AFT-Maryland organizing at the institution, which operates two campuses in the state. Watch this inspiring video to see why workers at the school voted YES for the AFT.
Two governors on why elections matter
Showcasing why and how elections matter, AFT President Randi Weingarten joins New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to discuss how they’ve turned their election wins into real progress for public education, healthcare and pro-democracy efforts in their states.
January 27, 2023
AFT’s Ingram ‘embarrassed, appalled’ over Florida’s culture wars in schools
AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram spoke with Alex Wagner on MSNBC about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ most recent strikes in his ongoing culture wars in schools. The DeSantis administration has already banned books, suppressed teacher voices in the classroom and tried to take over school boards. Recently, DeSantis blocked Florida’s public school students from taking an Advanced Placement course in African American studies. Ingram pointed out that the timing of this latest move is especially egregious: “between the window of the commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King and the beginning of Black History Month. What an insult that is to African Americans.”
Faculty strike in Chicago ends
University of Illinois Chicago faculty who were on strike have reached an agreement with the university. Hundreds of members and their supporters rallied on Jan. 17. Among their demands: salaries that keep up with inflation (and allow them to live in the city where they work), mental health care for their students, job security so that nontenure-track faculty have more than a few days’ notice of whether they have a job each semester, and more transparency and due process for tenure-track faculty. The tentative agreement was reached on Jan. 23. Congratulations to our union brothers, sisters and family at University of Illinois Chicago!
AFT’s Weingarten joins the call for healthcare workplace safeguards
AFT President Randi Weingarten was among a group that gathered with legislators from the Connecticut General Assembly’s Public Health Committee and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal to advocate for legislation that would benefit hospital workers, the Hartford Courant reports. This important legislation at both the federal and state levels would improve working conditions for healthcare workers, including creating staffing requirements at hospitals, bans on mandatory overtime for nurses, and protections for nurses against violence in the workplace.
Recruiting the talent within
Paraprofessionals have the school knowledge, experience and meaningful student relationships to become successful teachers, but financial and educational roadblocks can make career advancement challenging. The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has helped create a paraprofessional-to-teacher program to remove those roadblocks for paraprofessionals who want to become teachers. In an American Educator article, LeShawna Coleman, an architect of the program, and Gemayel Keyes, an early advocate and current teacher resident in the program, discuss how it came about and the value of promoting from within to address the teacher shortage and support students’ needs.
Apply to attend the AFT Retiree Organizing Conference
The AFT Retirees’ program is hosting an in-person Retiree Organizing Conference in Orlando, Fla., on April 17-20. We encourage both individuals and teams to apply. The application process is open, and the deadline to apply is Friday, Feb. 24. The conference is an intensive, in-person organizing training for growing and developing retiree organizers. Attendees will gain organizing skills and knowledge they can take back to their organizations. Register here; if you have any questions, please direct them to aftretirees@aft.org.
Jan. 20, 2023
Putting fundamentals above fear and factionalism
In her latest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten says the fundamentals of education must take priority over right-wing extremists’ culture wars. And according to the results of a new AFT poll, parents and voters agree. “We must trust teachers to teach. And, frankly, parents and voters do,” Weingarten writes. “Three-quarters of parents say that teachers in their schools generally stick to teaching appropriate academic content and skills. Voters see the culture wars as a distraction from schools’ core mission of educating students, and they believe that politicians who are pushing these issues are doing so for their own political benefit.”
Link between labor and racial justice strengthens at MLK conference
Speakers and participants lived up to the theme “Claiming Our Power, Protecting Our Democracy” at the AFL-CIO’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference Jan. 13-16. From young union workers describing how they claim their power at Starbucks and Amazon, to workshops on how to protect our democracy from voter suppression, the conference inspired hundreds of unionists to learn about and act on building a stronger union and a better world.
Facing down censorship to teach the truth
It is well-known that many history books omit great swathes of material about the experiences of enslaved people in North America, and about African American experiences in general. That is why AFT members like Dana Thompson Dorsey, an education law professor at the University of South Florida, are fighting to prevent further limitations on teaching true history in K-12 and college classrooms. Read Thompson Dorsey’s story about why she is resisting and how crucial these lessons in Black history can be.
Student loan relief, one program at a time
Recent changes to the student loan system are lowering many borrowers’ monthly payments by half and adding to the improvements that have begun to chip away at the monumental student debt so many Americans face. The changes have to do with income-driven repayment plans. “This is a big piece of the extreme makeover we need to fix the $1.7 trillion college affordability crisis that plagues America’s families,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten, who adds there is much more to be done.
Educators fight to keep their Social Security benefits
The Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset rule of the Social Security Act have resulted in nearly 2 million American workers being denied benefits because they chose to enter public service. Marianne Maloney and Jane Roth, both Connecticut teachers, are two examples of public employees affected by the WEP and the GPO.
Jan.13, 2023
New AFT poll: GOP schools agenda is unpopular and at odds with parents’ priorities
The AFT released a new national poll today that shows voters overwhelmingly reject House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s anti-school, culture war agenda. Instead, voters want to see political leaders prioritize what kids need to succeed in school: strong fundamental academic skills and safe and welcoming school environments. “The latest education poll tells us loud and clear: Voters, including parents, oppose McCarthy’s agenda to prioritize political fights in schools and instead support real solutions, like getting our kids and teachers what they need to recover and thrive,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. Full poll results here.
Texas AFT demands respect for public schools
Across the nation, state legislatures are opening for business. Texas AFT was ready this week with priorities designed to stem the exodus of teachers and staff from public schools. Among the union's demands: $10,000 across-the-board raises for teachers and certified staff, including nurses and librarians; a 15 percent across-the-board raise for classified staff, including bus drivers, maintenance workers and custodians; a substantial budget increase to fund these raises and make schools safer; an end to class size loopholes; and a defined work year for educators. It’s what kids deserve, says Texas AFT President Zeph Capo. Read on.
NYSUT members get training on cafeteria safety
During a kitchen safety workshop at a conference for school-related professionals, the food service workers noted violation after violation: Potholders on the grill. Cardboard boxes on the griddle. Cleaning products near the carrots. An outlet missing a ground fault circuit interrupter. Produce improperly stored. But one important health hazard escaped the notice of even these experienced members of New York State United Teachers―and that’s because it’s invisible. Click here to find out what it is.
Celebrating—and teaching—MLK Day
The federal holiday commemorating the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is celebrated this coming Monday, Jan. 16. In today’s climate, where teachers are being silenced or punished for teaching honest history, and where even books about King are being banned, Share My Lesson offers free resources to help teach King’s true legacy. Share them with your members today.
Keeping students safe from gun violence
The winter issue of American Educator includes an adaptation of “How to Stop Shootings and Gun Violence in Schools: A Plan to Keep Students Safe,” by the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund in partnership with the AFT and the National Education Association. Together, we are “working to ensure our approach to safer schools is driven by evidence, expertise and care.” The full report, available in English and Spanish, includes a plan to prevent active shooter incidents and, more broadly, to address gun violence in all its forms in America’s schools.
Jan. 6, 2023
AFT book giveaway: ‘The fulfillment of one dream and the start of another’
AFT President Randi Weingarten has a new column about the AFT’s successful distribution of 1 million books this year to children, families and educators through our Reading Opens the World campaign, and our commitment to give away another 1 million in the coming year. “Amid an alarming rise in efforts to ban and censor books, we are giving away books that are both mirrors and windows—titles that reflect students’ own identities and experiences, introduce them to the experiences of others, and inspire them with compelling stories and characters,” Weingarten writes. “Our goal is for students to love to read and to read well.”
Share My Lesson: Jan. 6 Committee’s final report and recommendations
The committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has concluded its investigation after 18 months, more than 1,000 interviews and 10 public hearings. Committee members voted to approve their final report and recommended that the Department of Justice charge former President Donald Trump with four crimes, including aiding an insurrection. Share My Lesson has resources that let students view the timeline of events to see important highlights from the Jan. 6 hearings over the past year as well as to learn about key witnesses and civics terms.
‘Union Talk’ podcast: Reading Opens the World
In the AFT’s latest “Union Talk” podcast episode, AFT President Randi Weingarten is joined by Cleveland Teachers Union President Shari Obrenski and first-grade teacher Jillian Ahrens to discuss the success of the AFT’s Reading Opens the World campaign, the relentless work of AFT members to bring 1 million free books to kids and families across the nation, and the comfort and joy books bring kids—as well as helping them improve their literacy skills.
New American Educator features resources for building successful community schools
The latest issue of American Educator highlights resources on community schools available through the AFT’s Share My Lesson. High-quality, well-implemented community schools not only can enhance students’ academic, social and emotional development but also can be invaluable resource hubs for entire communities. Share My Lesson’s Building Successful Community Schools collection focuses on how educators can launch and sustain community schools and establish the meaningful partnerships needed to support students’ and families’ needs.
Lift every voice
Language is a key aspect of culture and identity, and a strengths-based approach to instruction that values students’ linguistic variations can help all students feel included, affirmed and motivated to learn. In this article in the Winter issue of American Educator, language and reading experts Anne H. Charity Hudley, Christine Mallinson, Rachel Samuels, and Kimberly Bigelow show how language, culture and identity intersect for many students who speak African American English. They discuss language and cultural misperceptions that can occur in the classroom and provide guidance for teaching these students while honoring their linguistic and cultural heritage.
Dec. 16, 2023
Happy holidays from the AFT
We’re sending holiday cheer to the AFT’s 1.7 million members and the communities they serve. This has been a year of triumphs and struggles. AFT members have helped our nation recover from the pandemic amid hardships ranging from staff shortages to culture wars. And as we always do, we have persevered. Wishing everyone a wonderful and safe holiday season and a happy new year.
Gifting 1 million books, committing to 1 million more
After successfully distributing 1 million books to students and teachers over the past year, the AFT has announced plans to distribute an additional 1 million books through the multiyear Reading Opens the World campaign. “Reading is foundational,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “That’s why as others are banning books and denigrating educators, teachers and their unions are continuing our efforts to create a nation of joyful and confident readers.” Watch and enjoy!
Connecting to community one partner at a time
When you ask public school families in Houston what they want in their communities, the list is simple: a teacher in every classroom, a PTA and clean schoolyards. Now they’ll have help achieving these goals through the AFT’s Powerful Partnerships Institute, an effort that has connected union members and community members, amplifying their strength and ability to make relevant change in communities that have long been neglected.
AFT continues solidarity with Ukraine
The AFT has a proud history of defending democracy in Eastern Europe. Even before World War II, our union began stepping in to save trade unionists from fascist and communist tyranny. The AFT was the most active union standing with the Solidarity movement in Poland in the 1980s. This work continues in Ukraine, where Russia has been waging a cruel war on civilians. AFT President Randi Weingarten has traveled to the region twice to visit with teachers and students, and this past summer, AFT members provided two weeks of educational support to Ukrainian and Polish students. Now, amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine’s electrical grid, the AFT is raising money to buy generators for schools and community centers in Ukraine.
How to fix the healthcare staffing crisis
With hospitals reaching capacity nationwide and a shortage of healthcare professionals, AFT President Randi Weingarten assembles a roundtable of nurses and their union leaders to discuss the most immediate and tangible solutions to prevent dangerous conditions for patients and healthcare professionals. Listen to the latest episode of our "Union Talk" podcast, as nurses January Belcher and Howard Sandau, along with David Keepnews, executive director of the Washington State Nurses Association, speak honestly about what must be done.
Congress: Protect DACA beneficiaries now
Time is nearly up for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, unless Congress acts before the end of the year to protect it by passing legislation that provides a pathway to citizenship for “Dreamers”—young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children who meet certain criteria—and DACA beneficiaries like Karen Reyes, above. Federal courts have issued decisions threatening the legitimacy of DACA. If these decisions go unanswered by Congress, thousands of young adults could face deportation. Write your senators and tell them to pass permanent protections for DACA recipients and Dreamers before the end of the year.
November 18, 2022
AFT report: Healthcare staffing is in crisis
After three years of unprecedented challenges, healthcare workers are exhausted and their facilities dangerously understaffed. A groundbreaking new AFT report brings together data and testimony from frontline workers. It details crippling staff shortages across the healthcare industry, revealing dangerous conditions for patients and healthcare professionals alike, made worse by profit-driven corporate leadership. According to the report, healthcare workers are exhausted, burnt out, anxious and leaving the profession in droves: Since the beginning of the pandemic, nearly 1 in 5 healthcare workers have quit their jobs. Learn more about the report, which lays out the issues in detail and offers potential solutions.
Dear AFT voters: Thank you
In a year when democracy, freedom, public education, public safety and economic security were on the ballot, voters like you overwhelmingly rejected MAGA extremism and fear, and instead stood up for the rights, freedoms and democratic institutions that give our country meaning and hope for the future. The results were historic. Thank you, AFT members and activists, for volunteering, getting out the vote and voting.
AFT puts muscle and money into Puerto Rico
AFT leaders donned T-shirts and jeans to paint, garden and clean up at a Puerto Rican school this month, showing that the AFT is putting muscle as well as money into relief efforts there. The union also donated $75,000 to the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico, the AFT’s Puerto Rico teachers affiliate, to provide financial assistance to educators who continue to be severely impacted by natural disasters, including Hurricane Fiona. And leaders attended the SOMOS conference to focus on issues that affect Latinos across the United States.
Healthcare pros are safer and stronger together
AFT nurses and healthcare workers convened in person for the first time since 2019 for the professional issues conference in Chicago. The union’s healthcare members had a chance to bond over the course of the two-day event, which took place Nov. 12-13, while also learning new tactics for building their power and influence and successfully resolving issues they encounter on the job every day.
Keeping tradition and language alive
When Lucy Real Bird says she is Apsáalooke (Crow), she really means it. She is the daughter and granddaughter of renowned Apsáalooke leaders, she speaks Apsáalooke, and most importantly, she teaches the Indigenous language along with songs and stories to her elementary school children in the Crow Agency school on the southern Montana Crow Reservation. Hear what she has to say about the importance of tradition and engaging young Native American children and their families at school in this AFT Voices post.
What do you know about tribal sovereignty?
This Shanker Institute blog by educator Julie Hutcheson-Downwind walks readers through the role and history of tribal sovereignty that should be common knowledge for all Americans. Hutcheson-Downwind concludes with an example of what this can and should mean for our students. The Albert Shanker Institute, whose offices reside on the ancestral land of the Anacostans (also documented as Nacotchtank) and the neighboring Piscataway and Pamunkey peoples, is committed to strengthening our collective understanding of and respect for historic and contemporary tribal sovereignty.
Editor’s note: The next edition of Inside AFT will be Dec. 2. Happy Thanksgiving!
November 11, 2022
Midterm elections are trending positively for American democracy
As results continue to emerge from the 2022 midterm elections, AFT President Randi Weingarten says: “In a year when democracy, freedom, public education, public safety and economic security were on the ballot, voters overwhelmingly rejected MAGA extremism and fear. … Our country remains deeply divided—and there were many heartbreaking losses. But voters in so many close races elected problem solvers rather than problem makers.”
Turbulent meetings and targeted teachers: We want to calm the storm
When Moffie Funk was a social studies teacher, she loved the challenge and inspiration of the classroom, but as a unionist and a Democrat in a conservative community, she felt she had a target on her back. Then came explosive school board meetings and fights over mask mandates, so-called critical race theory and teaching about LGBTQIA+ people. Funk reluctantly left teaching but has embraced the fight to champion public schools, partnering with the Montana Federation of Public Employees and the AFT’s Powerful Partnerships Institute to support the parents, families and school board activists who support public schools.
AFT members embrace Native American education and culture
AFT members immersed themselves in the National Indian Education Association conference Oct. 5-8, celebrating Native culture and tradition while also learning new ways to ensure Native people can thrive—whether they are AFT members, their students or the families in their communities. The event included traditional music and dance competitions as well as workshops on everything from Indigenous-centered and culturally relevant curriculum to increasing enrollment of Native people in higher education, supporting school readiness in Native communities and preserving Native languages.
Retirees give it their all to GOTV
The ink on Aladji Sow’s retirement papers was barely dry when he decided to become a political volunteer. Sow, a retired member of the United Federation of Teachers, traveled to Detroit in August to attend the AFT’s political boot camp. “Boot camp was awesome,” says Sow. “I learned different facets of political activism, and it helped me prepare for what was to come.” Sow and his fellow retirees used what they learned by hitting the pavement and staffing phone banks in cities across the U.S. ahead of the November midterm elections.
Haitian educators ensure everyone can ‘read with joy’
Reading is fundamental. We all know that. But when the focus on English-only literacy excludes families whose first language is, say, Haitian Creole, reading becomes out of reach. To remedy that, the Boston Teachers Union’s Haitian Educators Committee is finding new ways to support the children in their community with dual language teaching and books, holding workshops to provide Haitian families with information about the benefits of learning in two languages, skills for supporting their children’s literacy development and other resources. Families are responding enthusiastically.
November 4, 2022
AFT gets out the vote for problem-solving candidates
New York State United Teachers President Andrew Pallotta called her “a breath of fresh air.” AFT President Randi Weingarten noted that she is the first candidate for governor NYSUT has endorsed in many years. The candidate in question is New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who stopped by the AFT’s virtual town hall Tuesday night to thank our members for their support and ask our New York members for their vote.
AFT’s Weingarten joins first lady at rally in Pittsburgh
As we draw closer to the 2022 midterm elections, we’re continuing our get-out-the-vote efforts. On Nov. 2, AFT President Randi Weingarten joined first lady Dr. Jill Biden in Pittsburgh for a rally in honor of the Pennsylvania Democratic candidates. Weingarten appreciates the value of having a teacher in the White House: “We have an ally in the White House,” she said, “a person who, literally, has been grading papers in the residence.” And she emphasized that the Democratic candidates will fortify public education, support workers and fight for reproductive freedoms.
AFT executive vice president stresses importance of reading at book giveaway
The AFT’s Reading Opens the World campaign gave away 20,000 books to students in Rochester, N.Y., on Oct. 29. AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus joined AFT members and N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul to talk about how important reading is for kids, especially as books are being banned nationwide. “How can we get kids back to the joy of reading?” DeJesus asked. “When a teacher reads a book in the classroom they communicate, they bond, they have questions, [they use] critical-thinking skills, that’s what it’s all about.”
‘Union Talk’ podcast: 2022 midterms roundtable
In the latest edition of our “Union Talk” podcast, AFT President Randi Weingarten is joined by four congressional candidates—Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Jahana Hayes (Connecticut) and candidates Nikki Budzinski (Illinois) and Robert Zimmerman (New York)—during the AFT Votes bus tour to discuss what is truly at stake during this pivotal election.
Weingarten says we can learn from the economic fiasco in Britain
AFT President Randi Weingarten says lessons can be learned from not just the distant past but the present, referring specifically to Liz Truss’ recent short-lived stint as British prime minister. The lesson we can learn from the fiasco in Britain, Weingarten says, is that “[t]rickle-down economics doesn’t work. And … the damage done to ordinary people, to education and healthcare, lasts for years, and sometimes, as appears to be the case in Britain, can’t be undone.”
There’s still time to apply for an AFT Innovation Fund grant for 2022-23
The AFT Innovation Fund is offering a mini-grant opportunity for the 2022-23 school year, and there’s still time to apply. These grants are about getting “back to the basics” by directly investing in the kinds of classroom initiatives, educator supports and school-based enrichment programs that help kids and communities succeed in the long term. We invite local and state K-12, PSRP and higher education members, with support from their affiliate presidents, to submit applications that focus on educator retention, career and technical education, community schools initiatives and literacy proposals. Applications are due no later than Nov. 13, 2022. Click here for more information and to access the application.
October 28, 2022
Which side are you on?
“Which side are you on?” AFT President Randi Weingarten remembers that old union ballad as she travels on the AFT Votes bus to get out the vote on Nov. 8. Elections are always inflection points, but—given the divisions roiling our country, and the complex economic, political and human challenges confronting us—the choices we make in these elections are especially consequential. Our side is tackling the concerns that keep people up at night. Our side is on the side of families struggling to afford life’s necessities. Our side is helping children recover and thrive. Our side is fighting to protect democracy. Read on.
Follow the AFT Votes bus tour
AFT President Randi Weingarten, Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram and Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus brought the AFT Votes bus tour to Cincinnati yesterday, leading rallies and meeting with voters. Follow the tour here. Our members, their families and their communities have had a tough few years, confronting enormous challenges. But we remain hopeful that we can turn this around by focusing on what kids and communities need—and that starts with electing people to office who share our values. It's not too late for you and your members to become AFT political activist volunteers. Sign up here.
Hurry! Only days left to apply for a debt waiver
We are mere days away from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness waiver deadline this Monday, Oct. 31. That's why the AFT is running nonstop student debt clinics to spread the word on loan amnesty for public service, President Joe Biden's general student debt forgiveness, and more. Sign up for a session here. Questions? Email us at debtclinic@aft.org.
The journey from chaos to community
Community organizer Arlyssa Heard knows something about building community. Confronted with a system that targeted her neighborhood public schools for failure and closure, she banded together with other parents, educators and the Detroit Federation of Teachers to fight back—and win. Today she continues that tradition, working with the DFT to use one of the AFT’s Powerful Partnerships Institute grants to fortify her community and grow its influence on education policy.
Virtual town hall on family-school partnerships
Families are essential partners in providing a high-quality education for every student. National PTA’s National Standards for Family-School Partnerships set the bar for how schools and parents should work together to support student success. The updated standards provide guidance and best practices for strong partnerships that will make a real impact for all students, families and schools. National PTA, alongside other leading education groups including the AFT, will host a virtual town hall on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. Eastern in conjunction with National Parent Involvement Month. The town hall will be livestreamed on National PTA’s Facebook page, Twitter and YouTube.
Ukrainian teachers show resilience despite war
AFT President Randi Weingarten led a delegation to Ukraine this month in response to an invitation from the president of the Ukrainian education union, the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine. The AFT mission took place as part of its investigation into the grievous damage to schools wrought by the Russian invasion. It was a continuation of the AFT’s work to support Ukrainian teachers and children both in Ukraine and as refugees of the war. Our humanitarian assistance has been made possible through the generosity of our members.
October 21, 2022
AFT embarks on national get-out-the-vote bus tour
The “#AFTvotes—What Kids and Communities Need” bus tour kicked off this week in Green Bay, Wis., and will continue for 20 days in at least 10 states and 25 cities through Election Day, Nov. 8. Stops will include Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New York. AFT President Randi Weingarten says: “This November, so much is on the ballot: our democracy and our freedoms, public education, healthcare, Medicare and Social Security, safety from gun violence, and economic security. Who is going to help solve this, and who will make it worse?”
AFT Votes: This Nov. 8, freedom is on the line
Right now, our country’s democracy and freedom are on the line, AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram writes on AFT Voices. The U.S. House and Senate are up for grabs in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, and if the wrong people get in, they will suddenly stop talking about “voter fraud” and start in again with imposing racist and exclusionary tactics. Already, some are talking about cutting back the public services we all rely on. If Republicans win the Senate, they want to “sunset” every federal law every five years. What do you think that means for Medicare? Or Social Security? Or civil rights? Read on.
Years in the classroom finally add up to student loan forgiveness
For Alfredo Castro, education is about serving the children in the school of his Latino community on the Texas-Mexico border, but that service comes at a steep price: $45,000 in student loan debt. Castro thought he would live with that for the rest of his life, but changes in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program made it possible to erase all that debt. He tells his story on AFT Voices and shows members how they can find student debt relief as well. (But hurry, the deadline is Oct. 31.) Read all about it in English or in Spanish.
Relief for adjuncts with student debt
For adjunct faculty who piece together countless hours of work but whose official records show only time in the classroom, meeting the 30-hour-a-week requirement for Public Service Loan Forgiveness has been impossible—and put student debt relief out of reach. Now, thanks to the Professional Staff Congress at the City University of New York, a state law gives adjuncts credit for those out-of-class hours and helps them qualify. Here is one member’s story. Apply for your own debt relief before Oct. 31. Need help? Catch our webinar, or email us at debtclinic@aft.org now. Waiting could cost you tens of thousands of dollars.
Retiree finds activism is time well spent
Joyce Reinoso’s union activism increased after she retired. The former first-grade teacher says, "Once I retired, I was determined I wasn't going to spend the rest of my life sitting around my house." When Reinoso received an invitation to her chapter's New Retiree Luncheon in 2015, she went, even though she didn't know anyone. Today, she is vice president for membership of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers Retiree Chapter and co-chair of its political action committee. She is also a member of the AFTerburners, a team of AFT retirees who focus on political activism and member outreach.
October 14, 2022
AFT’s Weingarten visits Poland and Ukraine
At the invitation of Ukrainian unions, AFT President Randi Weingarten traveled to Ukraine this week to meet with students and teachers, as she did in the spring, this time crossing the border from Poland into Ukraine on the day Russians launched missiles into Lviv, Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. Weingarten spoke with Education Week about her experience: “One teacher said to me as we were sitting in a bunker, as we’re waiting for Russia to finish flying their long-range missiles, ‘May the skies over your school stay clear, and your school bells keep ringing.’”
Join us for one of 2022's most critical conversations
Register to join AFT President Randi Weingarten for one of the most important conversations of 2022: a webinar on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness waiver and the 2022 elections, including a Q&A, on Saturday, Oct. 15, 1-2 p.m. ET. Weingarten will share information on how to take advantage of the life-changing PSLF waiver before the Oct. 31 deadline. She will also discuss the 2022 elections, the AFT bus tour and how you can participate in get-out-the-vote efforts.
AFT and parents demand Instagram end bullying on 'confessions' accounts
The AFT and ParentsTogether led a virtual petition delivery on Oct. 7 to demand Instagram’s parent company, Meta, address rampant bullying of kids and teachers on its Instagram platform via anonymous school “confessions” accounts. The petition, signed by more than 10,000 classroom teachers, school staff and parents around the country, calls on Meta to halt the proliferation of school “confessions” or “secrets” Instagram accounts that spread false rumors and abuse.
Retirees are hopeful about the future of Medicare
Three AFT retirees went to the White House on Sept. 27 to hear President Joe Biden talk about the progress his administration has made to bring down healthcare costs and strengthen Medicare. Viola Curry, John Soldini and Nina Tribble joined a gathering to promote the Inflation Reduction Act, which will help Medicare recipients in the coming years. Biden noted that the law delivers on the promises that many in the audience had made, and addresses issues that the American people have had to deal with for decades.
Apply now for an AFT Innovation Fund Reclaim Our Future grant
The AFT Innovation Fund is pleased to announce our new mini-grant opportunity for the 2022-23 school year: The fund’s Reclaim Our Future grants will focus on educator retention initiatives and career and technical education initiatives. Grant awards will range from $20,000 to $50,000 (with consideration given to affiliate size). We invite local and state K-12 teacher, PSRP and higher education members, with support from their affiliate presidents, to submit applications laying out projects to support educators, students, families and communities. Applications are due no later than Nov. 13, 2022. Click here for more information and to access the application.
Our communities and our planet depend on a thriving democracy
We are facing a climate emergency, and impacts like extreme heat, flooding and food insecurity are especially devastating for those in already under-resourced communities. We’re in this situation in part because the people’s voices are drowned out by the noise of exploitative corporate interests. As environmental justice leader Jacqueline Patterson explains in the latest issue of AFT Health Care, the path toward a healthy society lies in building a living economy that honors the earth and affirms the rights and well-being of all.
October 7, 2022
What patients and communities need
The latest issue of AFT Health Care focuses on what matters most for healthcare professionals—and their patients. A union leader shares why voting is an essential part of union activism, an Occupational Safety and Health Administration authority tells us how to achieve better workplace protections for health professionals, and experts explore the implications of the Dobbs decision for healthcare workers. Also in this issue: Scholars explain the importance of defending our democracy as we fight for the well-being of our patients, communities and country.
Powerful Partnerships Institute: Fortifying communities with funding and support
The AFT has launched a new program to continue building and fortifying strong partnerships with parents and communities, supporting the work that state and local unions do with community partners across the country. Called the Powerful Partnerships Institute, the initiative is distributing 27 separate grants to AFT locals, totaling more than $1.5 million, to strengthen and formalize relationships that are critical to student success and give educators, parents and the entire school community more opportunities to work together on the things kids need—whether that’s academic, social, emotional or something even broader.
Apply now for an AFT Innovation Fund Reclaim Our Future grant
The AFT Innovation Fund is pleased to announce our new mini-grant opportunity for the 2022-23 school year. The fund’s Reclaim Our Future grants will focus on educator retention initiatives and career and technical education initiatives. Grant awards will range from $20,000 to $50,000 (with consideration given to affiliate size). We invite local and state K-12, PSRP and higher education members, with support from their affiliate president, to submit applications laying out projects to support educators, students, families and communities. Applications are due no later than Nov. 13, 2022. Click here for more information and to access the application.
Congressional Black Caucus conference empowers educators
AFT members and leaders joined one of the nation’s leading policy conferences, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference, with a professional development series for educators Sept. 28. The series, co-sponsored with the CBCF and the Delta Research and Educational Foundation, covered the diversification of the education workforce, the power of working with community to support public schools, and teaching—and learning—honest history, including the racism that persists today.
AFT webinar on student debt relief programs addresses Spanish speakers
More than 200 people gathered virtually Sept. 27, and another 400 registered to tune in later, eager to learn about student debt relief at a webinar organized by the AFT and conducted in Spanish. Like the hundreds of webinars and in-person debt clinics the AFT and its affiliates have offered over the past several years, the webinar laid out pathways to erasing student debt, emphasizing new policies like the Biden administration’s loan forgiveness program and changes that ease requirements for qualifying for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This was the first webinar the AFT has conducted in Spanish.
September 30, 2022
AFT launches Powerful Partnerships Institute
The AFT’s new Powerful Partnerships Institute provides $1.5 million of direct assistance to AFT affiliates, parent groups and community organizations to do grass-roots engagement work focused on helping kids recover and thrive. This program is a commitment made by the AFT as part of its What Kids and Communities Need campaign, which focuses on making investments in public schools and communities to ensure students have the essentials they need. The grants will support community engagement by helping parents and teachers find new ways to work together for the benefit of kids and neighborhoods.
Rider University faculty save their union
Just hours before they would have gone on strike, faculty at Rider University in New Jersey inked a groundbreaking contract, later ratified by membership. Aside from agreements on pay and working conditions, the final contract yanked the union back from the brink of dissolution with a legally binding provision preventing college administrators from going before the National Labor Relations Board to challenge the faculty’s right to unionize.
Water crisis flows from decades of neglect
When the Pearl River flooded in Jackson, Miss., people in the city lost access to clean water—but it wasn’t the first time. Decades of neglect to the infrastructure of this majority-Black city mean that boil-water notices are common, and schools have shut down due to inaccessible water in the past. AFT leader Dr. Akemi Stout describes daily life without clean water and links the problem to the kind of systemic racism and environmental injustice that leaves low-income Black communities with far fewer resources than wealthier, whiter areas.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness waiver period hits the home stretch
As we begin the final month of the waiver period for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program—it expires on Oct. 31—the AFT will host 20 student debt clinics in 30 days. Please encourage your members who have student debt to attend a webinar to learn best practices and receive help in connecting to the federal program of loan forgiveness for public employees. Members can register for any of the clinics here.
Kids pick topics in middle school reading program
When Jody Keith, an eighth-grade English language arts teacher in Medina, Ohio, noticed a feeling of disconnection at her school, she worked with her colleagues and community to create a reading program called the Confetti Project. It pairs eighth-graders with adults to discuss a book outside of the usual classroom context, and it’s having a big impact at Buckeye Junior High School.
Recognizing and confronting assaults on democracy
Conspiracy theories will always be a feature of democracy—and when they are based in evidence and work to keep the powerful accountable to the public, they can be useful. But conspiracies that lack evidence and instead rely on misinformation to control reality erode democracy and our relationships with each other. In the fall edition of American Educator, Professors Russell Muirhead and Nancy Rosenbaum discuss the dangers of unchecked conspiracism and explain how educators can recognize and confront it.
White House gathers experts to talk education
In the latest edition of our "Union Talk" podcast, AFT President Randi Weingarten joins Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky and National Education Association President Becky Pringle for an important discussion to help families and educators navigate back-to-school season amid a staffing shortage and lingering health concerns.
September 23, 2022
Top AFT officers mark Banned Books Week
Reading is foundational to our kids’ future. In a democratic society, banning books is wrong and dangerous, especially when governments, including school boards, censor what public schools and libraries can offer. This week is Banned Books Week, and we’re using it to push back. We know that most people don’t want book bans, especially in our public spaces. Follow along as AFT President Randi Weingarten delivers a video message, AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram discusses his favorite banned book and AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus spreads the joy of literacy via Reading Opens the World. For them, as for all of us, reading creates a culture of curiosity, empathy, caring and knowledge. Share these tools to reverse book bans.
AFT partners with Hungry for Music, bringing musical instruments to kids
The AFT has launched a new partnership with the nonprofit Hungry for Music, which distributes new and refurbished musical instruments to kids and school programs in need—much as the AFT does with books in our Reading Opens the World campaign. Over the summer, members of the Cleveland Teachers Union teamed up with Hungry for Music, distributing guitars, drums and music-themed children’s books during a Fam Jam at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Back to school
This month in her New York Times column, AFT President Randi Weingarten focuses on some of the ways AFT members are helping students recover and thrive—from a program forging bonds through reading, started by an AFT member in Medina, Ohio; to a fund that helps college students experiencing economic emergencies, created by faculty at Milwaukee Area Technical College; to the AFT’s Reading Opens the World and What Kids and Communities Need campaigns. Please read the column and share with your networks.
Unsafe staffing and stress force NJ nurses to reconsider the profession
This summer, the Health Professionals and Allied Employees in New Jersey surveyed more than 500 hospital nurses in the state to better understand their experiences, challenges and needs in these unprecedented times. According to HPAE, the survey results are a wake-up call.
Final days for Public Service Loan Forgiveness! Sign up for a webinar
Don’t miss this window of opportunity to finally get some relief from your student debt. Since the Biden administration’s debt relief plan was announced in August, and since changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program have made it briefly more accessible, borrowers are learning that they actually can have their debt forgiven. The deadline to apply is Oct. 31 but you should really start the process by Oct. 15. First, attend one of the daily online student debt clinics the AFT is offering from Sept. 28-Oct. 4. Click here to sign up.
Teaching to safeguard our freedoms
Join us for a new series of webinars, co-hosted by the Albert Shanker Institute and Share My Lesson, on teaching the principles of the U.S. Constitution and how it relates to current events and the state of our democracy. These timely webinars will provide the necessary content knowledge on the rights granted in the Constitution, with teachable strategies for the classroom. The series also will tackle the issues eroding our democracy, from book banning to school violence. These free, for-credit sessions run Sept. 29 to Nov. 17 and will be available on demand. Register here and spread the word to your members.
Pay attention: Democracy is on the ballot
All elections are important, but perhaps none in recent history has been as important as the 2022 and 2024 elections—the first tests of our democracy since Donald Trump tried to overturn his election loss and extremist Republicans responded by passing laws making it harder for people to vote. In this article, liberal and conservative scholars Jeffrey Isaac and William Kristol team up to explain why we should be alarmed and what we can do to safeguard our country against these and other threats to democracy.
September 16, 2022
Weingarten announces major investment in college student emergency funds
AFT President Randi Weingarten visited Milwaukee on Sept. 8, where she met with Milwaukee Area Technical College students, staff of the school’s FAST (Faculty and Students Together) Fund (a faculty-run student emergency fund), and community partners and announced a major investment in a Midwest student emergency fund consortium. This investment is a first-time collaboration between Great Lakes-area union professionals and students that addresses college students’ basic needs so they can stay in school.
Inflation Reduction Act signed into law
AFT President Randi Weingarten was at the White House Sept. 13 to celebrate President Joe Biden’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act. She says this law will help Americans who have been struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living since the onset of the pandemic. The president’s signing of the bill is “an important reminder that elections matter,” Weingarten says. “Biden, with the narrowest of majorities in the House and Senate, is trying to make people’s lives better in tangible, measurable ways, and to deliver on the promise of good government that truly helps and serves the people it represents.”
Share your thoughts: Banned Books Week 2022
Books unite us, censorship divides us. In recognition of Banned Books Week (Sept. 18-24), we want to capture your voice and why you believe ensuring access to books, information and knowledge is critical to students’ success. How are the increasing book bans affecting you and your students? Why is it important that we commit to freedom of expression and celebrate books that can help students learn and grow?
Repeal WEP and GPO: Stop penalizing teachers and public employees
The Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset threaten secure retirement for many teachers and public employees. These provisions substantially reduce or eliminate the earned Social Security benefits of millions of retired educators and public employees who contributed to Social Security through other employment. Thousands more are penalized every year as they retire from public service because their state, municipality or school district does not participate in the Social Security system. Help us tell Speaker Nancy Pelosi to repeal the WEP and GPO and do right by our educators and public employees.
Voices: ‘I never thought as a physician that unionization was possible’
This summer 13 physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants from four Eugene, Ore.-area clinics operated by PeaceHealth overwhelmingly voted to form a union in an election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board. The new group, PeaceHealth Providers United/AFT, will focus its collective bargaining power on addressing burnout, understaffing, safe patient care and access to care for the region’s most vulnerable patients. In this AFT Voices post, Dr. Morgan Garvin shares why she decided to join.
September 9, 2022
Settlement upheld in AFT members' class action against Navient
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit has unanimously rejected a challenge by far-right interests to an agreement, approved in 2020 by a federal district court, to settle a class action brought by 10 AFT members against student loan servicer Navient. “We sued Navient years ago challenging Navient’s practices with respect to advising federal student loan borrowers, and Navient agreed to enhance those practices,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said, celebrating the Sept. 7 decision. “But right-wing extremists wanted none of it; they thought they could direct their legal arsenal toward hurting the millions of teachers, nurses, first responders, school support staff, higher education faculty and social workers who have dedicated their lives to helping others."
White House hosts back-to-school town hall
National leaders in education and health held a virtual town hall meeting at the White House Sept. 1, conveying the excitement and joy of families whose children are back in school. Besides sharing new information on academics, health and safety, the leaders expressed gratitude for having an educator in the White House, first lady and community college professor Dr. Jill Biden. U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona led the town hall. AFT President Randi Weingarten and National Education Association President Becky Pringle brought questions from their members for the other panelists: Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha, and Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Faculty strike at Eastern Michigan University
The faculty at Eastern Michigan University went on strike Sept. 7, saying administrators refuse to bargain in good faith on a contract that expired Aug. 31. Among the sticking points: higher healthcare insurance rates for faculty and low pay raises that don’t make up for the hikes. With faculty ranks dwindling and pay among the lowest in the Mid-American Conference, members of the Eastern Michigan University chapter of the American Association of University Professors would rather be in class but instead are walking the picket line and working through the bargaining process. “We’re looking for solutions that support our students and set the stage for quality education at EMU for the long term,” says EMU-AAUP President Mohamed El-Sayed.
One day longer, one day stronger
Unions are cool again. As we celebrated Labor Day this week, a new Gallup poll showed that unions are more popular than they’ve been since the ’60s. Nearly half of nonunion workers say they would join a union in their workplace if they had the chance. And young workers are even more enthusiastic. They’re realizing what we already know: Working people are stronger together. Yet today, Americans are 11 times more likely to have an Amazon Prime membership than a union card. We must keep expanding the labor movement and redoubling our efforts to ensure that all workers get what they need to reach their dreams. Read the AFT national officers' Labor Day message.
Paths to student debt relief: One librarian’s story
As the landscape of student debt shifts, with more paths leading borrowers to debt relief, the AFT is using every avenue to ensure that the word gets out. In meetings, telephone town halls, media coverage and social media, our union is spreading the word, and at a student debt clinic at AFT headquarters on Aug. 31, AFT President Randi Weingarten vowed to reach as many people as possible with information that could save them tens of thousands of dollars—or more. Watch this short clip about member Esther Uribe, a public school librarian in Houston, who describes her happy surprise with public service loan forgiveness.
Voting for our values: A Q&A with union leaders
As four union leaders from across the country discuss, elections are critical for getting public schools, educators and students the resources they need. And given the threats to our freedoms and the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen, the leaders we elect in November will determine the future of our democracy. In this American Educator Q&A, learn what issues are motivating these union leaders to vote and why it’s more important than ever to vote for candidates who support public schools and the people who work in them.
Public employees join teachers for literacy event
Government employee members of the AFT have been working in solidarity with K-12 union locals this year to welcome students back to school. The Nashua (N.H.) Public Library Employees union volunteered alongside the Nashua Federation of Teachers at a recent Reading Opens the World event. AFT President Randi Weingarten was on hand as they distributed nearly 10,000 books, backpacks and school supplies, so that public school students could start the year off right. Working together, we can provide what our kids and communities need.
September 2, 2022
American Educator: What kids and communities need
In the latest issue of American Educator, learn how the AFT is addressing the public school staff and educator shortage, how career and technical education programs give students the skills to succeed in college or careers, and how all teachers can use music to enhance classroom learning. Also in this issue: Union leaders discuss why voting matters for education, and scholars explain how to defend our democracy in the upcoming elections to build a better life for all.
Charlie Crist taps teachers union leader Karla Hernandez as running mate in Fla. governor's race
U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, the Democratic candidate in Florida’s governor’s race, has selected United Teachers of Dade President and AFT Vice President Karla Hernandez as his running mate. The contrast is clear: Crist picked a special education teacher to join his ticket while current Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to attack teachers and public schools.
Oregon healthcare affiliate celebrates a string of union victories
This summer, the Oregon Nurses Association saw a number of successful new union organizing drives across the state, including efforts by nurses at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital in Lincoln City and technical professionals at CHI St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton. ONA also worked with the AFT to help bring doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants at PeaceHealth in Eugene under the union tent.
Beyond crayons: How we fight for what our students need
When Samantha Rosado-Ciriello was a brand-new kindergarten teacher, she walked into her classroom on the first day of school and found a terrible surprise: The classroom was empty. No chairs or desks, no supplies. Years later, as president of the Yonkers (N.Y.) Federation of Teachers, she says many teachers are still experiencing shortages. In her AFT Voices post, she describes what her union is doing about that.
AFT leaders renew commitment to CTE after touring German schools
On a recent trip to Germany, a delegation of AFT leaders considered new ways of involving industry and government more deeply to build up career and technical education. From increasing the number of vocations offered in schools to strengthening the apprenticeship system and getting students into real jobs more quickly, the tours of German schools and conversations with CTE leaders bolstered the union’s commitment to CTE as part of our What Kids and Communities Need campaign.
August 26, 2022
Back-to-school tour highlights what kids need
This week, we’re kicking off the AFT’s 2022 back-to-school tour, bringing our What Kids and Communities Need campaign into sharper focus. At a time when extremists are trying to divide our communities and politicize public education by banning books, censoring curriculum and demonizing teachers, we’re offering solutions and fighting for the time, tools and resources educators need to help kids learn. The tour is part of our larger What Kids Need campaign unveiled this summer, a back-to-basics initiative central to helping kids and their families recover and thrive.
Widespread student debt relief finally in sight
After months of anticipation, the Biden administration has announced it intends to cancel $10,000 of federal student debt for individuals who earn less than $125,000 a year ($250,000 for a couple filing taxes jointly) and up to $20,000 for low-income borrowers who received Pell grants. It also will extend to Dec. 31 the student loan payment pause implemented at the beginning of the pandemic. Thousands of AFT members, and millions of Americans, will be helped. “Make no mistake—this is a substantive action that will change countless lives,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “The vast majority of the nation’s 46 million borrowers will see relief, and those struggling to get by will benefit the most.”
Mark your calendar for our next town hall
Next Thursday, Sept. 1, at 6:30 p.m. EDT, we’ll be joining the White House and the National Education Association in a back-to-school virtual town hall for teachers and school support staff. Topics will include school safety, COVID-19, academic achievement, social wellness and more. Register here to reserve your spot.
Democracy at work
AFT President Randi Weingarten uses this month’s column to describe a flurry of activity from the White House and Congress where, despite razor-thin margins, leaders have made significant strides: The Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, the PACT Act, the American Rescue Plan and more have begun to provide the kinds of policy and funding we need for a more equitable path forward. “There is much more to do to protect our freedoms and create a better life for all,” she writes. “But let’s give credit for what has been done to address the climate crisis, protect our rights and help everyone—from young people to seniors to veterans—have a better life.”
Kicking off the school year with new books
The AFT’s Reading Opens the World campaign has made several stops in the Northeast as school reopens, including big events sponsored by the New Haven (Conn.) Federation of Teachers and the United Federation of Teachers in New York City. Members who volunteered for the 10,000-book distribution at a New Haven high school got a helping hand from AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus and AFT Connecticut President Jan Hochadel, as well as dozens of local co-sponsors. In New York, a 30,000-book distribution at the Bronx UFT offices was designed specifically to help new educators stock their classroom libraries. Hundreds of teachers and school staff picked up books.
How to stop gun violence in schools
In the 20 years since the mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, school communities have lived with the reality of increasingly frequent school shootings, the Independent reports. Everytown for Gun Safety, which has tracked school gun violence annually since 2013, has released a report on gun violence in schools in conjunction with the AFT and the National Education Association. It says the worst period for gun violence in schools was the 2021-22 school year, during which 59 people were killed in 193 incidents at U.S. schools. This is the highest number of school shootings in a decade.
Reminder: Public Service Loan Forgiveness deadline
Do you have student loan debt of your own, or have you taken out loans for your children’s education? If so, you need to know that Public Service Loan Forgiveness has erased more than $10.5 billion of debt. The student loan cancellation President Joe Biden announced this week may forgive part of your debt, while PSLF could forgive the remaining balance on your direct loans if you meet certain qualifications. Last year, a huge set of benefits was released, thanks to an AFT lawsuit over PSLF—but the deadline to apply is Oct. 31, so don’t wait! Attend our webinar to learn more.
August 19, 2022
AFT celebrates landmark law for working families
“Great news,” reports AFT President Randi Weingarten. In part because of our members' calls and letters, Congress has passed and President Joe Biden has signed the Inflation Reduction Act, a once-in-a-generation bill to cut costs for working families, curb climate change and create jobs. The new law makes prescription drugs more affordable by stopping price-gouging. It gives middle-class families a break on healthcare premiums. It requires the biggest corporations to pay a fairer share in taxes. It creates jobs with historic public investment in manufacturing, energy security and lower energy costs—while helping address the climate crisis. And it does all this while decreasing the deficit. The new law is a win for America.
Voices: So you think you want to be a teacher?
In her new blog, teacher, AFT member and author Amber Chandler offers important considerations for anyone weighing the pros and cons of teaching—and for those who want a refresher on why this job may be for you. “I can promise you a rocky path, setbacks and sadness that will make you catch your breath, but I can also promise you that there is no other way to spend your life if teaching is your calling,” Chandler writes in AFT Voices. “Without a hint of irony, I thoroughly invite you to become a teacher. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.”
Get a grant to create powerful partnerships
Public school families and educators are natural allies in the fight for the supports and resources students and schools need to succeed. The AFT is building on these relationships across our union—at the national, state and local levels—with a Parent Engagement Toolkit full of practical tips and trainings for fostering collaboration, as well as grants of up to $75,000 for AFT locals to establish programs that engage families and create stronger communities. To learn more, join the e-learning community by clicking “request membership.”
A milestone: 2 million on Share My Lesson
On Wednesday, the AFT announced a landmark: Share My Lesson has reached 2 million members, a milestone for the 10-year-old site that offers more than 400,000 free resource collections and lessons for teachers, school staff and parents to draw on in educating children. With video content, free professional development, and lesson plans and resources covering every subject, Share My Lesson is tailored to meet the needs of educators and their students, offering anyone planning a lesson a way to collaborate, share ideas, access best practices and engage directly with others around the country. Watch the video.
Voters of Tomorrow holds first youth summit
A Gen Z group engaging young people in politics, Voters of Tomorrow held its first summit in Philadelphia last weekend, bringing together youth leaders from across the country. The event, sponsored by the AFT and addressed by AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram, featured speakers including Pennsylvania state Del. Malcolm Kenyatta, LGBTQIA+ champion Will Larkins and climate activist Alexandria Villaseñor. The two-day summit included a panel discussion by Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence. These pro-democracy activists are building strategies that will increase youth voter turnout in the November midterms.
Chicago school board backs teachers in a win for civic education
The Chicago school board last month voted unanimously, 6-0, to take the rare step of rejecting the city’s attempt to fire two outspoken teachers. The teachers accused the mayor of pressing for their termination. History teacher Lauren Bianchi and science teacher Chuck Stark fought for years against the relocation of a metal shredding facility to the Southeast Side—and engaged students in the fight. Bianchi thanked the board for deciding “to stand for justice and to defend and uplift the need for teachers to teach culturally responsive, culturally relevant curriculum.” The Chicago Teachers Union came out in force to support the teachers, who vowed to keep fighting for environmental justice and green schools.
August 12, 2022
These people are finally free of student debt. Join them.
After major changes to the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, many borrowers have at last escaped what they thought would be a lifetime of student debt. If you’re an AFT member, you probably qualify; but to benefit from the changes, you have to file before Oct. 31, 2022. Learn how to get debt relief, and then read about members who have had hundreds of thousands of dollars in student debt canceled.
AFT leader discusses teacher shortages
This week, AFT President Randi Weingarten spoke on numerous media outlets about solutions to the school staffing crisis. CBS cited our survey showing that many teachers would not recommend the profession. Teachers are simply burned out, Weingarten told CBS News. “But at the same time, they want to make a difference in the lives of kids.” On Tuesday, Weingarten was on NPR’s “Here & Now,” saying that last year was the worst of teachers’ careers due to aftereffects of the pandemic—but pointed to successes in some states like New Mexico, which is offering flexibility, pay hikes and paperwork relief. On the “Today” show, she warned that school staff have reached a “tipping point."
How Florida is disrespecting teachers
AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram continues his series for Word in Black with a column about how Florida is allowing veterans who have the best of intentions to become teachers without training or certification. In no other profession would this be permitted, he writes. It's time to pay teachers like we mean it, he says: “Now is the time to empower teachers to stay and return to the classroom instead of looking for replacements. Now is the time that we, as a country, show teachers that we truly thank them for their service."
Let’s give our kids the schools they need
Karen Lee Arthmann works as a security guard in a diverse suburban high school. Now that everyone is back at school in person, she says, one thing is clear: High schoolers are acting like middle schoolers, middle schoolers are acting like elementary kids, and elementary kids … well, it isn’t pretty. But teachers and other school employees already have the knowledge and experience to make changes that will matter, Arthmann writes in AFT Voices. With collaboration among parents, administrators and staff, these changes can start right away. The time for handwringing is over. Our kids are depending on us.
The people behind our Latino Issues Task Force
The AFT has worked in partnership with many Latino organizations through the years, addressing educational and immigration justice, parent engagement, election protection and more. In this AFT Voices post, members of the AFT’s Latino Issues Task Force share their personal stories and describe how they will continue to move forward with this work.
Listen to AFT convention highlights
This year’s convention saw an amazing roster of speakers—labor leaders, entertainers, elected officials, activists and even the first lady of the United States—who all shared inspirational messages of hope and power. In this episode of “Union Talk,” you will hear highlights from U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, Amazon union leader Chris Smalls, first lady Dr. Jill Biden and Sen. Ed Markey, along with gun safety activists David Hogg, RuQuon Brown and Sarah Lerner; public health official Claudia Fegan; Rep. Ayanna Pressley; Rep. Val Demings; and Ukrainian union leader Olha Chabaniuk.
August 12, 2022
These people are finally free of student debt. Join them.
After major changes to the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, many borrowers have at last escaped what they thought would be a lifetime of student debt. If you’re an AFT member, you probably qualify; but to benefit from the changes, you have to file before Oct. 31, 2022. Learn how to get debt relief, and then read about members who have had hundreds of thousands of dollars in student debt canceled.
AFT leader discusses teacher shortages
This week, AFT President Randi Weingarten spoke on numerous media outlets about solutions to the school staffing crisis. CBS cited our survey showing that many teachers would not recommend the profession. Teachers are simply burned out, Weingarten told CBS News. “But at the same time, they want to make a difference in the lives of kids.” On Tuesday, Weingarten was on NPR’s “Here & Now,” saying that last year was the worst of teachers’ careers due to aftereffects of the pandemic—but pointed to successes in some states like New Mexico, which is offering flexibility, pay hikes and paperwork relief. On the “Today” show, she warned that school staff have reached a “tipping point."
How Florida is disrespecting teachers
AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram continues his series for Word in Black with a column about how Florida is allowing veterans who have the best of intentions to become teachers without training or certification. In no other profession would this be permitted, he writes. It's time to pay teachers like we mean it, he says: “Now is the time to empower teachers to stay and return to the classroom instead of looking for replacements. Now is the time that we, as a country, show teachers that we truly thank them for their service."
Let’s give our kids the schools they need
Karen Lee Arthmann works as a security guard in a diverse suburban high school. Now that everyone is back at school in person, she says, one thing is clear: High schoolers are acting like middle schoolers, middle schoolers are acting like elementary kids, and elementary kids … well, it isn’t pretty. But teachers and other school employees already have the knowledge and experience to make changes that will matter, Arthmann writes in AFT Voices. With collaboration among parents, administrators and staff, these changes can start right away. The time for handwringing is over. Our kids are depending on us.
The people behind our Latino Issues Task Force
The AFT has worked in partnership with many Latino organizations through the years, addressing educational and immigration justice, parent engagement, election protection and more. In this AFT Voices post, members of the AFT’s Latino Issues Task Force share their personal stories and describe how they will continue to move forward with this work.
Listen to AFT convention highlights
This year’s convention saw an amazing roster of speakers—labor leaders, entertainers, elected officials, activists and even the first lady of the United States—who all shared inspirational messages of hope and power. In this episode of “Union Talk,” you will hear highlights from U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, Amazon union leader Chris Smalls, first lady Dr. Jill Biden and Sen. Ed Markey, along with gun safety activists David Hogg, RuQuon Brown and Sarah Lerner; public health official Claudia Fegan; Rep. Ayanna Pressley; Rep. Val Demings; and Ukrainian union leader Olha Chabaniuk.
August 5, 2022
Parents and teachers are partners
At this year’s AFT convention, we highlighted the importance of partnering with parents to support students. We know students do best when we’re united with parents to meet kids’ needs. That’s why we had the executive director of the National PTA and parent organizers on stage. As anti-public education forces try to pit parents against teachers and school staff, let’s focus on building those relationships so our students can thrive.
Building a chain of trust in Ukraine
When rocket attacks in Ukraine hit the news, Illinois teacher Olga Shafran’s heart breaks every time. But she gets to work, helping coordinate transportation for Ukrainians fleeing the war-torn country and care for those who are staying. Shafran’s AFT Voices post tells the story of Ukraine TrustChain, a nonprofit she co-founded—how it’s helped feed, house and provide medicine to Ukrainians, repair schools, and so much more, by connecting volunteers to people in need.
Even in war zones, educators are making a difference
The AFT's engagement in community-building and our dedication to child welfare extends beyond our borders. AFT President Randi Weingarten visited Poland this year at the invitation of Polish Teachers’ Trade Union President Sławomir Broniarz to meet with teachers, students and Ukrainian refugees. Weingarten also met Olha Chabaniuk, vice president of the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine. Chabaniuk spoke to AFT members at our convention last month about the devastation of the war and her hope for preserving democracy.
Stirring up the youth vote, promising to deliver
Santiago Mayer became old enough to vote just six months ago, but he is already a national leader in the get-out-the-vote movement. Last month, this co-founder of Voters of Tomorrow—a nonprofit group designed to engage young people in the voting process—stood before thousands of cheering AFT members to describe just how powerful his generation can be. “With our rights on the line, Gen Z is about to deliver a blow from which the far right will never be able to recover.”
Panel discusses strategies to prioritize patients over profit
Nurses and health professionals have always envisioned a healthcare system that puts the patient first, but over the years, the industry has become more focused on the pursuit of profit. AFT President Randi Weingarten was joined by a panel of health professionals at the AFT convention last month to discuss how unions can create a healthcare system that prioritizes patient care and worker safety over corporate profits.
July 29, 2022
With re-election, our three officers say they are proud to represent the AFT
The union’s three national officers—Randi Weingarten, Fedrick Ingram and Evelyn DeJesus—say they are honored to have been re-elected at our national convention this month and to serve along with the 43 vice presidents elected to the union’s executive council. They are committed to raising AFT members’ voices, and they know that together we will accomplish what is impossible to do alone.
Tackling staff shortages with real-world solutions
Teachers and school staff have been struggling, as their colleagues leave the profession and fewer people are left to teach and care for students. A new report from the AFT—“Here Today, Gone Tomorrow? What America Must Do to Attract and Retain the Educators and School Staff Our Students Need”—was unanimously adopted by delegates at the AFT convention. The report examines the root causes of snowballing shortages and spells out practical solutions that will improve teaching, working and learning conditions.
Building power: AAUP and AFT formalize affiliation
The convention hall erupted in cheers and fireworks sparkled on the Jumbotron as AFT President Randi Weingarten and American Association of University Professors President Irene Mulvey signed a formal agreement on July 15 at the AFT convention, creating a powerful force for higher education advocacy. The alliance comes just in time to address pressing issues, including threats to academic freedom, disinvestment in higher education and the contingent faculty crisis.
Dr. Jill Biden highlights the importance of teaching
Excitement ran high as AFT President Randi Weingarten escorted first lady Dr. Jill Biden onto the stage at the AFT convention in Boston July 15. With regard to public education, no one in this administration is more crucial than Dr. Biden, Weingarten said, because she sees and cares about the work lives of educators. “We’re big fans of your husband,” Weingarten said. “But can I be really honest here? We’re really, really, really big fans of you.”
Civil rights leader Otis Moss exhorts us to remain ‘stewards of democracy’
The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, a minister and civil rights leader, shared his grandfather’s astounding determination to vote, which he has captured in a compelling—and free—short film, “Otis’ Dream.” He moved AFT delegates to tears when he spoke at the 2022 convention in July, then had them cheering as he rallied everyone to the cause of fighting today’s rampant voter suppression.
AFT’s Women’s Rights Award goes to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Whether it’s fighting for working families in the halls of Congress or setting straight a former president of the United States, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has long been a champion for what is right, and she remains a true friend of the AFT and the communities we serve. That’s why the AFT presented Pelosi with the AFT Women’s Rights Award during our convention this month.
AFT members teach Ukrainian students in Poland
Fifteen AFT members from across the United States traveled to Poland this month to help teach English to Ukrainian and Polish students at a summer camp, determined to do whatever they could to help young people suffering from the trauma of war. While focusing on academics and drawing on their experience teaching English as a second language, the educators also provided general support. “I visited the Polish-Ukrainian border earlier this year, and I saw just how much those kids wanted to be in school and feel ‘normal,’” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “I’m incredibly proud that AFT members are now making this trip.”
July 8, 2022
Three California universities join the union
Faculty and staff for three private colleges in California have voted to join the California Federation of Teachers and the AFT, amplifying their voices in the workplace and swelling the ranks of union-represented faculty and staff by more than 800 members. The votes—at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena in June, Dominican University of California in San Rafael in May, and Claremont Colleges Services, a coordinating and support organization for the seven Claremont Colleges in Claremont, in March—will amplify faculty and staff voices on nine different campuses.
AFT’s DeJesus elected National Association for Bilingual Education president
After a unanimous election at the National Association for Bilingual Education executive board meeting on July 1, AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus was sworn in as president of NABE, the only national professional organization devoted to representing bilingual/multilingual students and bilingual educational professionals. The election further solidifies a longtime relationship between the AFT and NABE; for years the two groups have worked together to advance the best possible policies and resources for multilingual learners and the educators who serve them.
Faculty wage report shows downward spiral
Full-time faculty pay is dipping more than it ever has, and inequities continue to plague the profession, according to a new report from the American Association of University Professors. Full-time faculty wages decreased 5 percent in 2021-22, and women earned just 81.9 percent of what their male colleagues earned. Meanwhile, adjuncts’ pay is as low as $2,979 per course at public associate’s institutions.
A victory for union-led community coalition to save maternity services
It’s been two years since Hartford HealthCare shuttered labor and delivery services at Windham Community Memorial Hospital in Willimantic, Conn. During that time, community activists, including AFT Connecticut, banded together to form a grass-roots coalition—Windham United to Save Our Healthcare—to fight the decision. On July 6, the state’s Office of Health Strategy issued its decision rejecting the healthcare system’s plan to end the service.
Educating for democratic citizenship
Civic education is critical for young people because they are preparing now to make decisions that will shape our nation’s future. Educators can enhance students’ understanding of civic responsibility through the resources provided by the Educating for Democratic Citizenship project on Share My Lesson. Action civics lessons and learning materials in this collection help students learn how government systems work, why equity and diversity are important in a democracy, and how they can become changemakers in their communities.
June 24, 2022
Fighting the toxic combination of guns and hate
Guns and hate take the lives of more than 100 people in this country every day—in mass shootings, homicides, suicides, domestic violence and accidental gun deaths. Millions of students are subjected to lockdowns, many texting their goodbyes and writing wills saying who will inherit their toys. AFT President Randi Weingarten writes about this heartbreak and about the will to change it. She joined the thousands gathered at March for Our Lives rallies across the nation. A day later, Congress finally began to move legislation, which President Joe Biden is expected to sign. The AFT will continue to fight misguided ideas about guns, but at this time of crisis, Weingarten writes, “the standard should not be, ‘is this everything we want?’ but ‘will this save lives?’”
Weingarten slams decision overturning Roe
Today, AFT President Randi Weingarten hit back at the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning Roe v. Wade and ruling that there is no constitutional right to abortion. “In the span of one week, an extremist-dominated Supreme Court decided it has the authority to divine who in America has rights and freedoms and who does not,” Weingarten said. “In the span of 24 hours, this court ruled that states can’t regulate gun owners but can regulate the bodies of anyone who can reproduce. … We knew this decision was coming, but the damage of reversing Roe is shocking nonetheless. This is a dark day in American history.”
Powerful affiliation: AAUP and AFT join forces
Delegates to the biennial meeting of the American Association of University Professors voted June 18 to affiliate with the American Federation of Teachers, joining forces to build a more powerful and inclusive academic labor movement that will be better able to take on the challenges facing higher education as well as the threats to our democracy. The vote brings together two organizations representing more than 300,000 higher education faculty members overall, the largest such alliance in the country. Above, members of United Academics of the University of New Mexico, an AFT-AAUP joint affiliate.
School and summer meals for kids extended
Thanks to a ceaseless push by the AFT and our allies, Congress today approved a three-month extension of school meals, days before funding was set to expire June 30. The scaled-back version of current waivers providing free school meals for all now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature. The Keep Kids Fed Act provides funding and flexibility for communities to offer healthy meals this summer, and gives support to schools and day care providers for the coming school year. Starting this fall, families will still need to fill out applications to see if their kids qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The AFT will continue to push for free school meals for all.
After the shootings, how to help our kids and ourselves
In the latest episode of our "Union Talk" podcast, AFT President Randi Weingarten joins Dr. Pamela Cantor, founder of Turnaround for Children; Abbey Clements, a survivor of the Newtown, Conn., school massacre and co-founder of Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence; and Sarah Lerner, also a co-founder of Teachers Unify and a survivor of the Parkland, Fla., shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. These four leaders discuss real steps educators and parents can take to help children heal from the incessant, traumatizing news about school shootings.
On gun violence and the most vulnerable kids
In AFT Voices, school paraprofessional Jeff Whittle describes two eye-openers he took away from a March for Our Lives rally in Michigan. One is that local officials seemingly don’t consider special education students in their school emergency plans. The other is that lawmakers must come to grips with the nation’s mental health crisis as it relates to gun violence. “Doing nothing means that it is just a matter of time until your community experiences this tragedy, anger and pain,” Whittle writes. “We refuse to do nothing. This cannot go on any longer."
New task force focuses on LGBTQIA+ community
It’s Pride Month, but as people flock to parades and celebrations, this year the joy is coupled with fear, as attacks on LGBTQIA+ freedom increase—from the attempt to violently disrupt a Pride event in Idaho to threats against educators for even mentioning gender. It’s an opportune time for the AFT’s new LGBTQIA+ Task Force to begin meeting and addressing these contradictions. To round out Pride Month, read how one AFT member supports and “really sees” all her middle-schoolers, and how another member, who teaches gender studies at a community college, feels like it’s a strange time to be queer on campus.
Immigrant youth keep dreaming big for DACA
As Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals—DACA—marks its 10th anniversary, about 70 undocumented immigrant students and graduates are about to embark on a “Dream Summer,” an internship program run by the University of California Los Angeles Labor Center. Since 2011, Dream Summer has offered more than 800 fellowships, not only providing crucial work experience in social justice but also letting participants reinvigorate the immigrant rights movement with their experience and passion.
June 17, 2022
AFT joins March for Our Lives to say: Enough is enough
From Newtown, Conn., to Parkland, Fla., and from Lansing, Mich., to Oakland, Calif., AFT members marched with the nation June 11 to end gun violence. On the main stage in Washington, D.C., where the March for Our Lives drew at least 50,000 participants, students who survived the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland returned to demand again—as they have for the past four years—that Congress pass commonsense measures like universal background checks, red-flag laws and safe storage requirements for firearms.
Reconnecting McDowell dedicates new housing for teachers
It’s been a long and winding road, but Renaissance Village—a sleek, union-built complex of teacher housing and retail shops—is open. More than a decade in the making and part of a massive AFT-led campaign called Reconnecting McDowell, the four-story building is a beacon of new enterprise and hope for its community in rural West Virginia.
Help your members get student loan debt relief
With the modifications the AFT has won through activism and litigation, the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is one the best opportunities to put money in our members' pockets. More than 127,000 public service workers have had $7.3 billion in student loan debt forgiven. Past-payment credit expires Oct. 31, 2022, so it's not too late for AFT members to submit their paperwork.
Join AFT President Randi Weingarten on June 22 to walk through this process and hear from healthcare, PSRP and teacher division leaders on the steps they're taking to help their members achieve loan forgiveness. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona will also participate. Make plans to attend on June 22, 6:15-7 p.m. ET. Zoom link: https://aft.zoom.us/j/92623394428?pwd=a0N5K0VhSjhMZ2ZEUjVSS2syNDNTUT09
Nurse says health professionals have role in addressing gun violence
Lynda Pond, an AFT healthcare leader and nurse, recalls the first time gun violence struck close to home. Pond discusses the impact of these incidents not only on communities but also on the health professionals who care for the victims. Pond says health professionals are important stakeholders for helping identify effective strategies to reduce gun violence, and she shares ideas on what needs to be done to end the epidemic of gun violence.
Baltimore teachers focus on healing students’ and community’s trauma
Pretty much everyone knows that Baltimore has had more than its share of trauma through the generations. The very founding of Maryland began in a religious war and the enslavement of Africans brought to the colonies. Today, Baltimore has outpaced each previous year’s murder rate, writes special education teacher Fareeha Waheed, meaning each year brings more violence, heartbreak and traumatic events to the city. What not everyone knows is that members of the Baltimore Teachers Union are doing something about how this trauma harms students and communities.
Powerful partnerships: AFT parent engagement toolkit
Every educator and parent knows, on a classroom level, that it is always better when we can partner with each other to help our children succeed. But partnerships are important at the community, state and national levels as well. When educators partner with families, we build support for strong public schools that then bolster communities and help students recover and thrive. The AFT has created a parent engagement toolkit, which includes resources from the AFT and community partner organizations, to help foster and strengthen collaborative relationships, as well as subsequent initiatives and campaigns between union and parent/community organizations.
‘Hamilton’ and the Big Apple Educator Sweepstakes
How much would your members love to win a trip to see the “Hamilton” musical on Broadway? To celebrate having nearly 2 million members, Share My Lesson is hosting a special summertime sweepstakes for three grand-prize winners (and three companions) to fly to New York City this fall to see “Hamilton” at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Help us spread the word today so your members can be in the room where it happens.
June 10, 2022
March for Our Lives protests happening in over 450 cities this weekend
The March for Our Lives protests were started by students and teachers from Parkland, Fla.’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after the deadly shooting there that left 17 people dead and even more injured. Now, four years and countless mass shootings later, the march is returning this weekend, potentially to a city near you. AFT President Randi Weingarten is among the leaders and activists who will be speaking at the march in Washington, D.C. Get more information on the march nearest you and how to participate.
Guns and hate: Buffalo, Uvalde and other tragedies
AFT President Randi Weingarten hosts an emotional and informational episode of the AFT’s “Union Talk” podcast, exploring the deadly mix of hate and guns that has led to mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y.; Uvalde, Texas; Tulsa, Okla.; and more. Parkland, Fla., school shooting survivors Jim Gard and Lori Alhadeff and historian Eric Ward join Weingarten to discuss what educators, parents and politicians can do and examine the deep-seated racial issues that threaten our schools, our lives and our democracy.
Justice—and relief—for defrauded Corinthian students
The U.S. Department of Education is discharging all federal student loan debt for students who attended Corinthian Colleges, the “education” group that famously defrauded thousands of hopeful students, misleading them with false advertising, failing to provide legitimate classes and leaving them with mountains of debt. In all, 560,000 people will receive a total of $5.8 billion in full loan discharges.
Healthcare providers organize to address patient safety and burnout
A group of Oregon healthcare providers, including physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants from four Eugene-area clinics, have announced plans to seek union recognition through the National Labor Relations Board. PeaceHealth Providers United is a new group that will use its collective bargaining power to address burnout, understaffing, safe patient care, and ensuring access to care for the region's most vulnerable patients.
The promise of school counselors
School counselors are trained to provide comprehensive student services, but too often they have untenable caseloads and noncounseling work that limits their ability to positively affect students’ academic, social and emotional development. In this article in the Summer issue of American Educator, education researchers Mandy Savitz-Romer, Tara P. Nicola, and Laura Hecht Colletta offer a new vision of the counselor role, in which counselors’ full potential is unlocked as they partner with school leaders and educators on strategies and interventions that help meet students’ escalating needs and improve student well-being.
The need for safe staffing unites health professionals
This May, Oregon nurse Joshua Holt joined a nursing delegation at the White House to address the crisis that healthcare workers across the country are facing and to discuss the situation over the past two years. Holt, a member of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals and the Kaiser Permanente RN bargaining unit chair, attended the meeting on behalf of both the OFNHP and the AFT. The roundtable discussion allowed Holt and our allies to discuss what is at stake with the staffing crisis and its effect on healthcare professionals.
June 3, 2022
We’ve had enough of gun violence
Every act of gun violence leaves a devastated community in its wake. We are reeling from Buffalo, Uvalde, Tulsa and more than a dozen other mass shootings in between. We refuse to accept this as our way of life. For too long, some U.S. senators have denied us even a vote on gun safety. That’s why we are coming together to show our lawmakers that we can’t and won’t take it anymore. It’s time they take action to save lives. Click here to find an event in your area, scan this for some context and write to your lawmakers.
A visit to Buffalo, in solidarity and mourning
AFT President Randi Weingarten visited Buffalo, N.Y., yesterday to take part in a memorial service for those slain last month during a gun rampage at a grocery store. Three of the 10 people killed—Aaron Salter, Pearl Young and Margus Morrison—were AFT members. Weingarten’s visit included a school tour, a stop with pioneering baristas at the unionized Elmwood Avenue Starbucks, and a rally to denounce the racist slaughter and demand an end to gun violence.
New American Educator: 'Reclaiming Our Future'
To support our students’ recovery from the pandemic, our country must invest in student and educator well-being and in safe, welcoming schools. The new summer issue of American Educator addresses what is forcing longtime educators out of the profession and how the school counselor role can be reimagined. Also in this issue: A professor of African American history explains why education must be rooted in the common good, and researchers highlight how the AFT’s national back-to-school campaign helped deepen community bonds.
Debt forgiveness announced for defrauded students
It was a day of joy for hundreds of thousands of students bilked by a sham college. Yesterday, AFT President Randi Weingarten and Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram lauded the Biden administration for approving a $5.8 billion cancellation of loans for 560,000 borrowers deceived by Corinthian Colleges. U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona announced the decision. “It’s a momentous victory for the activists and AFT members who organized and mobilized for years to demand Corinthian be held to account,” Weingarten says.
AFT, UAW call for union-built electric school buses
The American Federation of Teachers has joined the United Auto Workers in calling on school districts to electrify the nation’s school bus fleet. Cities and counties can use seed money provided by the Biden administration to accelerate the rollout of union-built electric school buses, AFT President Randi Weingarten said during a news conference on May 31 in Washington, D.C. She called the rollout a “win-win-win” for children’s health, for the climate and for the economy.
Celebrate Pride Month with Share My Lesson
Support and celebrate LGBTQIA+ students and inspire meaningful advocacy with these free lesson plans, activities and educator resources from Share My Lesson. Our team is featuring these free resources not only to advocate for students and their well-being but also to raise awareness in schools and communities by building mutual understanding and acceptance.
May 27, 2022
Weingarten on gun reform: ‘We can do this’
Today, AFT President Randi Weingarten is in Houston leading a roundtable discussion and a protest of the gun lobby that you can watch. She appeared on MSNBC earlier this week to discuss the Texas school massacre that killed 19 children and two teachers. “It is a uniquely American problem,” she said. “Every other place—Scotland, Australia—these things happen, there is sensible gun control put into effect. And it doesn’t happen again! Nowhere else in the world does this happen. There are things that we can do, … from background checks … to red flag laws, to dealing with guns that are weapons of war. Other countries have done this. We can do this, too.” Watch Wednesday’s interview and tell your senators to finally pass gun reform.
Talking with children about violence
“I am personally feeling a roller coaster of emotions—devastation, despair, anger and helplessness,” writes Kelly Booz, director of Share My Lesson, our union’s online platform for free teaching tools. “There have been times when I felt numb to the latest tragedy and could power through work, and I fear for the day when I am numb again. This is not normal. It’s not OK.” We will need to redouble our fight for children’s safety, she adds. But first, the AFT wants to provide you and your members with trauma-informed resources and ways we can talk with children about violence.
Steps to take in response to the Buffalo shooting
For anyone who needs solace after the racist killing of three AFT members and seven others while they were grocery shopping in Buffalo, N.Y., Abbey Clements, a survivor of the slaughter at Sandy Hook Elementary School, gives us some sound advice. Many of her observations are relevant to Tuesday’s massacre in Texas, and one of them includes supporting candidates for office who will pass lifesaving legislation. Join the AFT-affiliated Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence, a group founded by three teachers that empowers our members, active or retired, to speak out about America’s insane gun culture. Sign up by completing this survey.
What we're saying on school staff shortages
Denise Finley, a retired educator, returned to the classroom as a substitute teacher last year motivated by the staff shortages in our public schools. Finley’s goal is to help students avoid having to return to virtual learning by doing her part to alleviate shortages. She has substituted in a variety of subjects from physical education and music to STEM. Read what Finley advocates for and what AFT President Randi Weingarten said in her testimony this week on Capitol Hill.
Philly arts university staff vote 'union, yes'
It’s all about the union at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia: This month, the staff voted to affiliate with United Academics of Philadelphia/AFT. At the same time, faculty there are bargaining their first contract after joining UAP two years ago. The staff union is the first non-faculty group to join UAP; it is focusing on improving low pay linked to high turnover at the private arts university. UAP represents faculty—and now staff—at more than 30 institutions in the Philadelphia area.
AFT Voices: 'Nurses can't care for others unless they care for themselves'
When it comes to patient care, nurses make a difference. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of the nation, particularly among nurses and other health professionals. According to Oregon nurses in an AFT Voices post, the focus on mental health is the pandemic’s silver lining. The nurses urge hospitals to address the high rates of healthcare burnout by instituting workplace practices that are desperately needed to prevent and alleviate poor working conditions.
Student debt clinics continue through June
If you or your members are carrying student loan debt and haven’t yet tuned in for an AFT student debt clinic, here is your chance. Every Thursday through June, our in-house experts answer questions about repayment plans, the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, and how to use Summer, the free AFT member benefit that helps you manage your loans and apply for public service loan forgiveness. Don’t delay. These free clinics have saved our members more than a few bucks.
May 20, 2022
‘America’s silent epidemic’
In her latest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten takes on what she calls “America’s silent epidemic,” a mental health crisis exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “Every day, teachers and school staff help young people cope with trauma caused by the pandemic,” Weingarten writes. They are dealing with this trauma in addition to the “common banes of childhood like bullying and the increasingly toxic effects of social media.” Whether it is children, young adults or the adults working in the schools with students, everyone has felt fear and loss because of the pandemic.
Mourning the loss of victims of race-based gun violence in Buffalo
New York State United Teachers President Andy Pallotta, Buffalo Teachers Federation President Phil Rumore and Buffalo Educational Support Team President Jo Ann Sweat issued a statement regarding last Saturday’s supermarket shooting. “Like everyone in New York, we are shocked and horrified by this senseless, repugnant act of violence against one of our communities,” they say. “This brutal act and the racial hatred that motivated it are incomprehensible, yet all too familiar in our society.” Three of the victims were AFT members.
Understanding racism in America
In the latest issue of American Educator, civil rights leader Eric K. Ward shows how our choices can help create racial equity and improve outcomes for everyone. As a child, Ward believed that when individuals work hard, they succeed—but he later came to realize that collective action is needed to undo the legacy of racism in America. How do we create a “future that works for all”? As Ward explains by sharing his story, it starts with finding empathy through recognizing our shared humanity—and continues as we have difficult conversations about racial inequities, identify our implicit biases, and make choices that advocate for justice and equity.
Why we are leaving: A teacher’s lament
Teachers have always been there for students, helping them through trauma and teaching them to feel the promise of their young lives. But that work has taken its toll, and many are worn out not only by the struggle among their students, but by the struggle they themselves encounter, with relentless inequity and inadequate resources. Boston teacher Joel Richards reflects on why so many people leave the profession—and why he will stay.
How I fight anti-AAPI hate
The polarization in this country is personal for many people, including Tracy Lai. With anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander hate crime on the rise, this AFT professor reflects on her experiences as a Chinese American, her concern for her students and the ways in which she believes education—and the freedom to teach true history—can help solve the divisions that plague our nation.
The little union that could
When teacher Sarah Apt arrived at her Philadelphia high school 11 years ago, it had just become a charter school. She hadn’t intended to become a charter school teacher—but it was the only teaching job she could find. Luckily for her, everyone in her carpool wanted to form a union, so that’s what they set out to do. Read how this intrepid group endured every kind of union busting to create the Alliance of Charter School Employees, and how they now stand on the threshold of joining the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and becoming a traditional public school once again.
May 13, 2022
‘Union Talk’ podcast tackles social media and our kids
Tune in to the latest “Union Talk” podcast as AFT President Randi Weingarten talks with Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, Warren Ng of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Dalia Hashad of ParentsTogether about the impact social media is having on our children. Later in the podcast, Weingarten is joined by two high school students who bring their first-person perspective on the pitfalls of growing up on the internet.
TV’s ‘Abbott Elementary’ reflects real life in Philadelphia schools
When teachers watch the new TV series “Abbott Elementary,” it all looks familiar. The broken toilets, the staff shortages, the outdated textbooks—all reflect their own experiences in Philadelphia public schools. In this AFT Voices post, AFT members talk about the show’s similarities to real life, and why it’s important that the public see the problems—even if they laugh through some of the absurdity. “Even though it’s funny, it makes you think after the joke is over,” says third-grade teacher Xiomara Robinson.
‘Queer Madness’: Harming LGBTQIA+ youth for political gain
Recently retired teacher Rich Ognibene is grateful that his school provided a safe, emotionally supportive environment for gay, queer and trans kids. And he thinks of them as he reads about the plethora of states passing anti-transgender, anti-gay laws.
Respect, protect and support all nurses
As we observed National Nurses Week 2022 this week, we paused to celebrate and appreciate our nurses. It’s worth pointing out that as vital as our nurses have been during the COVID-19 pandemic, members of this noble profession have always deserved our respect. They also deserve to be protected and supported so our healthcare systems can continue to serve communities when they are most vulnerable, writes Debbie White, president of Health Professionals and Allied Employees in New Jersey.
AFT responds to failed vote on Women’s Health Protection Act
AFT President Randi Weingarten issued a statement after the U.S. Senate failed to act on S. 4132, the Women’s Health Protection Act. “At a time when a radical bloc of Supreme Court justices is preparing to overturn 50 years of precedent and erode our freedoms in the most personal and intimate aspects of our lives,” Weingarten says, “not one Republican senator would vote with American women and their families to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade into federal law.”
May 6, 2022
AFT kicks off Nurses Week
Our union honors nurses and other health professionals who have devoted themselves to a grueling profession with compassion and perseverance. Nursing was a difficult job before the pandemic began, but after two years, these professionals are exhausted. More than applause, they need professional respect and enforceable safety standards. As some of our nurses gather with the U.S. labor secretary for recognition as the true lifesavers they are, let’s join in thanking them. Wish them a happy Nurses Week by signing this petition for safe staffing levels.
Celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week
As beleaguered as teachers may feel, they are appreciated. Just look at these posts by students and families for Teacher Appreciation Week and you’ll feel the love. But don’t take our word for it: In an NPR/Ipsos poll released last week, parents express satisfaction with their children’s schools by wide margins and regardless of political affiliation. Fully 88 percent of respondents agree that their children’s teachers “have done the best they could, given the circumstances around the pandemic.” And 82 percent say that “my child’s school has handled the pandemic well.” So, happy Teacher Appreciation Week! You earned it.
Hundreds of groups join us to lift up teachers
The AFT has partnered with well over 200 parent, civil rights, student and religious groups and fellow unions representing more than 10 million people nationwide to say thank you to America’s teachers during this Teacher Appreciation Week, May 2-6. In an ad published in 16 major newspapers, we thank teachers for persevering through the pandemic and giving students the skills they need: “From reading, writing and arithmetic to building lasting relationships, you equip the next generation with the skills and knowledge they need to become critical thinkers and engaged citizens and to seize their future."
AFT applauds public service workers
This week, AFT President Randi Weingarten praised public employees during Public Service Recognition Week. “We celebrate and champion the vital work of the federal, state, county and municipal employees who keep our services running and our communities strong,” Weingarten said of the 125,000 public employees our union represents. Read her full statement here, and “like” the AFT Public Employees Facebook page here.
Social media's negative effects on kids
On Tuesday night, the AFT’s Share My Lesson hosted a webinar, “What’s Happening to Our Kids? The Impact Social Media Is Having on Children and Teens—and What We Can Do About It.” AFT President Randi Weingarten and Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, along with parents, mental health experts and students, shared knowledge and ideas. Watch it here. Viewers learned some scary facts but came away with tools to make online places safer for children. One tool is urging the AFT’s pension trustees, whose funds hold $6.3 billion in Meta stock, to sanction the Facebook parent company for targeting kids.
Biden's order fixes a 'glitch' in the ACA
This year marks the 12th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. Earlier this year, the Biden administration took steps to lower costs for families needing healthcare coverage. And last month, President Joe Biden held an event at the White House to sign an executive order correcting a glitch in the ACA that had prevented millions from qualifying for subsidized family health plans. Two members of AFT Connecticut, John Brady and Ivonne Hamm, witnessed the signing with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).
AFT announces new Innovation Fund grantees
Our union this week announced a fourth round of AFT Innovation Fund grants totaling $278,000 in support for educators, students and communities. This round brings the total number of AFT affiliates supported to 43, with an investment of more than $1.2 million since the beginning of the pandemic. The fund's Return, Recover and Reimagine projects have included academic courses that increase literacy, school infrastructure projects that train educators and support staff, trauma support and more. Here’s the list of grantees.
April 29, 2022
AFT's Ingram: Why I demand worthy wages for early childhood educators
Whether you follow the science or just common sense, we all know that how we care for and educate our youngest children matters—a lot. Officials talk a big game about giving every child a strong start in life. But there is a huge disconnect between what many leaders say they value and what they do about it. In this column on AFT Voices, AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick C. Ingram explains why Worthy Wage Day this Sunday, May 1, is a good time to call them out.
PSRPs let the world hear them roar
During a joyful reunion in St. Louis, hundreds of AFT members who work at schools and colleges as paraprofessionals and school-related personnel reconnected in person for the first time since 2019. These champions of public education made the most of three days, April 22-24, to hone their skills, expand their knowledge and double down on their resolve to win the respect and recognition they deserve.
How social media is affecting our kids
What's happening to our young people? Don't miss this important discussion on how we can mitigate the impact social media is having on children and teens. Many educators, healthcare professionals and parents have shared the negative effects they've seen. We must understand how social media platforms operate and encourage users to make informed decisions about content. Join us this coming Tuesday, May 3, at 7 p.m. EDT for a special AFT and Share My Lesson public online discussion with AFT President Randi Weingarten, Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen and guests. The town hall is open to everyone.
Workshops help members deal with pandemic stress
Over the past two years, healthcare workers have been under tremendous pressure from the daily stresses of the pandemic. Treating patients for COVID-19 has led nurses and other healthcare workers to experience repeated emotional and psychological trauma, often resulting in depression, anxiety and PTSD. Because many workers are struggling to cope with these stresses, New Jersey’s Health Professionals and Allied Employees and the AFT are partnering to provide a series of free trainings and workshops.
Alliance Educators strike in Los Angeles
The educators who work in Los Angeles’ Alliance College-Ready Public Schools love their schools and their students. Through their collective voice, striking and bargaining, they advocate for small class sizes, teacher and counselor recruitment and retention, health and safety, and social, emotional and educational support for students. The AFT stands in solidarity with our union family in Alliance Educators United as they strike for better wages and safer working conditions.
Sign up for an AFT student debt clinic
Don’t miss out! Next Thursday, May 5, join us for the latest in our series of student debt clinics. Every Thursday, we answer questions about repayment plans, the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, and how to use Summer, the free AFT member benefit that helps you manage your loans and apply for public service loan forgiveness. What better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo than getting on track with your student debt. Register today and bring your margarita.
April 22. 2022
‘When crisis strikes, teachers are there’
In her latest monthly column, AFT President Randi Weingarten writes about how teachers and school staff are there for our students and communities. “Teachers are frontline responders to students’ urgent needs—stemming not only from appallingly common gun violence, but from the ravages of poverty, which affects half of all public school students; the mental health crisis that predated COVID-19; and the social, emotional and academic impacts of the pandemic,” Weingarten writes. “Most teachers and support staff are not trained to be nurses, psychologists, mediators or magicians. But often, that’s what they are called on to do.”
AFT cheers reforms to Public Service Loan Forgiveness
AFT President Randi Weingarten applauds the U.S. Department of Education’s reforms to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. “The Department of Education is taking real and meaningful steps to help the thousands of borrowers who, through no fault of their own, were for years cruelly denied the relief that they were owed,” says Weingarten. “These changes will allow them to regain their footing and start to heal the broken bipartisan promise of PSLF.”
Register now for AFT’s summer academy
Registration is now open for Summer Educator Academy 2022! It will be held July 21-28 at the Maritime Conference Center in Linthicum Heights, Md. This comprehensive and intensive training institute prepares educators to return to their locals as facilitators in specific course areas. It also provides teachers and school support staff with tools, resources and turnkey strategies they can use to help build the professional capacity of their local unions—to amplify the voice of our members and advocate for what we know is needed to meet the challenges we face in classrooms and work settings every day. The deadline to register is June 24.
Organizing to improve patient care
In a healthcare system designed to maximize profits, the burden of providing effective, compassionate care to patients falls on nurses and other health professionals. But healthcare workers’ firsthand knowledge of systemic problems also makes them uniquely qualified to find solutions—and to fight back. Read more about how frontline workers can organize to improve patient care and staff safety in the newest issue of AFT Health Care.
Join the discussion on the impact social media is having on kids
What's happening to our kids? Don't miss this important discussion on how we can mitigate the impact social media is having on children and teens. Many educators, healthcare professionals and parents have shared their personal experiences of the negative impacts they've seen with social media and their kids. It's critical that we understand how social media platforms operate and encourage users to make informed decisions about the content they are receiving. Join us on Tuesday, May 3, at 7 p.m. EDT for a special AFT and Share My Lesson public online town hall and discussion with AFT President Randi Weingarten, Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen and special guests. This session is open to everyone. Register today.
Register for the Educating for Democratic Citizenship conference
There is a renewed sense of urgency around civic education in the United States and a recognition that the goals of civic education should be to nurture citizens who are well-informed and productively engaged in their communities and with the broader society. You're invited to the Albert Shanker Institute's first-ever Educating for Democratic Citizenship conference, to be held online April 26-30. Open to everyone, this free event is of special interest to a broad audience of educators, administrators, policymakers, researchers and activists. Register today to hear from prominent speakers such as U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), former Reps. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) and Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), and AFT President Randi Weingarten, followed by a series of sessions led by experts and our talented Shanker Institute civics fellows on teaching civics and democracy.
April 15, 2022
‘These traumatized kiddos need all hands on deck’
As we witness the war in Ukraine, many American educators are thinking hard about how to help the families who may be arriving in their schools and communities before long. They know that when some immigrant children arrive in U.S. classrooms, they are not only learning a brand-new language and culture, but also often suffering from unimaginable trauma. Some have literally lived through war. Educators need time to develop relationships with them so they can feel safe, and they need a secure grounding in trauma-informed teaching. This AFT member describes how she's providing that for her colleagues.
Fighting for our patients and each other
In the midst of a pandemic and a toxic, polarized political environment, we are working together to turn our aspirations into actions. The Spring 2022 issue of AFT Health Care focuses on the strength of our collective action. We hear from a public health nurse who shows us how to become vaccination champions in our workplaces, and from two experienced nurses who speak frankly about the staffing crisis. Also in this issue: the power of frontline organizing in healthcare, the potential and the challenges of labor-management partnerships, and the essential voice of community members in addressing the environmental harms rooted in residential segregation.
Parents should stand with LGBTQIA+ teachers and educational professionals
Heather Brooks is a mom of two in Broward County, Fla. She is active in the PTA, and the parent of a sixth grader who identifies at LGBTQIA+. In writing this AFT Voices post, she wants not only to speak out against Florida’s new “Don’t Say Gay” law, but also to lift up LGBTQIA+ students, teachers and school staff who will be negatively affected by this law.
Nominate a woman who is ‘Living the Legacy’
The AFT is pleased to invite nominations for the 2022 Living the Legacy Awards. The AFT’s Women’s Rights Committee instituted this award in 1998 to recognize outstanding women leaders. These biennial awards honor women who have demonstrated commitment within their communities for 30 years or more. Nominations are due by Monday, May 16, but don’t delay.
‘Gag orders’ squelch learning, threaten academic freedom
With dozens of laws proposed to restrict how to teach about race, racism, gender and other potentially sensitive topics, the AFT and the American Association of University Professors joined together to condemn proposed threats to academic freedom and advocate for the unfettered flow of ideas on college campuses as well as in K-12 classrooms. At their panel discussion April 12, leaders laid bare what they called educational gag orders being introduced in state legislatures across the country. “Ultimately … this is an attack on truth and it’s an attack on knowledge,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten.
April 8, 2022
AFT helps fleeing Ukrainian students, teachers
AFT President Randi Weingarten visited Poland this week to meet with Ukrainian students and teachers displaced by Russia’s war on Ukraine. Offering solidarity and support, Weingarten visited Polish classrooms that have taken in Ukrainian students. The AFT was invited by the Polish teachers union ZNP as part of the global labor movement’s commitment to help the region’s educators. We raised $100,000 through our relief fund to give to ZNP, the Ukrainian teachers union VPONU, and other humanitarian and labor groups. These funds, as well as children’s books and educational supplies, were delivered Monday.
Let’s celebrate this moment
With her historic confirmation as a U.S. Supreme Court justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson has completed a journey from attending public schools in Florida to working at every level of the federal court system. Her deep experience in the judiciary is a testament to the wisdom she will bring to the job: Her service as a federal public defender, member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission and judge on the federal bench underscores her depth of qualifications. Read AFT President Randi Weingarten’s statement on the confirmation and Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram’s thoughts on this moment.
American Educator: ‘Following Shanker’s Lead’
Albert Shanker, who led the AFT from 1974 until his death in 1997, was a fierce defender of working people, a leader who knew that public education, unionism and democracy are mutually enforcing. In the latest issue of American Educator, Leo Casey and Mary Cathryn Ricker, the past and present leaders of the Albert Shanker Institute, discuss continuing Shanker’s legacy through the fight for a robust system of free education for all, a revitalized labor movement and democratic institutions like voting rights. They examine the role of debate, critical reflection and strategic partnerships—especially now, as our democracy is imperiled.
What does it mean to objectively teach history?
Who decides if a classroom discussion of history is partisan? What dangers are inherent in a state board of education investigating any report from a student, parent, teacher or community member alleging that a teacher or administrator crossed a line in teaching history? These are just a few questions that Melissa Cropper, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, explores in opposing a vague and divisive “book ban” bill in Ohio. Since its introduction, the bill has been modified a dozen times and now includes not only K-12 but also higher education and all state agencies.
Engage in Poetry Month with Share My Lesson
Not only is April Poetry Month but April 23 is the birthday of our friend Bill Shakespeare. Your members can use this curated collection of free poetry lessons to engage preK-12 students in expressing their feelings. The Oxford Learner's Dictionaries define “poem” as: “writing in which the words are chosen for their sound and the images they suggest, not just for their obvious meanings. The words are arranged in separate lines, usually with a repeated rhythm, and often the lines rhyme at the end.” What would your students say poetry is?
Register now for AFT’s summer academy
Registration is now open for Summer Educator Academy 2022! It will be held July 21-28 at the Maritime Conference Center in Linthicum Heights, Md. This comprehensive and intensive training institute prepares educators to return to their locals as facilitators in specific course areas. It also provides teachers and school support staff with tools, resources and turnkey strategies they can use to help build the professional capacity of their local unions—to amplify the voice of our members and advocate for what we know is needed to meet the challenges we face in classrooms and work settings every day. The deadline to register is June 24.
Nominate a woman who is ‘Living the Legacy’
The American Federation of Teachers is pleased to invite nominations for the 2022 Living the Legacy Awards. The AFT’s Women’s Rights Committee instituted this award in 1998 to recognize outstanding women leaders. These biennial awards honor women who have demonstrated commitment within their communities for 30 years or more. Nominations are due by Monday, May 16, but don’t delay. Submit your nomination while it’s top of mind.
April 1, 2022
Minneapolis teachers and staff win big
Teachers, school staff and the community stood together against an intransigent administration to demand improvements in Minneapolis public schools. Their three-week strike led to an agreement that limits class size, retains teachers, pays education support professionals a livable wage ($35,000, up from $24,000) and provides mental health supports for students. Watch and celebrate.
What Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson means to me
It took more than two centuries to get an African American woman nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court—decades after the first Black man and the first woman joined the court. This is a big, historic moment for our country, and AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram describes the deep resonance he feels with the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Tell your senators: Confirm Judge Jackson to the Supreme Court.
Support staff tackle shortages, lack of respect
Leaders from the AFT PSRP division, joined by a cadre of new leaders from the ranks of paraprofessionals and school-related personnel, met at AFT headquarters in Washington, D.C., March 13-15, for the first time since the pandemic began. “The gratitude I have for you knows no bounds," AFT President Randi Weingarten told them. “The grit, the grace, the ability to care. There’s no way to describe it."
Hispanic legislators meet with urgency on education
The 14 million Hispanic children enrolled in America’s public schools deserve equitable opportunities and programs designed to help them thrive. On March 25, the AFT partnered with the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators and convened a Latino education summit to engage with Latino legislators, policy influencers and advocates about how to ensure that public education supports the success of Latino students from cradle to career.
‘Reading Opens the World’ webinars start April 14
As part of the AFT’s new literacy campaign, "Reading Opens the World," members of our rapidly growing Share My Lesson community are downloading even more free resources for preK-12 teachers, schools and parents. And seven new for-credit webinars on teaching literacy will be starting April 14 and running into June. Bonus: If you miss any webinars, you can watch them on demand for free. Sign up for all the sessions you want and share them with your members.
AFT condemns ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law in Florida
AFT President Randi Weingarten, Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus and California Federation of Teachers President Jeff Freitas, chair of our union’s LGBTQIA+ Task Force, swiftly denounced a new Florida law, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay,” that bars educators from discussing sexual orientation with young students. “This bill—and all the ones like it—single out certain kids and families for derision and denigration,” Weingarten said. “It is just wrong."
March 25, 2022
AFT President Randi Weingarten on democracy and Ukraine
In her latest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten discusses democracy and her family connection to Ukraine. She also shares how the AFT is raising funds to help resettle teachers and children displaced by the war. She notes that while democracy is in danger for the Ukrainian people, we are also facing challenges to democracy here in the United States. “I think many Americans believe that the survival of our democracy is a given,” Weingarten writes. “But today democracy is imperiled not only in places like Ukraine, but by forces here that are working to limit voting rights, spread disinformation, manipulate the outcome of elections and prevent the peaceful transfer of power after legitimate elections.”
Faculty fight for collective bargaining in Colorado
The AFT and the American Association of University Professors have unified behind a massive labor campaign in Colorado, pressing for statewide collective bargaining that would include the adjunct faculty they represent at public colleges and universities. AFT President Randi Weingarten, AAUP President Irene Mulvey and rank-and-file members met March 21 with legislators and with Gov. Jared Polis about the Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act, advocating for policy that could begin to change the notoriously low pay and precarious job security contingent faculty endure. “We believe in lifting all workers up,” said Weingarten.
Celebrating student loan relief
“It was like waking up and learning you won the lottery.” That’s just one of the comments flooding the AFT offices from members who are elated to be free of student debt at last. After relentless advocacy, including an AFT lawsuit against former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that was so broken is finally doing what it is supposed to do: delivering relief from student debt for thousands of borrowers. So far, $6.2 billion in student debt has been forgiven for 100,000 public service workers like teachers, nurses and professors.
Simple lessons in public school finance
Public education requires money, and a lot of it, writes Ed Leavy for AFT Connecticut. The commitment to provide good schools and quality instruction for every child between ages 5 and 18 has a real cost. The price rises dramatically when we further commit to educating all students, regardless of their needs. The promise to leave no child behind requires significant funding, so our citizens must be willing to make a commitment to our children through their tax dollars.
Let’s change the narrative around women’s healthcare
Andrea Riley, a nurse and AFT Connecticut member, believes that healthcare corporations have an opportunity to change the narrative about women's healthcare, and she'd like to start in her hometown of Willimantic, Conn., where the only hospital recently closed its maternity ward. In her AFT Voices post, Riley writes about why the loss of the maternity ward will be detrimental to both women and the community. Riley urges healthcare corporations to consider all options before closing hospital units and putting communities at risk.
March 18, 2022
American Educator Spring 2022 focuses on how to build an inclusive America
To create a strong, inclusive democracy, we must reject division and injustice and find unity in our shared humanity. In the latest issue of American Educator, civil rights leader Eric K. Ward shows how our choices can help create racial equity and improve outcomes for everyone. Also in this issue: a longtime educator reflects on how to find fulfillment and joy in teaching; leaders of the Albert Shanker Institute discuss its role in fighting for democracy and public education; a researcher explores how public-private partnerships in higher ed threaten the purpose of education; a mathematician describes the freedoms that can make math learning welcoming and exciting for all students; and a cognitive scientist shows how concept mapping helps students connect prior knowledge to new information to support meaningful learning.
Share My Lesson conference keynote: ‘The State of Public Education 2022’
Don't miss AFT President Randi Weingarten's keynote webinar kicking off Share My Lesson's free virtual conference on March 21 at 6 p.m. EDT. She will cover what the AFT is doing to support our members and their work so we can help all kids succeed. One cornerstone is a renewed commitment to literacy with our Reading Opens the World campaign. You'll also hear why we must continue to prioritize social-emotional learning, counter misinformation, and strengthen our schools’ foundation of restorative, anti-racist and culturally responsive practices. Learn about success stories in community schools for addressing issues like these and creating resilient school communities in which all members can thrive. Please register now for this keynote and share this professional learning opportunity with members.
Proviso, Ill., teachers strike for respect and livable wage
After a year of stalling and disrespect from administrators, Proviso, Ill., teachers are on strike for a livable wage (they are the lowest-paid teachers in Cook County), a voice in the curriculum, and respect. Their union has been negotiating since last year, and it’s been an uphill battle. Support our union family by giving to the strike fund on aft.org, by amplifying union messages on social media, and by texting FIGHT to 69238 for updates.
Oregon nurses show solidarity to raise healthcare standards
Hundreds of frontline nurses who work in Oregon’s Providence Health System took part in an informational picket on March 15 outside Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, to call for better healthcare standards and a fair contract. The nurses, represented by the Oregon Nurses Association, want Providence to improve patient care by addressing staffing and other issues. “Nurses are the foundation of the healthcare profession, and we deserve safer working conditions, affordable healthcare, and a contractual commitment to staffing that provides rest periods and takes patient conditions into consideration,” said Jamie Aguilar, an ONA member and home health nurse at Providence.
The opposite of equal
As a registered nurse in Milwaukee County, Angelina Wyatt-Jolly has seen how a lack of access to care and services has harmed the continuity of care. In her AFT Voices post, she provides some answers to the question: What can we do to effect change in a community that has historically faced greater health challenges?
Innovation Fund grant deadline extended
The AFT has extended the deadline for the final Return, Recover, Reimagine grant opportunity. The new deadline to submit your application is Sunday, March 27, by 11:59 p.m. EDT. The AFT Innovation Fund is focused on supporting our educators, students and communities as they continue to grapple with the effects of the pandemic. Grant awards will range from $20,000 to $50,000, with consideration given to affiliate size. Don’t miss out. Click here for information and the application.
March 11, 2022
Historic affiliation of AFT and AAUP will strengthen higher education
The governing councils of the AFT and the American Association of University Professors are pursuing a historic affiliation that would create the largest alliance of faculty and staff in the country, strengthening faculty voice with nationwide reach and creating huge potential for future organizing growth and success. The alliance, if finalized by the AAUP delegate assembly in June, would marry the AFT’s successes in fighting for accessible and affordable higher education, respect for faculty, and academic freedom, with the AAUP’s focus on academic freedom, shared governance, tenure, and other standards that protect the critical thinking and knowledge that democracy requires.
A good start to students’ pandemic recovery
Signed into law one year ago to counter the effects of the pandemic, the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan helped schools reopen safely and continues to help students recover. To mark the anniversary, Vice President Kamala Harris helped kick off a week of White House events focusing on community colleges and historically Black colleges and universities; the child tax credit and earned income tax credit; state and local hiring for public services; healthcare premiums; and school reopening. On AFT Voices, Boston Teachers Union member Melanie Allen reflects on how this year is going and looks ahead to next year’s even greater gains.
AFT Voices: Is the nurse in?
Oregon nurse Stephanie Gapper writes that nurses face an unprecedented staffing shortage in her state and details solutions to the crisis in her AFT Voices post. When Oregonians don’t receive healthcare, get less care, or receive lower-quality care, it’s usually because of a lack of nurses. Read why nurse numbers should worry us all.
AFT trustees urged to divest from Russia
Because of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, AFT President Randi Weingarten has recommended to the AFT pension trustees that we divest from Russian assets. “I urge all of you to closely examine your funds for exposure to Russia across all asset classes—including commodities; real estate; natural resources, such as oil, gas and timber; and private equity and hedge funds,” Weingarten noted in her letter to the trustees, urging them “to withdraw from these investments where possible, consistent with fiduciary duty.”
Teaching literacy the DMC way!
Join Share My Lesson and hip-hop legend Darryl McDaniels, founder of the iconic Run-DMC and author of the bestselling children’s book Darryl’s Dream, along with Nickelodeon’s vice president for Digital Consumer Insights, Makeda Mays Green, author of Makeda: Moving Up in Media, for a compelling fireside chat. During their keynote on March 22 at 6 p.m. EDT, they will discuss how media content can be an asset to educators. This 2022 virtual conference session will feature Noggin’s new early literacy and vocabulary music video series, “What’s the Word?” which promotes early literacy. Register now and share with your members.
Members distribute 40,000 books to Ohio students
Hundreds of families, students, educators and school staff members in Columbus, Ohio, braved the cold with empty bags and boxes on Saturday, Feb. 26, in a line that wrapped around St. Stephens Community House, eagerly awaiting their chance to choose from some of the 40,000 free books being distributed to their community.
Innovation Fund grant deadline extended
Good news! The AFT is pleased to announce an extended deadline for the final Return, Recover, Reimagine grant opportunity. The new deadline to submit your application is Sunday, March 27, by 11:59 p.m. EDT. The AFT Innovation Fund is focused on supporting our educators, students and communities as they continue to grapple with the effects of the pandemic. Grant awards will range from $20,000 to $50,000, with consideration given to affiliate size. Don’t miss out. Click here for information and the application.
February 25, 2022
Choosing aspiration over anger
In her newest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten says hope and aspiration will take us further than fear and anger. And if there is one place where you can see the herculean lift of real-time recovery from the pandemic, she says, it’s in our nation’s public schools. Every day, school staff are working with students to overcome challenges, accelerate learning, and bounce back from disruption and anxiety. School employees are providing counseling and other interventions to support students’ healing from trauma. Kids are adapting to new ways of doing “kid things”—school plays, sports, clubs, recess and just hanging out. They’re all part of a welcome return to many of our old routines.
Global solidarity with Ukraine
As Russia illegally invades Ukraine, Ukrainian labor unions are asking that the world stand with them in global solidarity. “Not only the independence of Ukraine but also the security of entire Europe and the future of the world depend on our joint response and solidarity,” their statement says. “In unity is our strength!” In a statement of support, AFT President Randi Weingarten condemned the Russian invasion. “We stand in solidarity with our fellow unionists in the Ukrainian labor movement; with the educators, students and families in Ukraine; and with their democratic government in this moment of their trial and need,” said Weingarten.
For a more inclusive healthcare future
It’s well known that racial and ethnic minorities face implicit bias and disparities in access to healthcare and the quality of care they receive, and that they have higher rates of adverse outcomes. But it was still gut-wrenching to see those inequities play out so starkly during the coronavirus pandemic, says New Jersey nurse Alice Barden. The pandemic will end one day, but the strictures in our society and our culture—implicit and explicit biases born out of racism and poverty—will always be with us. How do we rise above them? Barden has a few good ideas and shares them in her AFT Voices post.
AFT report: Pandemic intensified job insecurity for adjuncts
A new AFT survey of adjunct faculty underscores the brutal economic reality faced by millions of contingent and adjunct faculty at the nation’s colleges and universities—and illustrates how the pandemic further eroded job security and bolstered the need for public help. Nearly 4 in 10 adjuncts in the United States need government assistance to get by, with a quarter earning an annual salary below the federal poverty line. The updated “Army of Temps: AFT Adjunct Faculty Quality of Work/Life Report” outlines the details and offers some solutions.
Where are the adjuncts in ‘The Chair’?
When a popular television series focuses on college English professors, faculty everywhere sit up and take note. But AFT professor Fatema Baldiwala says there’s one glaring omission in the Netflix show “The Chair”: adjunct faculty. She enumerates the many ways adjuncts are left out of the academic picture, even though they teach the majority of classes on most campuses, and suggests a follow-up show: “The Adjuncts.”
February 18, 2022
Teachers celebrate AFT’s investment in Newark public school students
Teachers and students in Newark, N.J., are celebrating the news of the AFT’s historic investment in the district’s dual enrollment teacher preparation program with Montclair State University. Students currently enrolled in the program will receive a $1,200 stipend this spring and another $2,500 in the summer, with the funds provided by the AFT. "We want to make sure that you can dream your dreams and achieve them," AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "We need to help create those conditions so that it becomes doable and workable for you to do this kind of work."
Bilingualism is a superpower
AFT members and leaders at the National Association for Bilingual Education conference Feb. 8-10 were inspired by speakers like Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to embrace bilingualism as a superpower, and they left the conference equipped with practical resources that will help them teach their English language learners in the best ways possible.
Honoring enslaved people’s history
Captivating stories and clues to hidden historical figures: That is what two AFT faculty members have uncovered with a public database focusing on the history of enslaved people. The Northeast Slavery Records Index collects records that have been scattered across institutions and jurisdictions for centuries and makes them accessible to the public. “I feel like we’re giving people identities back,” says professor Judy-Lynne Peters.
Share My Lesson: Restorative yoga for burnout recovery workshop
We’re all a little collectively exhausted. To offer a much-needed respite, Share My Lesson is hosting a free restorative yoga practice with Catherine Zack, open to all. Educators, school staff, leaders, parents and community members are invited to an extended, guided relaxation experience with soothing meditation and restorative yoga shapes to help release tension and stress in all the places where we need it most: jaw, neck, shoulders, back, chest, hips, hamstrings and glutes. Come ready to experience immediate relief in your body, mind and spirit. Remind members to register and tell their colleagues. If they can’t make it to the live session, they should register anyway to get the on-demand link.
‘Leading Forward, Together’ webinar to focus on social-emotional learning
Don't miss this second session in the AFT and National Association of Secondary School Principals’ “Leading Forward, Together” virtual learning series focused on transformative labor-management collaboration. Join us Feb. 22 at 5:30 p.m. EST to learn about “Leveraging Schoolwide SEL to Create Supportive and Equitable Learning Environments.” It will be led by Casel, a longtime leader in the social-emotional learning movement with a commitment to collaboration. Share this session with members.
Creating a healthy school survey
Educators, do you have five minutes to help transform K-12 policies and practices across all areas of health? The National Healthy Schools Collaborative is on a mission to coordinate and accelerate equitable funding, policy and practices for health in education, so that every school succeeds, every educator excels, and every child thrives. Take the survey and check back for the results, which will be featured in the NHSC's “Ten-Year Roadmap for Healthy Schools” publication.
February 11, 2022
On masking, we need to follow the science
AFT President Randi Weingarten spoke to Zerlina Maxwell on Peacock about how mask mandates are being lifted around the United States. Asked if this was the best course of action, Weingarten said decisions must be based on science, not politics. She named several factors school districts are considering, including the percentage of vaccinated students and school staff, the level of community spread, spread in schools, local hospitalization rates, and school ventilation. Watch the interview.
AFT affiliate in Puerto Rico secures pay hike
The Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico has announced a permanent $1,000 pay raise in the monthly base salary for teachers, starting in July. To further address the pay and pension issues of its members, AMPR and the governor of Puerto Rico also have settled on a salary differential for teachers who obtain postsecondary degrees, as well as talks on working conditions, wage equity and retirement security that will begin next week.
NABE conference features sessions on reading
Drawing 2,700 participants, the National Association for Bilingual Education convened in New York City this week for candid discussions on everything from optimizing federal funding for English language and multilingual learners to boosting literacy, parent empowerment and civics. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, AFT President Randi Weingarten and AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus were featured speakers, with Weingarten leading a panel on how "reading opens the world." Follow the threads on Twitter using #NABE2022 and #BilingualEducation
The history of Black History Month
It’s a misconception that Black History Month has only been around since its designation by President Gerald Ford in 1976. Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-trained historian and the father of black history in America, devoted his life to advocating for recognition of Black contributions to American history. Woodson laid the foundations for Negro History Week in 1925. Learn more about Black History Month and explore free activities on Share My Lesson.
Indiana members converge on state capital
About 100 AFT members traveled to Indianapolis on Tuesday for a day of action to speak out against several anti-education bills, including one that would stifle the teaching of accurate history. Members felt they were being heard by their legislators, although, as one teacher noted, “Can we please go one session without being attacked?” AFT Indiana President GlenEva Dunham arrived with a busload of members from Gary who mirrored that frustration—and determination. “We are teachers,” she said. “We like to be in the classrooms. But we have to be here."
February 4, 2022
Inequity is embedded in school finance
Every February, it comes around: Black History Month. It may seem like a feel-good event that has nothing to do with the nitty gritty of school policy and everything to do with uplift. But, writes AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram in an article for the Albert Shanker Institute, the Black excellence we celebrate and try to nurture this month is the very reason we scrutinize one of the most foundational school issues we face: school finance.
AFT members press for gun safety
Gun violence disrupts daily life for millions of Americans, inflicting needless tragedy. This is especially true for students, who should be focused on learning but instead fear violence both inside and outside of school. In our work to create safe, welcoming communities, now is the time to center attention on keeping our students and our families safe. Read about three AFT members who have joined forces to lead our union’s push for gun safety.
Soothing stress and growing the teacher workforce
At a professional development session in Corpus Christi, Texas, the AFT offered practical strategies and support to aspiring teachers—at a time when teacher shortages are dire and new educators are sorely needed—and also addressed the serious stress educators are facing today. Partnering with a local community center and Texas A&M University, the session built important bonds within the community as well.
Nurses unite to demand safe staffing legislation
A coalition of healthcare workers in Washington state is calling on lawmakers to pass legislation that would address the hospital staffing crisis there. The Washington State Nurses Association/AFT is part of the coalition with UFCW 21 and SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. Coalition members say that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated longstanding short-staffing issues. Their WA Safe + Healthy campaign focuses on measures to protect healthcare workers.
AFT joins reading alliance for Black History Month
The AFT is partnering with its largest local, the United Federation of Teachers, and the Entertainers 4 Education Alliance to distribute books by Black authors to thousands of students across New York City. The initiative encourages students to connect with the work of Black leaders. “The AFT’s Reading Opens the World campaign aims to make reading fun, exciting and accessible,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “And during Black History Month, we all need stories that tell the proud and accurate history of Black Americans."
AFT Voices: Our fund keeps students in school
Spanish professor Liz Franczyk describes how a faculty-run emergency fund has made a tremendous difference in the lives of her students. When someone is hit with multiple obstacles to staying in school, this FAST Fund—Faculty and Students Together—helps them get to class, graduate and get the jobs they need to support themselves and their families.
January 21, 2022
What it takes to be back in school—and stay back
We are in the third school year affected by COVID-19; our nation needs our kids to be educated in school, where they learn best and can thrive. In her most recent column, AFT President Randi Weingarten says that where best practices are in place—full vaccination, high-quality masks, good ventilation, regular COVID-19 testing, testing to stay in school after exposure, and a nurse in every school—it’s helping to keep children, staff and families safe and keeping students in school, in person. That’s why the AFT and our affiliates across the country are pressing for safeguards to protect them.
Collaboration (not blame) keeps school doors open
White Plains, N.Y., public schools are disproving false media narratives and showing that testing, quarantining and, most importantly, collaboration between administrators, union, teachers, school employees and parents, keep school doors open during the omicron surge. Check out the AFT’s video.
Experts provide insight on omicron, boosters and schools
In the last few weeks, the numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the United States have increased to record levels because of the omicron variant. Even so, the experts who recently joined AFT President Randi Weingarten on the Union Talk podcast say that we have the tools we need to fight its spread. Listen to the latest episode of Union Talk to hear U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, Dr. Irwin Redlener and Dr. Vin Gupta answer questions posed by members.
Weingarten reacts to another roadblock for voting rights
AFT President Randi Weingarten issued a statement in response to the failed Senate vote to continue debate on critical voting rights legislation: “History will record that tonight, Jan. 19, 2022, 52 members of the U.S. Senate—50 Republicans and two Democrats—refused to see the voter suppression and subversion some states have legislated, the former president’s big lie, the Jan. 6 insurrection, and the existential threat these are to our democracy and way of life. Shame on them.”
Building community across the miles
In Deanna Hron’s small northern Minnesota community, the full-service community school where she is coordinator has become a hub for families to find food, clothing, medical care and help with transportation. But the most important thing she and her AFT colleagues do is connect with families and students in a way that builds long-lasting relationships and trust.
Reading Opens the World: Webinar series starts Thursday
As part of the AFT’s Reading Opens the World campaign, AFT national trainers and literacy experts will be featured in a series of literacy webinars that start Jan. 27 and run through April, with more sessions to follow. These free, for-credit webinars will be available to view live or on demand. They are part of a larger learning community hosted on Share My Lesson, which also features helpful teaching resources available for free, including online read-alouds, tip sheets for parents and caregivers, science-based teaching guidance and more. Help us get the word out about the new literacy series and resources!
January 15, 2022
'Teachers are afraid and spent, but they're still showing up'
AFT President Randi Weingarten appeared on MSNBC Wednesday to discuss the challenges of schooling during the pandemic. She said, “We want to make sure, as we’re doing our jobs to help kids learn, recover and create some normalcy in people’s lives, that our kids and our educators are as protected as they possibly can be.” During an AFT telephone town hall the day before, two leading physicians and the U.S. surgeon general joined Weingarten to offer the latest information on masks, vaccination, boosting, test-to-stay and how to keep schools open. Watch it here.
Intensify your push for voting rights
Americans’ right to vote and get an accurate count of the vote are under threat from a targeted, brazen and partisan effort to attack democracy. These anti-democratic efforts are dangerous and they make clear the need for corrective action in the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. It’s time for the Senate to take the necessary steps to vote on this important legislation. Call or write your senators today.
AFT Voices: Teachers will not be censored
High school teacher Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. has seen plenty of silencing and even experienced it himself, but the sort of censorship happening now—in the classroom and through legislation—is worse than anything he’s seen before. His AFT Voices blog post describes the challenges educators face as they try to teach honestly and inclusively, and he urges teachers, administrators and other stakeholders to speak up when people of color and LGBTQ people are silenced.
'Reading Opens the World' for students
Ohio Federation of Teachers members in the Ontario school district participated in “Reading Opens the World,” a new AFT campaign that opens doors for families, schools and communities to become partners in their children’s literacy. Watch as OFT members provide free books to students—thanks to support from the AFT and longtime partner First Book—and listen as they talk about the importance of promoting reading.
Leader's goal: 'To provide a voice for the voiceless'
He likes to eat pizza and listen to Frank Sinatra. Toledo (Ohio) Federation of Teachers President Kevin Dalton, featured in the Jan. 10 issue of the Toledo City Paper, has held office since 2012 and has been re-elected four times. A local son made good, Dalton is passionate about public education. The article says, “Since rising to the leadership position, he has worked for Toledo’s educational system, knowing that it is only as strong as the people who lead it.” Read the full profile.
Student loan relief at last
When addictions counselor Yvonne Dowell got word that her student debt had been canceled, she thought it was a scam. Now she knows that the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program finally worked for her, and at age 71, she is debt free. In her AFT Voices post, she describes the inspiration for her “late bloomer” return to school, how elated she was when she realized her loan payments were finished, and how grateful she is to the AFT for working to fix PSLF. She urges everyone to apply for loan cancellation.
January 7, 2022
Teach and be heard on threats to democracy
Marking the first anniversary of the armed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, AFT President Randi Weingarten reflects on that day in a post on AFT Voices, calling Jan. 6, 2021, “the day our democracy almost died.” She explains how some of our basic rights—to peaceful protest, peaceful transfer of power and the right to vote—are at risk. That’s because dozens of states have passed or introduced anti-voter laws, fueled by Donald Trump’s “big lie” of a stolen election. But you and your members can help. Write a letter to the editor about why protecting democracy must be a top priority for the Senate. And go to Share My Lesson for resources.
AFT among a coalition of unions calling for permanent COVID protections
Amid a record-breaking number of COVID-19 cases, the federal government let an emergency standard expire that was designed to protect healthcare workers from the virus. A coalition of unions representing healthcare workers, including the AFT and the AFL-CIO, are suing the government to get those protections back. Other petitioners include National Nurses United, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and state nursing unions.
Reading opens the world
Several years ago, AFT President Randi Weingarten took part in a book giveaway in McDowell County, W.Va., one of the poorest counties in America. She offered a book to a boy who clutched it to his chest, grinned and said, “I’m going straight home to put this in my library.” She asked what other books he had in his library. Bubbling with excitement, he said, “This is the first one!” After two years of disruptions during the pandemic, a concerted focus on reading is needed to help young people catch up and thrive. That is why last month, the AFT launched a literacy campaign called Reading Opens the World. Read about it in Weingarten’s latest New York Times column.
Meaningful writing experiences for young children
Writing gives children a way to share their voices and ideas with the world. Even in early childhood, all children have messages to share, experts say in the winter edition of American Educator. But it’s easy to miss early writing attempts because they don’t look like conventional writing—more like scribbling or drawing. If we invite children to tell us about their work in open-ended ways (“Tell me about what you’ve made …”), they may reveal that they have been writing (“I made my name!”). Once adults are attuned to children’s early attempts at writing, there is much they can do to be supportive.
AFT Voices: Student debt ends on a high note
Susan Garcia never could have gotten her job teaching music composition at Miami Dade College without a graduate degree, but she couldn’t afford school on her own. So she did what many people do: She took out a loan. Fast forward 22 years and she still had $90,000 in student debt. The good news? It was just canceled through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. She tells her story and credits the AFT’s lawsuit and advocacy for making changes to PSLF that make relief more accessible to more people like her.
AFT mourns Michigan leader John McDonald
We were saddened to learn of the death Dec. 30 of John McDonald, president of the Henry Ford Community College Federation of Teachers in Dearborn, Mich. Forthright and hardworking—a fighter for our union—McDonald was first elected as an AFT vice president in 2012 and had been a longtime member of the AFT Higher Education program and policy council. He served on AFT committees for democracy, political education and civil rights, and he lived those values; he was deeply engaged in the Dearborn community.
Praise for AFT activism during a wild 2021
From insurrection to omicron, 2021 was quite a year—for many of us, one of the most challenging years of our lives. As we begin 2022, AFT President Randi Weingarten takes a moment to acknowledge the amazing work of the AFT family: our 1.7 million incredible members, leaders and staff. Here’s her thread on Twitter of stories, video and pictures capturing some of the top moments of 2021.
Dec. 17, 2021
Connecting families, educators and communities in the love of reading
“Reading is key to life, to joy—to our very existence,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. It’s foundational to everything we do. Now more than ever, after two years of disruption as the result of COVID-19, harnessing the love of reading is key to helping our students and families recover. “That’s why the AFT is launching the Reading Opens the World campaign—to first and foremost give children and young people free books to read, love and keep, and to open their world,” says Weingarten. This new multiyear, multimillion-dollar literacy campaign will support students, educators and families, and foster an ongoing love of reading.
AFT launches national taskforce on teacher and school staff shortages
The AFT convened a new national taskforce Thursday to tackle widespread educator and support staff shortages imperiling the future of public schools and public education. AFT President Randi Weingarten attended the group’s inaugural meeting, along with more than 20 AFT state and local leaders drawn from local affiliates covering key AFT constituencies around the country.
Teachers, the struggle is real
In an open letter to union colleagues, elementary school teacher Joel Richards reflects on the rough times educators have endured over the last two years, validates the struggle and suggests that the return to in-person school could have been so much better. “Passion can only carry us so far without the needed support,” he writes on AFT Voices.
Fighting to teach honest history in New Hampshire
With a federal lawsuit filed Dec. 13, educators and parents are taking a stand against New Hampshire’s attempt to implement a vague and punishing law that makes it impossible for public school teachers to know what and how to teach—a new law commonly known as the “divisive concepts” law. By attempting to restrict the way discrimination, diversity, bias, justice and struggle are viewed or taught, the measure puts educators at the center of a nightmare scenario: They would be required to comply with a law that appears to be at odds with the state’s constitution and its existing law mandating a robust and well-rounded public school education—an education that includes the teaching of accurate, honest history and current events.
Black, Hispanic students shortchanged on faculty
A recent report has uncovered yet another case of racial disparity in education: Where there are more Black and Hispanic college students, there are fewer full-time faculty to go around. The study, published by the City University of New York Faculty Senate, shows gaping differences among CUNY and State University of New York colleges, where the number of faculty per 1,000 students at schools with a majority of Black and Hispanic students is lower than at those with a majority of white students. It’s an important finding because research shows that more faculty engagement means greater academic success.
Reducing barriers to voting for people with disabilities
When you think of Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), you may think of a decorated combat pilot who, as a member of Congress, has made life easier for veterans, new mothers and babies. You might not think of a person with disabilities who has recently faced a barrier to voting. Yet, that’s exactly what happened to the U.S. senator when she went to cast a ballot at her local polling place. Read as she tells her story during a forum sponsored by the Albert Shanker Institute and the Century Foundation.
Dec. 10, 2021
Cancel student debt now
Student loan borrowers are counting the days before student debt raises its menacing head once again: After a 21-month reprieve on student loan payments, they’ll have to start making their monthly payments again on Feb. 1. Research shows few are ready, and the AFT is one of 105 organizations to officially urge President Joe Biden to cancel $50,000 in student debt. “Canceling up to $50,000 in student debt would provide transformational relief to about 80% of those with student debt,” they say. Read more about the tremendous impact this would have on individuals and on the economy.
American Educator’s Winter 2021-22 issue is here
Misinformation weakens our democracy by stoking distrust and incivility and creating vulnerabilities in the regulations that protect public health and safety. In the latest issue of American Educator, science educators and researchers explore how we can teach students to recognize misinformation and counter it with evidence-based reasoning and critical thinking. Also in this issue: A literacy researcher challenges what teachers are often taught about reading comprehension instruction, and early education experts explain the importance of meaningful writing opportunities in preschool—and how to foster them.
Union Talk podcast discusses ‘Teaching Honest History’
AFT President Randi Weingarten talks to scholars Marcia Chatelain of Georgetown University and Peter Levine of Tufts University to pull back the curtain on what is behind the efforts to use critical race theory to divide parents and teachers, the importance of teaching honest history, how to support educators under attack, and how teachers and parents can partner to help all students thrive.
From the border to the classroom: AFT supports newly arrived migrants
As immigration policy continues to make its way through the federal government, migrants continue to suffer in makeshift camps or temporary holding centers, afraid they’ll be deported back to countries like Haiti, which is still reeling from natural and political disaster. From advocating for more humane policies and visiting the border to addressing migrant children’s needs in the classroom, AFT members are involved in trying to make this right.
Register for AFT’s Winter Educator Academy
It’s been nearly two years since we all had to pivot to online teaching, learning and communicating. Our face-to-face Winter Educator Academy, which will be held in January, is a chance to extend Summer Educator Academy train-the-trainer offerings in three new modules. Space is limited. Registration closes Dec. 30.
Today is Human Rights Day
Today is Human Rights Day. The historical struggle for human rights is something that affects us, our children and future generations as we fight for equity and inclusion in an increasingly torn society. It can be difficult to speak with students about sensitive subjects, but the AFT’s Share My Lesson provides expertly curated lesson plans, resources and activities that define these rights, help develop a global awareness, and teach how we can all make a difference when we act together to improve the lives of citizens, immigrants and refugees alike. Share with your members to help them teach about this important day.
Dec. 3, 2021
Working people are stronger together
“We can bring to birth a new world from the ashes of the old.” That line, from the labor union anthem “Solidarity Forever,” feels especially apt in this moment, AFT President Randi Weingarten writes in her latest monthly column. Aren’t we all yearning to live in a “new world” without the anxiety, disruptions and sorrow caused by the COVID-19 pandemic? Isn’t it well past time to sweep discrimination and violence into the “ashes of the old?" Can’t the United States—the richest country in the world, yet home to 37 million people living in poverty—“bring to birth” a world in which every person has a decent standard of living and opportunities to get ahead?
Vaccines for kids could be the ‘game changer’
With a new variant of COVID-19 bringing new uncertainties, the White House is redoubling its precautions to keep children safe in school. The best protection? Vaccinations. And now that kids ages 5 to 11 are eligible to get vaccinated, parents and educators have questions, so the AFT brought together experts for a Facebook Live town hall. Participants heard from the nation’s chief nursing officer, Assistant Surgeon General Rear Admiral Aisha Mix, as well as AFT Massachusetts President Beth Kontos and parents from Massachusetts and Texas. Read the summary or listen to the podcast.
AFT leaders speak out on Michigan school shooting
AFT President Randi Weingarten and AFT Michigan President David Hecker released a statement about the school shooting and loss of life in Oxford, Mich., this week: “Today, we mourn those lost in the Oxford High School shooting and express our deepest condolences to all the students, staff, families and community members affected by this tragic event. … The AFT is dedicated to ensuring our communities and schools are safe and working, and curbing gun violence is key to that. We hope our elected officials, regardless of what party they represent, will do what’s necessary to protect students and staff.”
Landing in America, landing in the classroom
Many Americans have read about Haitian migrants fleeing the devastation of a recent earthquake and political turmoil, and families from Afghanistan coming to the United States because their lives are in danger back home. For AFT members, these stories come to life every day at school, where educators and staff help newly arrived students adjust. Boston teacher Joel Richards gives us a firsthand account and makes a pitch for more counselors, a more diverse teacher workforce and a broader curriculum.
A vision to prioritize learning over testing
High-stakes testing does not lead to productive knowledge-building, skill mastery or lasting academic achievement, Lorrie Shepard writes in the latest issue of American Educator. She shares research on effective instruction and equitable assessment, and describes how to engage students—then use an array of assessment strategies to guide instruction and accurately reflect accomplishments.
In case you missed it: Our members rock
After five years without a contract, teachers and paraprofessionals in Scranton, Pa., showed America how to “Hold the Line”—and win big. Watch this amazing video featuring musician Tom Morello; one of our members says she’s playing it on repeat. The community rallied around educators during their 12-day strike, having witnessed how fiscal austerity is dismantling their schools piece by piece. The fight isn’t over, but this is a significant victory in rebuilding public education in Scranton.
November 19, 2021
Parents stand with striking teachers, paras
The community has our backs in Scranton, Pa. From parents and students to local businesses, this western Pennsylvania community is coming together to support striking teachers and paraprofessionals. Friends and neighbors are delivering coffee, donuts, pizzas and snacks on the picket line. They're posting words of encouragement on social media, providing music for rallies, and walking the line in solidarity. The outpouring of support has energized our members in their fight for a fair contract. Watch this video to see how energized Scranton is and follow @sftlocal1147 on Twitter as contract negotiations continue.
President Biden signs historic infrastructure bill
This week, President Joe Biden signed into law a bill that will finally start work on fixing the nation’s roads, bridges and much more. “This bill will get lead out of water and repair leaky tunnels. It will pipe broadband into millions of homes that sorely need it. And it’s going to restore our crumbling roads and create millions of new jobs,” AFT President Randi Weingarten says. “Both progressives and moderates worked constructively with the speaker and the president to find a way to make this a reality. Now we have the wind at our backs."
Strike averted with contract for California lecturers
Hours before a strike would have shuttered classes at nine University of California campuses, University Council-AFT—the union representing 6,500 lecturers—announced it had a tentative agreement and the action was called off. After more than two years of negotiations and a final bargaining session that lasted until 4 a.m., UC-AFT President Mia McIver calls the contract “the best contract in UC-AFT history and among the best nationwide for contingent faculty,” with “transformative” measures for job security, pay raises and expanded family leave.
AFT launches School Meals for All campaign
Together with a local affiliate, the AFT on Nov. 18 kicked off an ambitious new campaign—School Meals for All—which aims to expand the federal school meals programs so that all children attending the nation’s public schools will have access to a free, tasty and nutritious breakfast and lunch every school day.
‘Strikesgiving’ for those who’d rather fight than quit
October ended with educators and school bus drivers announcing job actions, along with strikes of miners in Alabama and nurses in Massachusetts. In what’s being called the Great Resignation (also known as the Big Quit), employees are demonstrating a commitment to their work via their united voice. They have had every opportunity to walk away. However, they are telling their employers (after trying every other way of making their point) how to make their workplaces better. Read this blog by Mary Cathryn Ricker, executive director of the Albert Shanker Institute, and former Communications Workers of America President Larry Cohen.
Celebrate the holidays with family history
Your members, your students, your community—anyone can participate in the annual Great Thanksgiving Listen, including students 13 years or older. Thousands of students have engaged in intergenerational interviews with an elder, mentor or someone they admire. The goal is to cultivate a sense of deep listening, compassion and justice—especially in the next generation. These shareable interviews become part of the StoryCorps Archive at the Library of Congress. Learn more.
November 12, 2021
Weingarten to striking members: ‘Your union supports you 1,000 percent’
Thousands of workers across the country have taken part in strikes or labor actions this fall. On Nov. 8, Scranton Federation of Teachers President Rosemary Boland, Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals President Jodi Barschow and University Council-AFT President Mia McIver joined AFT President Randi Weingarten during a Facebook Live town hall to discuss their conflicts and why their members are either on strike or have voted to strike.
A debt forgiven
Morrisville State College faculty and AFT member Jeri O’Bryan-Losee just got news that more than $73,000 of her student debt has been forgiven through AFT’s landmark settlement with the U.S. Department of Education. Her story shows the success of the continued advocacy we’re doing on behalf of our members.
Vaccines for kids could mean changes in school COVID policies, says Weingarten
The New York Times reported on how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the attitudes many conservative Americans have toward public education. AFT President Randi Weingarten said that with vaccines available for younger children and our vaccination rate hopefully climbing, schools can begin to safely implement changes in policies. “The CDC has been clear that everyone can unmask outside unless they’re in close contact with each other,” Weingarten said. “And I believe that schools should be doing this for recess. … We need to give parents and teachers a road map to what it takes to start undoing the mitigations. It was clear that vaccines for teachers helped us reopen schools. Maybe it’s vaccines for kids helping us get to unmasking of teachers and kids in schools.”
American Educator: All children thriving
As we strive to create safe and welcoming schools, we can find hope in a new vision for education that focuses on whole child development and equitable opportunities for all students to thrive. In the latest issue of American Educator, child psychiatrist Pamela Cantor describes the science behind learning environments that encourage curiosity, agency and community engagement.
Creating a union culture that values its retirees
Early in her teaching career, Florence McCue recognized the value of her more experienced colleagues and her union. That’s why, when she retired from teaching after 33 years, she carried on her union activism. McCue served the Yonkers (N.Y.) Federation of Teachers in numerous positions over the years, but it was her first role in the union that was the catalyst for her activism. As a building rep at her school, McCue started a buddy system that partnered new teachers with veterans who not only mentored them but also showed them the value of the union.
AFT Health Care: Brave Spaces
Systemic racism has serious consequences for people’s health, from infant mortality to oncology care, and addressing them requires acknowledging difficult realities so we can find effective solutions together. This article in AFT Health Care examines groups in Michigan and North Carolina, which built partnerships that valued the expertise of academics, health professionals and community members equally. By focusing on cultural humility and committing to anti-racism work, they reduced racial health disparities and laid the foundation for lasting social change.
November 5, 2021
Standing with Scranton, Pa., educators and school staff
Teachers and paraprofessionals who are represented by the Scranton (Pa.) Federation of Teachers are on strike. The members have been working without a contract since 2017, and they’ve been unable to reach a tentative contract agreement with the school district. “See us on the picket lines,” says SFT President Rosemary Boland. “Scranton educators, parents and students have sacrificed and sacrificed, and we are tired of holding the bag for district mismanagement—it’s bad for teachers and bad for kids.” A fair contract is long overdue, says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “Educators didn’t create this mess, but they’re being asked year after year to pay for the district’s long-term fiscal issues.” Watch this video featuring Scranton educators and learn more about how you can support them.
Spreading the word: Student debt relief is here
As word spread that student debt relief for public service workers is within reach, the AFT held a town hall to help members take advantage of changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that should put them closer to loan forgiveness. The session included details about how borrowers who have been refused PSLF relief can now use a temporary waiver to qualify—and it reviewed how an AFT lawsuit helped win the changes that make that possible. “Our goal is to make sure that everyone sees a zero balance in their student debt account,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten.
AFT Health Care’s Fall 2021 issue focuses on building resilient communities
As we approach two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, our recovery efforts include addressing burnout, the nurse staffing crisis and ways to build resilient communities where everyone can thrive. In the Fall 2021 issue of AFT Health Care, two social epidemiologists examine how learning from our history helps us see the way to a healthier, more equitable future. Also in this issue: community-driven anti-racism partnerships to eliminate health disparities, how to improve care for LGBTQ people of color, boosting child and caregiver health, and the commonsense policies that make for a stronger economy—and a better society.
Lifting Latinx voices in schools and reimagining the old ‘normal’
A panel of Latinx experts gathered for what award-winning journalist Mariana Atencio called a “very raw, very current” conversation about how Latinx families can support students beginning to emerge from the depths of the pandemic, and how educators can connect student learning, mental health and family engagement. Panelists, including AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus, explored the challenges unique to Latinx families and how AFT members can help meet them.
‘Union Talk’ episode: What changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program mean for you
In a new episode of the AFT’s “Union Talk” podcast, AFT President Randi Weingarten, Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan and U.S. Department of Education Senior Advisor Julie Morgan answer questions about the recent changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and the settlement of the Weingarten v. DeVos lawsuit. They discussed how these developments can help hundreds of thousands of educators, healthcare professionals, firefighters and other public employees become debt-free. For more information, go to www.aft.org/PSLF or check out the online resource Summer, which helps AFT members and associate members navigate the changes to PSLF and reduce or eliminate their debt load.
October 29, 2021
Civil rights conference points the way forward
The AFT Civil, Human and Women’s Rights Conference, Oct. 21-23, covered a broad intersection of human rights issues, from racism and immigration rights to foundational civil rights history and LGBTQIA+ intersectionality, with inspirational speakers and gatherings as well as sessions on strategizing to fight for the policy we need to become a more equitable and just society. “We got this,” AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick C. Ingram told participants. “You are the game changers. Whether it is litigation, legislation, demonstration, agitation or sometimes sheer damn aggravation, we got this.”
It’s not too late to push for Build Back Better Act!
Yesterday, President Joe Biden and Congress laid out historic investments where we need them most, with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Build Back Better Act. Now it’s up to us to get them across the finish line. These bills will invest billions in the priorities we stand for. They will lower taxes and other costs for working families. They will invest resources into pre-K, child tax credits for working families, child and elder care, affordable housing, sustainability to tackle the climate crisis, and more. Most importantly, they will create good union jobs. But to achieve all that, these bills must pass. Click here to call your lawmakers at 888-879-2059.
Scranton, Pa., teachers, staff to strike Wednesday
After years without a contract, the Scranton (Pa.) Federation of Teachers will strike on Nov. 3. AFT President Randi Weingarten explains this is “because there’s a crisis in Scranton’s public schools,” adding that staff are leaving and services are being cut, all while the district drags its feet on a fair contract. “Scranton educators are true professionals who have been on the frontlines of keeping kids safe, healthy and engaged amid a massive crisis,” says AFT Pennsylvania President Arthur Steinberg, “but they can’t keep doing more with less.” It’s long past time for a contract that’s good for kids and fair to teachers and paraprofessionals, Weingarten says, “and like workers around the country, Scranton’s educators and school staff are willing to walk off the job to get it."
Unions hold colleges accountable on equity
With diversity, equity and inclusion statements now part of the landscape at colleges and universities, activists have hoped that campus culture would finally show signs of opening up and—after years of advocacy—that Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian American and Pacific Islander students and staff could take their rightful place in academia. But despite grand intentions, follow-through is often lacking. Enter union members, to ensure that paychecks begin to reflect proclamations and universities make good on their lofty promises.
Join AFT PSRP for a quarterly legislative update
It’s another quarter, and that means it's time for another school and college support staff legislative briefing. Please join AFT PSRP at 7 p.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. Pacific, this coming Thursday, Nov. 4, by registering to learn about all that is happening with federal legislation and how it affects paraprofessionals and school-related personnel. We encourage you to share this message with your members or anyone you would like to attend. Feel free to contact vknoll@aft.org with any questions.
5 lessons for teaching LGBTQ history
October is LGBTQ History Month—an opportunity for teachers, school staff and faculty, as well as parents and caregivers, to find ways to teach kids about the important contributions of the queer community and the struggle for equity and justice. You’ll find more than 60 resources in Share My Lesson’s curated collection on LGBTQ history, which includes grade-appropriate content for preK-12. In particular, we wanted to be sure you saw these five resources.
Libraries and unions are a perfect match
After more than a year of organizing, Becca Bushman and co-workers at Worthington Libraries in Ohio officially won their union, Worthington Public Libraries United, when the votes were tallied by the State Employment Relations Board. Gaining a union at their workplace is especially meaningful, Bushman writes in AFT Voices, because libraries and unions share the same mission and values. Both are founded on collective responsibility. Both equip people with tools needed to empower themselves. And both promote equity and build stronger communities. Read on.
October 22, 2021
A reprieve from crushing student debt
In her latest New York Times column, AFT President Randi Weingarten celebrates a historic win for those struggling with student loan debt, particularly those trying to navigate the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. “The AFT is committed to helping our members, our students and our communities thrive,” Weingarten writes about a settlement reached in Weingarten v. DeVos. “Higher education is a means to that end. It should be affordable, not a debt sentence. And public service should be an affordable career choice.”
Students tell the story of pandemic trauma
What does the pandemic look like to young people? AFT member Jim Arey recounts the heartbreaking and heartening stories he’s heard from his students—from those who feel lost and depressed to those celebrating new relationships and funny revelations. His insights, inspired by a remote trauma-informed course offered by the AFT, include tips on how school staff, including teachers and paraprofessionals, can continue to support students’ social and emotional learning in the most trying of circumstances.
Help students navigate digital citizenship
It's Digital Citizenship Week, an opportunity to help students navigate citizenship as it relates to Election Day and being active members in their local communities, but also understand how digital citizenship relates to keeping students safe online and being responsible members of online communities. Here are Share My Lesson’s five picks to help students develop their digital citizenship skills.
AFT Voices: Focusing on patient care
Physician assistants play a vital role in patient care: They work hand in hand with doctors, nurses and other health professionals. Every October, the work of these professionals is highlighted during Physician Assistants Week. This year, Eryn Smith, a member of the United Physician Assistants at Michigan Medicine/AFT, shares why he changed his career path to become a physician assistant and what it means to be part of his newly formed union.
RISE Award nominees due by Nov. 1
This year’s deadline is fast approaching for the Recognizing Inspiring School Employees Award, which highlights the work of school support staff nationwide. Each year, the RISE Award honors one paraprofessional or other school-related employee, and states are encouraged to recognize their finalists. The AFT lobbied hard for this recognition, signed into law as the Recognizing Achievement in Classified School Employees Act. Each state must submit its nominations to the U.S. Department of Education by Nov. 1. Click here to learn more.
Welcoming Afghan refugees to school
As more Afghan families arrive in the United States, fleeing a perilous country, schools are welcoming them as best they can. To better understand their circumstances and needs, we turned to Colorín Colorado’s list of resources, which cover what brought the Afghans here, what resettlement arrangements have been made, how some schools have made students more comfortable with halal food options and places to pray, and suggestions on handling language barriers, providing food and clothing, working with school counselors and more. Much of the information is useful for any school staff working with immigrant families.
October 22, 2021
AFT settles student debt lawsuit, wins big gains for borrowers
The AFT, AFT President Randi Weingarten and eight individual AFT member plaintiffs have reached a landmark settlement with the U.S. Department of Education in the case Weingarten v. DeVos. As a result, tens of thousands of student loan borrowers can expect imminent relief from their student debt. Under the historic agreement, all Public Service Loan Forgiveness applicants who were denied relief will have an opportunity for their cases to be reviewed, setting public employees across the country, including teachers, nurses and firefighters, on a path to a life-changing reduction or elimination of their crushing student debt burden.
Together again, honoring the work of public employees
For the first time since 2017, members of AFT Public Employees came together for a professional issues conference. The Oct. 8-10 conference in New York City was the AFT’s first in-person meeting since the start of the pandemic, and it drew all three of our national officers to honor and learn from members who have never stopped doing essential work.
Healthcare workers in Oregon vote to authorize a strike against Kaiser
Nearly 3,400 healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente in Oregon moved closer to hitting the picket lines this week after they voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. The Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals says that 90 percent of its members, whose contracts expired on Sept. 30, voted; 96 percent of voters favored a strike. Safe staffing and wages are at the heart of the contract fight. Instead of presenting proposals to solve the staffing crisis, OFNHP says that Kaiser executives have offered low wages and a two-tiered system that would mean new workers would make much less than their colleagues, accelerating the staffing crisis.
Paying for college should be a collective responsibility
In the latest issue of American Educator, professor Caitlin M. Zaloom dissects the evolving concept of what higher education means to American families. “In recent years, protests calling for student debt forgiveness and for free tuition have swelled around the world, and in the United States too,” Zaloom writes. “Critics have labeled the antidebt activists ‘entitled,’ unwilling to pay their fair share of college costs, but protestors’ demands are motivated by a different political view of moral responsibility than their detractors see. They are advancing a new idea—or, perhaps more accurately, reviving an old and still compelling one—of why college is important and who benefits from it.”
October 8, 2021
A ray of hope for massive student debt relief
Thousands of public service workers may finally get the student loan relief they were promised, as the Department of Education overhauls its broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. At an AFT telephone town hall Oct. 6, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the overhaul will benefit more than half a million borrowers whose loans were rejected from the program, and thousands of others besides. “You’ve done so much to help our community, and it’s our turn now to serve you,” he told participants in the call.
A conversation with nurses caring for COVID patients
A new episode of the AFT’s “Union Talk” podcast takes you inside America's hospitals to talk to three nurses about the stress, strain and "emotional roller coaster" they've faced caring for patients throughout the pandemic and what they want people to know about vaccines, misinformation and what nurses need in this moment.
Share My Lesson: More resources to help all students thrive
On the newly relaunched Share My Lesson website, you’ll find a 1.9 million-member community with expanded offerings for all AFT union members: preK-12 teachers, paraprofessionals and school support personnel, specialized instructional support personnel, and higher education faculty. After getting extensive feedback from members, Share My Lesson revamped its online communities to make it even easier for you to collaborate with your colleagues, families and community members. Take a tour of the new site to see how it can help you and your students thrive—socially, emotionally and academically.
America’s educators, nurses and public employees stand with IATSE
AFT President Randi Weingarten issued a statement in support of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees in its overwhelming vote to authorize a strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. “Every person who gets up and goes to work every day—whether it’s on a TV lot or a movie set, in a classroom, or at a hospital—deserves to be treated with dignity and respect,” Weingarten said. “The 1.7 million members of the AFT stand in full solidarity with our IATSE family. Together, our collective voices will help us accomplish what is impossible to do alone.”
Deadline extended for AFT Innovation Fund’s grants to help locals with reopening and recovery
The AFT Innovation Fund has extended the deadline for its Return, Recover and Reimagine grant opportunity, by two weeks! The new deadline to submit your application has been extended through Oct. 17. The AFT remains committed to supporting your local’s efforts in safely reopening schools and helping your communities as they recover from the lingering and ongoing effects of the pandemic.
October 1, 2021
How you can help pass the Build Back Better Act
AFT President Randi Weingarten leveled with members during our union’s Tuesday telephone town hall: Major legislation forming the centerpiece of a prosperous American future faces “lots of obstacles” right now. Weingarten directed members to aft.org/action, where you can contact your senators, or go here to get some help writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
Poll: AFT members are 90% vaccinated
Fresh polling of American Federation of Teachers members has revealed the vast majority—90 percent—are vaccinated. And fully 2 in 3 K-12 members support vaccination mandates. A survey conducted by Hart Research Associates shows that 67 percent of K-12 members favor a requirement that all school employees be vaccinated unless they have a valid medical or religious exemption and that 73 percent support requiring vaccines or a weekly COVID-19 test. A separate poll of the full membership shows 9 out of 10 report being vaccinated and another 3 percent either have a vaccination appointment or say they will likely get vaccinated.
Florida humanities faculty fear for the profession
When a professor and union leader learned his contract would not be renewed at Lake-Sumter State College in Florida, his union stepped right up, not just to try to save his job—which was all but tenured—but also to protect the social science courses he taught. For now, though, all anthropology, archaeology and geography classes there have been eliminated—an indication of the challenges the United Faculty of Florida continues to face in a state where academia and its unions remain under fire.
Laid off: Another hurdle for faculty of color
When art professor Amy Díaz-Infante got a layoff notice from City College of San Francisco, she not only worried about how she would earn a living—she also was concerned about her students, her art program and her college. Her union, AFT 2121, won back her job, along with 662 others, but the signal was clear: Faculty jobs are at risk. In AFT Voices, Díaz-Infante examines how cuts, layoffs and campus culture are disproportionately affecting faculty of color—like her—and how that keeps a more diverse student body from succeeding.
Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month
Every year, AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus delights in celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month as a time to lift up—through reading and sharing books—the histories, cultures and contributions of the more than 60 million Latinos in the United States. “Join me as we celebrate our culture, nuestra herencia, our diversity and our strength with books from the First Book Marketplace,” DeJesus says. “As a proud Puerto Rican, I know the importance of having our students read books that reflect their lived experiences and culture."
September 24, 2021
Schools must be safe, welcoming—and open
Students are settling into their third straight school year disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, AFT President Randi Weingarten notes in her New York Times column. This month, she focuses on the need for health and safety protocols to protect school communities and on the work educators are doing to meet students’ needs—academic, social, emotional and physical. The AFT has consistently advocated for safe in-person schooling with layered mitigation measures that include masking, distancing, testing, ventilation upgrades and vaccination. Weingarten also calls on school leaders to work with educators and unions to create trust. Read and share.
Campaign kicks off for educator wellness
The AFT has launched an educator health and well-being campaign, offering a workshop full of practical, education-related techniques to manage the stress educators face—even as they try to help students manage their own stress. The multiyear campaign that began Sept. 20 is one way the AFT is helping educators who continue to face challenges related to COVID-19, such as hybrid learning, vaccination resistance and shifting school protocols. An online sharing community and a collection of professional development resources are also on tap.
New podcast: Prioritizing classroom safety
In the latest episode of the AFT’s new “Union Talk” podcast, listen to our recent virtual town hall bringing together distinguished experts and leaders from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Turnaround for Children, AASA/The School Superintendents Association and the National PTA, as well as the U.S. surgeon general. You’ll hear them answer questions, debunk myths and share information about how we can keep schools open while prioritizing safety for students and staff. Then catch up on previous podcasts here.
AFT officer joins members in Chicago parade
AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram and the Chicago Teachers Union took part in the Bud Billiken Parade, the largest African American parade in the nation, which is held right around the time school starts each year. Members in last weekend’s parade brought school supplies and other gifts for kids heading back to school. Community outreach has never been more important, and Chicago educators continue to connect with their students. Watch this fun video of the parade.
AFT, First Book partner for Hispanic Heritage Month
The AFT is teaming up with First Book in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month to offer members a $25 credit for free books to help fill classrooms with books highlighting Hispanic authors, characters and cultures. Register here, check out the Latino collection on First Book Marketplace, and use the promo code AFTHHM2021 at checkout. “Underneath all learning, all thriving, all recovery from this pandemic is the ability for our children to heal in the joy of reading,” says AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus.
Overseas Federation of Teachers reaches milestone
The AFT affiliate representing educators abroad, the Overseas Federation of Teachers, began contract negotiations this week for the first time in 27 years, focusing on addressing issues that will improve students’ education—and on respecting, not ignoring, teachers’ voices. As the OFT prepared for face-to-face contract negotiations, the union was denied travel authorization for both bargaining teams. Throughout the day, teachers in Italy, Spain, Turkey and Bahrain wore red to show solidarity.
AFT invests $100,000 to help college students
AFT President Randi Weingarten this week announced a landmark $100,000 investment in Believe in Students, a national nonprofit that addresses financial insecurity among college students and helps meet their basic needs. The money will support the organization’s FAST Fund, a faculty-run emergency aid program at 30 colleges and universities. The FAST Fund quickly identifies struggling students and gets them the support they need to focus on school.
Learn more about the Build Back Better Act
Join our next telephone town hall this coming Tuesday, Sept. 28, at 6:45 p.m. ET. We’ll be discussing what’s in the Build Back Better Act, how it will help our members and what they can do to help get it passed. We’ve been active in supporting this bill because it would do so much for our communities, including creating union jobs, making college, child care and prescription drugs more affordable, investing in school repairs and rebuilding, and closing loopholes so the wealthiest Americans and big corporations pay their fair share.
September 17, 2021
American Educator: From safely returning in person, to reimagining public education
To thrive, our youth need to be learning in person, in safe and welcoming environments that nurture student development and offer opportunities to engage in authentic, purpose-driven learning. In the latest issue of American Educator, educators, religious leaders and economists call for transformative policies to create an economy that works for all, instructional practices that consider the whole child and prioritize learning over testing, and investments in our public colleges and universities that will end austerity and the burden of student debt.
In debt and on the frontlines
Nicole Brun-Cottan helps people pick up the pieces after life-altering events, giving them tools to function in their new reality. She loves her work as a physical therapist, but working in the ICU during a pandemic has been exhausting and traumatizing. On top of that, she has to deal with six-figure student debt and a broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Here is her story and her urgent plea for restructuring PSLF and working for debt relief and reform.
AFT’s Share My Lesson has Hispanic Heritage Month activities
Hispanic Heritage Month is from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Share My Lesson has a curated collection available to allow educators to commemorate Hispanic Americans' histories, cultures and contributions with students. These preK-12 activities, lesson plans and classroom resources will help engage your students and bring new ideas to life.
What educators need to help them prioritize their health and well-being
Even before the pandemic, educators were feeling stressed out, overworked, underappreciated and underpaid. We have rightly focused on student mental health as we head back to school, but educator health and well-being are equally important. The AFT is launching a new campaign to promote educator health and well-being. Join us for an interactive launch session on Sept. 20 (4:30 to 5:45 p.m. EDT). The session will focus on your needs and how we can better support our educators’ mental, emotional and physical well-being. Register here. Space is limited and preference will be given to AFT members, so register early. A Zoom link will be sent by email on the day of the event.
Deadline to apply for AFT Innovation Fund grants is approaching
The AFT Innovation Fund has made investments in local union affiliates across the country since 2009. With the purpose of identifying, nurturing and promoting union-led innovations in public education, the fund’s work aligns with the AFT’s four pillars of powerful and purposeful public education: promoting children’s well-being, supporting powerful learning, building teacher capacity, and fostering cultures of collaboration. In the 2021-22 cycle, these grants will support efforts to reopen schools safely in ways that make all students and educators feel welcome and supported as they grapple with the challenges of the pandemic. The application deadline is Oct. 3.
Reflecting on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 during unprecedented times
This past Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. In a blog post, AFT President Randi Weingarten reflects on the events of that day in 2001, the significance of the anniversary today, and her hopes for the future.
September 10, 2021
AFT launches new ‘Union Talk’ podcast
AFT President Randi Weingarten welcomed U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh on the newly launched AFT podcast, “Union Talk.” Walsh joined Weingarten to talk about the importance of labor unions and share his Labor Day message with listeners. “Unions are incredibly important for giving workers the power and agency that they need in our economy and our democracy,” said Weingarten. In upcoming episodes of “Union Talk,” she will interview workers, policymakers and experts who are confronting the issues working families face and championing solutions.
Weingarten visits Florida classrooms that have lost their teachers to COVID-19
AFT President Randi Weingarten traveled to Florida as a part of the AFT’s Back to School for All campaign in September. In Miami-Dade County, she visited two schools that have had teachers and staff die of COVID-19 since the school year started. Notably, Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, has tried to ban universal masking policies in his state, where COVID-19 cases are soaring. Weingarten says Florida is “a place where you have a governor who is more concerned about his political aspirations than the safety and the well-being of the people he was elected to serve.”
Promoting vaccinations, literacy and a safe return to school
The Perth Amboy (N.J.) Federation of Teachers is using its Return, Recover and Reimagine grant from the national union for a vaccination and literacy campaign, teaming up with an ever-growing group of community organizations to do trusted, effective outreach. AFT-New Jersey President Donna M. Chiera and Perth Amboy Federation President Patricia Paradiso—both longtime teachers in the district—recently distributed books to grown-ups and kids alike who received a COVID-19 vaccination. The Perth Amboy effort is part of the AFT’s investment of $5 million to award grants covering more than 1,800 AFT affiliates. The grants are being used to engage and rebuild trust with parents and our communities and get our kids back in schools safely.
AFT applauds House Education and Labor Committee provisions in Build Back Better Act
The House Committee on Education and Labor marked up its portion of the Build Back Better Act this week, and the AFT applauded its inclusion of funds for public school infrastructure and accessible, affordable higher education. “This bill contains many vital components that will help our kids and their families succeed,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “Both Congress and the Biden administration understand we have a unique chance for our schools, colleges and students to thrive—and that we need to seize it.”
September 3, 2021
Back to school, safe and sound
Leading our union’s Back to School for All campaign, AFT President Randi Weingarten has crisscrossed the country this past month as students and staff are safely returning to school in person. She was joined on several stops by Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram and Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus. The tour has reached two dozen cities, featuring everything from vaccine clinics to town halls and book fairs. Check out a few highlights from Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts and New York.
Words of wisdom mark back-to-school town hall
Five top experts on education and health met with AFT President Randi Weingarten for a virtual town hall Aug. 31 to offer insights on how to make this year’s return to school safe, meaningful and productive for all students. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, whom Weingarten called “a voice of reason and expertise,” led off by recognizing what everyone has been through and sharing his knowledge of the emerging science behind the new delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19. Read the recap or watch their full discussion.
How to tell fact from fiction about the vaccines
Even as the delta variant of the coronavirus surges in many communities, the myths, misinformation and disinformation about our most powerful weapons against it—the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines—have skyrocketed as well. Because of their frontline jobs serving the public, AFT members need to have the most accurate and up-to-date information available about the vaccines. Click through for facts to set the record straight about vaccine myths and misconceptions.
Recognizing labor leaders who shaped our future
There is no singular figurehead for Labor Day or the labor movement in this country. However, millions of Americans have unionized for health, prosperity, equality and a more perfect, well, union. We’ve celebrated Labor Day since the late 19th century, and the contributions made since the movement began are worthy of celebration, right along with a place in the history books. Here are five labor leaders to know and teach about—five inspiring women who helped make our working lives better today.
AFT leaders join march for voting rights
This past Saturday, Aug. 28, marked the 58th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. AFT President Randi Weingarten and AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram spoke at rallies in Washington, D.C., to commemorate that anniversary. “All our rights depend on our right to vote,” Weingarten told the crowd. “That’s why there are 500-plus anti-voting right bills in state legislatures right now. It stems from the ‘big lie.’ But that ‘big lie’ isn’t bigger than us, isn’t bigger than MLK’s dream."
August 27, 2021
‘The right to vote is sacred for all of us’
AFT leaders and members turned out for voting rights rallies in four cities last weekend as the Fighting for Our Vote coalition kicked off a long-term campaign against voter suppression and for passage of sweeping federal voting rights legislation. “The right to vote is sacred for all of us,” AFT President Randi Weingarten told the crowd at a rally in Cleveland. AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram spoke to union and civil rights activists in Milwaukee. Other rallies took place in Detroit and Washington, D.C.
AFT showcases ‘Back to School for All’ campaign
As students and staff head back to school, AFT activists gathered Aug. 23 for a telephone town hall with AFT President Randi Weingarten. Teachers have done everything society has asked of them to contend with the pandemic, Weingarten said, but between the resurgence of COVID-19 and other disasters, “it feels sometimes like we go from plague to plague.” In the midst of all this, students and staff are returning to school with joy, excitement and safety measures.
Nurses’ coalition works to save maternity unit
Last summer, executives at Windham Hospital in Willimantic, Conn., announced that it would seek approval from the state to end labor and delivery services at the facility, blaming years of recruitment challenges and declining births. Brenda Buchbinder, a member of Natchaug Hospital Unions United, disagrees. The hospital claims that women are choosing to have their babies at other hospitals, she says, but “they didn’t choose to go elsewhere. Our choices were taken from us.” Buchbinder and other activists, including AFT Connecticut, came together in a grass-roots coalition—Windham United to Save Our Healthcare—to protest the decision to end the service by Hartford HealthCare, the multibillion-dollar system that owns Windham Hospital.
AFT celebrates 10 years with First Book
Yesterday, the AFT and First Book commemorated their 10th anniversary by highlighting how the partnership has given millions of books to kids in need. At an AFT-West Virginia event, members unveiled a new “care closet” of school supplies and personal care items at Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary, distributed books and announced new grants that AFT locals can apply for. Meanwhile, the Providence Teachers Union in Rhode Island marked the anniversary with AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus, who cheered the first child there to pick out a book: De aquí como el coquí.
August 20, 2021
Vaccinate to stem the tide of COVID-19
In her latest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten writes about the need, for those who can, to get vaccinated against COVID-19. “Vaccination is the single most effective tool to protect ourselves and others from serious illness and death from COVID-19. It weighs heavily on me that children under 12 and people with certain medical conditions cannot get vaccinated against the coronavirus,” Weingarten writes. “My union has urged everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated to do so.”
AFT’s back-to-school tour focuses on safe return to in-person learning
As she crisscrosses the country on the Back to School for All tour, AFT President Randi Weingarten has spread the message that students need to be in schools this fall and that we must continue to advocate for health and safety mitigation measures. Along the way, she has seen how the AFT’s $5 million grant program is supporting 70 projects—across 28 states and territories covering communities with 20 million students—aimed at getting all students safely back in the classroom with their teachers. A common element of every one of these events is the goal of making a safe and healthy return to school.
New Mexico nurses win majority support for unionizing with the AFT
A supermajority of nurses at the University of New Mexico Sandoval Regional Medical Center declared their support for unionization on Aug. 13, with an official petition filed under the New Mexico public employee bargaining law. The victory marks a historic win for nurses in New Mexico, and union leaders expect that it’s likely to inspire further organizing within the same facility and across the state in the healthcare sector. “Forming a union with AFT in New Mexico will impact nurses at SRMC in such a positive way. We’ve longed to have a collective voice, so we can properly advocate for our patients, our colleagues and ourselves,” says Laura Rector, a registered nurse at the medical center. “We are so grateful to those who’ve supported us throughout this process, including our union brothers and sisters at the AFT.”
We need national voting rights legislation now
The right to vote is as sacred as it is essential. It is critical to our freedom to thrive, no matter our race, ethnicity or wealth. That is why we need national voting rights legislation, and we need it now. Call your senators and urge them to act now!
August 13, 2021
AFT passes resolution on workplace vaccine policies
The executive council of the AFT unanimously passed a resolution Aug. 11, guiding the union on workplace vaccination policies. The resolution is one of several passed by the council since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, designed to protect the health and safety of AFT members and the communities we serve. It was brought to the council in light of the significant change in circumstances with the delta variant and rising COVID-19 cases, infections in children, and our ongoing effort to educate members and communities on the importance of vaccination. In response to the passage, AFT President Randi Weingarten said, “Throughout this pandemic, our No. 1 priority as a union has been to keep our members, our communities and those we serve safe. COVID is mutating, it’s spreading to kids, and vaccines remain our best defense to protect people and prevent the spread of disease; prevent hospitals from overflowing; keep our economy functioning, plus reopen—and keep open—our schools for full-time in-person learning.”
AFT joins Fighting for Our Vote campaign
AFT President Randi Weingarten joined with the NAACP and other progressive groups this week to launch what she calls “an endeavor to save American democracy.” The Fighting for Our Vote campaign will focus on access to the ballot across the nation with particular emphasis on states and cities that have passed restrictive voting laws. Speaking at a news conference, she said, “We should believe totally together—all of us—that every single vote counts.”
Bill to rebuild public structures moves ahead
The Senate gave a big bipartisan thumbs-up on Aug. 10 to a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that would rebuild the nation’s rickety roads and bridges, expand broadband internet and create buffers against the climate crisis—all key parts of President Joe Biden’s promise to “build back better.” Besides the well-known aspects of the bill, it also would provide $65 billion to connect every American to reliable high-speed internet; $55 billion to begin replacing the nation’s lead pipes and service lines, providing clean drinking water for millions; $39 billion for public transit, the largest federal investment ever; and $11 billion for transportation safety.
What needs to be negotiated?
When it comes to reopening schools safely, what needs to be negotiated? AFT’s Leo Casey says, quite a bit. Mandates can play an important role in getting to mass vaccination, and so they can and should be employed, particularly in healthcare, public safety, public education, mass transportation and other critical services. But it will require more than mandates to get us where we need to be with mass vaccination, and the mass vaccination that is now within our reach will not, by itself, be sufficient for schools to reopen safely this fall. Comprehensive mitigation strategies—universal masking, physical distancing, appropriate ventilation and full cleaning—are essential.
Faculty, staff rise to meet a tough back-to-school season
After a year and a half of the pandemic, college enrollment is down, and some institutions have laid off faculty and cut programs. The AFT’s Back to School for All campaign tackles the problem with re-enrollment outreach, vaccination promotions, safety protocols, diversity and inclusion programs, and other tools for our members to prepare for a return to campus that is safe and welcoming for all.
Roadblocks to student debt relief
Bonnie Weiler-Sagraves has pursued every possible opportunity to relieve her student debt; but despite her best efforts, she has experienced setback after setback. Now, at age 60, she is still paying off loans she took out years ago, and won’t be debt-free for another six years. She did everything right; now she shares her story as part of the AFT’s effort to win student debt relief for her and so many others like her.
August 6, 2021
Weingarten hits the road for back-to-school tour
AFT President Randi Weingarten is traveling the length and breadth of the country this month to encourage students and staff to return to full-time, in-person learning in safe and welcoming schools. The $5 million "Back to School for All" campaign will reach more than 1,800 locals, with everything from door-to-door canvassing to town halls and book fairs. Weingarten says: “Schools are critical for our kids’ recovery, and this moment is an opportunity to fund our future fully and equitably.”
AFT mourns the loss of Richard Trumka
AFT members nationwide reacted with shock and sadness to the sudden death yesterday of longtime AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. AFT President Randi Weingarten released a statement: “Rich Trumka was our brother in the truest sense of the word. His sudden passing is a tremendous loss for the entire labor movement, and for working families across the country. From his first mining job in the late '60s, to joining the staff of the United Mine Workers of America and eventually becoming president, to his fierce and courageous leadership of the AFL-CIO for more than a decade, Rich fought his entire life for dignity and respect for American workers.“
Ingram fires up striking Alabama mineworkers
On Wednesday, AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram rallied with mineworkers in Alabama who have been on strike for four months. More than 1,000 members of the United Mine Workers of America are striking for pay and reasonable hours. They have been met with violence and intransigence while not receiving nearly as much attention as the Amazon workers in nearby Bessemer. Five years ago, Warrior Met Coal workers gave up more than $1 billion in wages, healthcare and pensions to let their employer come out of bankruptcy, but while the company has earned billions since then, it has not shared that wealth with those who made its success possible. Watch as Ingram, joined by local leaders Marianne Hayward and Derryn Moten, pledges solidarity from the AFT.
Debunking myths about vaccines
As vaccination numbers lag and COVID-19 infections surge in many American communities, AFT members need the most accurate and up-to-date information available about the vaccines. Click through for facts to set the record straight about some myths and misconceptions.
Lessons learned from the pandemic
“Kids are resilient. … They just wow me.” “Be prepared for the unexpected. … That’s the big takeaway piece: making sure kids feel secure in what they are learning and safe in this environment.” “The need for science, integrating it into our curriculum.” “As an educator, you have to always be mindful of how your kids are feeling.” These are just a handful of the lessons AFT members learned during the pandemic. In this video, educators recall how they found strength in their students.
The invisible work of nurse practitioners
The profession of nurse practitioner was created to address the problem of physician scarcity. When the issue is defined as a numbers problem, leveraging a more quickly trained provider seems both a creative and a practical response. However, to watch NPs at work is to discover that the numbers are not the whole story. Patients aren't getting “less-skilled physicians.” They're getting differently skilled—and highly skilled—nurses. This distinction is not just about semantics or even much-deserved recognition: It is about making visible the true problems we face in healthcare. Find out more in the AFT’s newest publication, AFT Health Care.
Join this free, for-credit webinar on teaching 9/11
As we approach the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, our members can deepen their teaching of history by using “Anniversary in the Schools,” a free program created by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum that connects students with first responders, survivors, witnesses and victims' family members to help students better understand the significance of the attacks. Join the 9/11 Museum and the AFT's Share My Lesson for a free, for-credit webinar previewing this year's program. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 18, at 4 p.m. Eastern time. If you can't join the session, register anyway to access the webinar on demand.
July 30, 2021
You can’t keep us from teaching honest history
AFT President Randi Weingarten is calling out the “contrived uproar” over critical race theory, which is not even taught in K-12 schools. For CNN, she writes, “Critical race theory is the examination, principally in law school but also elsewhere at the undergraduate and graduate level in college, of whether systemic racism exists and whether it affects law and public policy.” Weingarten notes that any discussion of race or bias is being labeled as critical race theory “in an attempt to drive a wedge between Americans.” She stresses that the AFT will defend teachers who are teaching accurate history. Read the op-ed.
Healthcare worker vaccines should be negotiated
On mandating versus negotiating vaccinations for healthcare workers, AFT President Randi Weingarten says: “More than 90 percent of the AFT’s educators and school staff, and nearly 80 percent of our healthcare professionals, are vaccinated against COVID-19, and those numbers are only increasing. … We believe strongly that everyone should get vaccinated unless they have a medical or religious exception, and that this should be a mandatory subject of negotiation for employers to keep their employees safe and build trust.” Read her whole statement.
A blueprint for healthcare advocacy
Ten years ago, when the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Institute of Medicine put together the first "Future of Nursing" report, it was intended to provide a blueprint for the profession’s future. The intent behind the newly released "Future of Nursing 2020-2030" report is no different. On July 21, the AFT’s health issues division held a webinar to discuss how healthcare workers can use the report to advocate for improved working conditions and patient care.
College workers face tough back-to-school season
After a year and a half of pandemic, college enrollment is down, and some institutions have laid off faculty and cut programs. The AFT’s Back to School for All campaign tackles these problems with re-enrollment outreach, vaccination promotions, safety protocols, diversity and inclusion programs, and other tools for our members to prepare for a return to campus that is safe and welcoming for all.
Providence student murals tell of grief and hope
In 2017, the Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex in Providence, R.I., launched an art project that amplifies student voices and speaks to social justice. The program, led by artist and teacher Susan Garland, experimented with different art forms but kept coming back to the power of murals. In just a short time, mural-making became a school tradition. The hallways are now illuminated by the vision of Garland’s students—home to dazzling art that reflects students’ experiences and beliefs.
DACA defeat renews efforts for path to citizenship
A federal judge in Texas has significantly heightened the risk of deportation for thousands of young immigrants across the country—including many AFT members and the people they serve—and activists are doubling down on creating a more reliable path to citizenship and safety. After Judge Andrew Hanen's ruling halted new applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status—DACA—the AFT has joined a renewed call for legislation on immigration. “No one should have to live in fear, with their fate dangling in the courts,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Using mindfulness to find greater peace
When Kristin Colarusso-Martin, the community schools director for the Massena (N.Y.) Central School District, started planning for the reopening of schools last summer, she wanted to find a way to help students and staff deal with the stress and trauma brought on by the pandemic. “We recognized that students were going to be coming into school, and our staff as well, with this collective trauma that we had to try to figure out how to address,” she said during an AFT TEACH session July 10. Even though the district brought in counselors, therapists and social workers, something was missing. Colarusso-Martin found the answer in mindfulness.
July 23, 2021
A safe and welcoming school year for all
Readers of a certain age will get it when AFT President Randi Weingarten says that teachers and school staff “absolutely MacGyvered” the past 16 months. For everyone else, Weingarten is referring to the ways educators improvised, using what they had on hand, and their ingenuity, to complete their mission—educating and connecting with their students during a once-in-a-century pandemic. Read her latest column here, and watch this video about the lessons our members have learned during the pandemic.
Texas GOP tries to rewrite history; AFT claps back
The Texas legislature is considering another bill to restrict what is taught in the state’s public schools, using critical race theory “as an excuse to rewrite American history,” The Nation reports. The bill would remove writings on civil rights, including Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” The AFT is rejecting this nonsense, joining Share My Lesson, First Book and the NAACP to launch Stamping Out Racism and Hate. AFT President Randi Weingarten says: “Teaching America’s true history doesn’t teach kids to hate each other—it actually informs them, encourages them to think critically, inspires them to embrace tolerance and allows them to be more engaged stewards of our multiracial, multiethnic society."
Share My Lesson helps educators teach about fires
More than 80 large wildfires across nearly 1.3 million acres in the western United States are so extreme that they’re creating lightning and fire whirls. One of the worst is raging in southern Oregon; the Bootleg Fire has been burning for weeks and has already scorched an area a third of the size of Rhode Island, sending a smoky haze across the country. To view videos, a transcript, discussion questions and more, go to Share My Lesson.
Exhausted nurses demand better staffing
Like most states, New Jersey’s healthcare system has seen its challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. According to Barbara Rosen, vice president of the AFT-affiliated Health Professionals and Allied Employees, staffing shortages preceded the pandemic, which then sickened nurses and other frontline workers, reducing their numbers even more. “Our members are still struggling with staffing issues,” Rosen told NJ Spotlight News. “Even a lot of [bonus] money isn’t enough to bring them in. Nurses are so burnt out.” For self-care strategies in response to such moral injury, read this article in AFT Health Care.
Thriving: The nuts and bolts of avoiding burnout
Two months into his teaching career, Tyler Hester’s mother took him out for breakfast. He was so overwhelmed with his new job, he cried into his pancakes. Educators at his AFT TEACH workshop could relate. They were rapt as he led them through exercises and resources to boost their well-being amid the most challenging year of their careers. The session was a sample of workshops from Hester’s Educators Thriving program and the Boston Teachers Union, a partnership made possible by an AFT Innovation Fund COVID-19 response grant.
Teaching literacy as a path to justice
How can educators point literacy toward the goal of racial equity? They must consider their roles in “creating a literacy that is inclusive and just,” explained Anne Harper Charity Hudley, an education professor at Stanford University, in an AFT TEACH workshop, “Language and Culture Are the Building Blocks to Literacy.” She was joined by instructional coach Kimberly Bigelow and AFT national trainer Areli Schermerhorn.
Save the dates: Oct. 22-23
Start planning now to attend the AFT Civil, Human and Women’s Rights Conference Oct. 22-23, either virtually or face to face in the nation’s capital—the same city in which a mob assaulted the U.S. Capitol just months after the first Black Lives Matter Plaza was created in response to the words “I can’t breathe.” We need your voice, and your members’ voices, to guide our fight. Details are on the way. In the meantime, get ready for an experience that informs your mind, inspires your heart and moves your spirit to action.
July 16, 2021
Tell lawmakers to invest in our country’s future
The American Rescue Plan provided invaluable support for working families across the country, as we prepared for businesses and schools to reopen this fall. But that was just a down payment; more help is needed to continue our recovery from the pandemic and address the inequities we face. America’s schools are the nation’s second-largest public infrastructure investment, but after years of disinvestment and climate change, we’re left with crumbling school buildings, unsafe drinking water and unhealthy air for students, educators and school support staff alike. That’s why President Joe Biden’s American Jobs and American Families plans, along with his historic K-12 investments proposed for fiscal year 2022, are critical to building back better and spurring our recovery. Tell lawmakers to support these investments in our shared future.
Hope for the future of public education
At the closing session of AFT TEACH on July 10, Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus and AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram were joined by Deputy Education Secretary Cindy Marten for a conversation on what comes next in public education. They discussed the hurdles of the past 16 months, the amazing work being done to recover and prepare for the coming school year, and our vision for equity and access, in the session called “The Future of Public Education.”
AFT supports CDC’s updated COVID-19 guidance
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its COVID-19 guidance based on the most recent science. A key change in the guidance asserts the importance of in-person instruction for students in schools, calling for them to fully reopen this fall. Since April 2020, AFT President Randi Weingarten has been talking about how schools can safely and fully reopen, and she responded to this recent CDC update by saying, “The guidance confirms two truths: that students learn better in the classroom, and that vaccines remain our best bet to stop the spread of this virus.”
In America, ‘no one should feel sidelined’
The chat flew and so did the hour as 165 AFT members joined high school history teacher Sari Beth Rosenberg for her July 8 TEACH workshop, “Seven Principles for Deconstructing Classroom Instruction: Moving Forward with Lessons Learned.” For remote instruction, Rosenberg said she was forced to rethink how she teaches, and when she asked whether remote or hybrid teaching changed the way participants plan to teach next year, the answer was a resounding yes.
Tools for a safe, welcoming classroom
During a year in which keeping kids’ attention—even keeping them in class—was harder than ever, teachers needed to focus more on cultivating positive relationships with their students. A TEACH workshop on creating safe and welcoming classrooms, led by Stacy Vocasek, a high school teacher and member of AFT Connecticut, brought together many of the social and emotional learning strategies AFT members used this past year to reach their students.
What can educators do to stop violence against Asian Americans?
Anti-Asian racism is often invisible in our schools and workplaces, but at a July 8 workshop during the AFT’s TEACH conference, a group of educators and union leaders brought it to light with historical accounts and personal experiences. Participants also identified promising solutions to help educators support their own communities and ease this scourge on the nation. “It’s really important that we embrace the fact that we all lose when any of our groups … experience oppression, racism and hate,” said United Teachers Los Angeles Secretary Arlene Inouye. “And we all win when we address that together.”
July 9, 2021
Weingarten shares vision for safe, welcoming school year
AFT President Randi Weingarten welcomed thousands of educators to our biennial TEACH conference on July 6 with a full-throated push to reopen schools for in-person learning this fall. She rallied members after a year of uncertainty, honoring them for their dedication during the pandemic and offering visions for community schools with wraparound services and for project-based learning. She announced AFT initiatives in literacy and civics that will spark kids’ passion for learning, and she stressed the importance of teaching critical thinking and accurate history.
Members flex their civic muscle on virtual lobby day
More than 100 AFT members took a virtual journey to Capitol Hill as part of TEACH, directly urging members of Congress to fund public schools, support unions and take care of our nation so we can make a full recovery from the pandemic. The educators shared their experiences seeing firsthand how the American Rescue Plan has helped students struggling through pandemic setbacks, and they advocated for additional legislation that will continue to address pressing needs and ensure all students have the freedom to thrive.
First lady Dr. Jill Biden to AFT members: ‘Thank you for being the heroes we needed’
Dr. Jill Biden and AFT President Randi Weingarten toured Payne Elementary School in Washington, D.C., on July 7, to get a firsthand look at how students and educators are benefiting from the American Rescue Plan. The first lady, an educator, had a chance to visit classrooms where teachers and students are enjoying a mix of authentic learning and summer fun. She also addressed TEACH attendees.
Civic education is vital to saving our democracy
“Teaching civics is vital to ensuring that our democracy in America survives and to ensuring that students see themselves as having a role and a voice in our country,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten at TEACH on July 8. “It’s how we provide a counter to the propaganda and the noise that permeates our political culture. It’s how we lay the groundwork for a future generation that’s engaged, that’s informed and that’s empowered.” To discuss why it is critical that educators have the freedom to teach and engage their students in meaningful lessons around democracy, Weingarten was joined by Fair Fight founder Stacey Abrams and Harvard University professor Danielle Allen, two experts at the forefront of the fight for democracy.
Anti-racist education benefits all of us
Ibram X. Kendi is one of the most recognized, most popular thought leaders in the anti-racist movement that has swept the nation over the last few years. On July 7, he joined TEACH to talk about how his work—from his bestselling, award-winning books to his teaching—intersects with educators and their work with students and their communities. Kendi engaged with AFT President Randi Weingarten, AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram, AFT members and students to discuss everything from what it means to be an anti-racist to the duty of teachers to teach honest history.
July 2, 2021
Virtual AFT TEACH 2021 starts July 6
It’s July, which means we are just days away from the start of AFT TEACH 2021. Our premiere biennial professional development event will be held virtually this year, July 6-10. TEACH attendees will have access to more than 60 cross-curricular sessions, two movie nights, and wellness sessions for your mind and body. Plus the daily general sessions include guest speakers like Stacey Abrams, founder of Fair Fight Action; Danielle Allen, professor, Harvard University; Ibram X. Kendi, award-winning author and historian; Cindy Marten, deputy secretary of education; Dena Simmons, founder of LiberatED; and Jessica Tang, chair of the AFT Asian American and Pacific Islander Taskforce.
At Aspen Ideas Festival, Weingarten discusses the path forward in education
AFT President Randi Weingarten spoke at the Aspen Ideas Festival on June 28. The festival’s theme, “American Futures,” was the perfect context for discussing the future of our public schools, including the restart of in-person instruction and the need to value teachers moving forward. “Kids are resilient, kids like school, and communities need school,” Weingarten said. And during this pandemic, we’ve also learned “just how amazingly ingenious and flexible schoolteachers are,” Weingarten told Aspen Institute President and CEO Dan Porterfield. “Teachers wanted to be in school. Safety was the way in, not the obstacle” to reopening.
AFT affiliates find success with school vaccination campaigns
Long before President Joe Biden announced his goal to have 70 percent of the population vaccinated before July 4, AFT affiliates nationwide were creating opportunities for their members and the communities they serve to get vaccinated. The locals are expected to continue their efforts throughout the summer and into the start of the school year. Read about how our affiliates have demonstrated their commitment to their communities and public health through these vaccination campaigns.
A summer reopening in McDowell County, W.Va.
On a Thursday in June, the big pickup trucks with barbecue rigs in tow began rolling into Welch, W.Va., and by Friday night, the smell of grilling wafted across town. By the end of the weekend, more than 5,000 people had visited Welch for the inaugural West Virginia Coalfields Cookoff. In the middle of it all, volunteers from Reconnecting McDowell, the AFT’s signature partnership to help revitalize McDowell County, roamed the crowd with colorful fliers announcing “Free Books!”
June 25, 2021
Saving our democracy
AFT President Randi Weingarten was catching up on some reading, with the TV on in the background, when she heard journalist A.B. Stoddard warn, “We might have had our last free and fair election.” It’s not a false alarm. A fire is sweeping the country, set in state after state by anti-democracy forces trying to limit voting rights, interfere with vote counting and even manipulate election outcomes. This year alone, lawmakers in 48 states have introduced nearly 400 restrictive voting bills that would suppress voting, threaten poll workers and election officials with fines and even prosecution for dubious violations, and give legislatures the power to override elections. Weingarten urges us to pay attention and protect our democracy—not just by voting but by standing up for others’ right to vote.
Let’s teach the truth about racism
The AFT has joined 112 scholarly associations to firmly oppose legislation that would squelch learning about racism in school. Our union also issued a statement with the National Education Association applauding the new Juneteenth national holiday and decrying efforts to suppress teaching about it. Students deserve an education that imparts honesty about who we are as a nation, that instills integrity in how we treat others and that gives children the courage to do what is right. It’s important to raise critical thinkers who can hear the truth and draw their own conclusions based on the facts and on diverse perspectives.
Students need more support, not more testing
Dan Montgomery, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, vehemently opposes the Illinois State Board of Education’s plan to triple the number of standardized tests Illinois students will be required to take. His members want fewer standardized assessments, not more, because they believe the tests are punitive and take time away from learning, especially after the time lost during the pandemic. “We’ll know what they didn’t learn, and what they’re supposed to learn, but according to whom?” Montgomery asks. Instead, educators want Illinois to use the money it is eyeing for tests on resources that will directly support instruction.
UVM staff vote to join AFT Vermont
Hundreds of certified staff have joined the technical and clerical workers at UVM—that’s Universitas Viridis Montis, Latin for “University of the Green Mountains”—in voting by mail to unionize with the AFT. This month’s election by certified, or exempt, University of Vermont employees concluded on June 21 and marks the end of a long and successful organizing drive. UVM Staff United now represents almost 1,400 employees at the university, including laboratory technicians, online faculty, program specialists and library workers.
Teaching reading to African American children
The summer issue of American Educator tackles how to teach reading to children who speak African American English—or any other variety of English. Authors Julie A. Washington and Mark S. Seidenberg explain that language varieties are linguistically equal, although they are rarely treated that way. The two professors give deeply researched yet practical strategies to build on children’s linguistic strengths. Read this article and share these graphics with your members.
Watch AFT clinic on vaccine strategies for locals
To address the gamut of issues popping up for affiliates around vaccination, the AFT hosted a 90-minute vaccination issues clinic yesterday. If you missed it, you’re in luck: It’s on video. Affiliate leaders and staff from every sector of our union discussed strategies to keep the dialogue positive about vaccination, even if there are bargaining issues on the table like mandatory vaccines for employees.
Instilling hope past the pandemic
The “Many Threads, One Fabric” series, sponsored by New York State United Teachers and the AFT, tackled some thorny topics during panel discussions conducted throughout a year full of pandemic loss and amplified racism. Its final session wrapped up the series with hope, and with reflections from members, staff and music icons Paul Anthony and Doug E. Fresh.
June 18, 2021
Reviving lost history by teaching Juneteenth
AFT member Raphael Bonhomme didn't hear about Juneteenth, the celebration of emancipation from enslavement, until he went to college. Now he’s making sure his third-graders have a deeper understanding of their history, with creative lessons that help the children imagine for themselves a time that may feel far away but has impact even today. The results are sometimes funny and always profound.
AFT launches campaign to ‘stamp out racism’
The AFT’s new campaign, “Stamping Out Racism and Hate,” is distributing hundreds of free books about the history of racism and how it affects our lives today. The books—special AFT editions of Stamped—are the young adult version of Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning, co-written by Kendi and award-winning author Jason Reynolds. First Book’s Empowering Educators resources will further equip teachers with culturally relevant and racially aware content. The campaign is co-sponsored with the NAACP and First Book.
Juneteenth: Remembering our roots
To celebrate Juneteenth, the AFT Retirees Legacy Initiative hosted a panel on June 17 to discuss the history and meaning of the day in 1865 that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, finally learned they were free. The discussion took place at almost the same hour that President Joe Biden signed a law making Juneteenth a federal holiday. The speakers, introduced by AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram, included Derryn Moten, professor of history and chair of the history and political science department at Alabama State University; Jackie Anderson, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers; and Marcia Howard, a member of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and defender of George Floyd Square.
Don't delay. Register today for TEACH
Time is running out to register for the AFT’s signature education conference, to be held virtually July 6-10. Join colleagues from around the country for a variety of workshops and general sessions focused on ensuring students’ freedom to thrive. Sessions will address hot topics including rebuilding from the COVID-19 pandemic, creating anti-racist classrooms, unlocking social and emotional learning, infusing civics throughout the curriculum and more. Registration cost is only $25 to $50. Learn more from this cool video and register now.
McDowell: A coal county bets on schools
Reconnecting McDowell, the AFT’s partnership with dozens of organizations to boost the educational and economic development of McDowell County, W.Va., is keeping hope alive in the once-thriving city of Welch. It’s been hard work, and the educational dividends are coming in. “This is a template to revitalize aspirations for every town abandoned by their industry,” AFT President Randi Weingarten told the New York Times. “We want to do five to 10 other projects like this.”
June 11, 2021
Summer school should be about ‘recovery’
AFT President Randi Weingarten spoke to USA Today about the coming school year, the return to in-person instruction, and how best to prepare students. Many districts will be implementing summer school programs, and Weingarten says these programs should be about social and emotional recovery for students, not just academic remediation. "We need summer school to be really something different than it has been before. It can't just be about remediation. It has to be about helping kids get their mojo back," she said. "We have to think about the entire next year for academic recovery, and we have to think about summer school as a shot in the arm."
American Educator explores cultivating opportunities to thrive
After a year like no other, we finally have effective vaccines and mitigation strategies for COVID-19. Now, the chance to seed a renaissance in our public schools is before us. The new issue of American Educator dives deep into how we can use this moment to cultivate opportunities to help equity flourish by engaging in culturally responsive teaching, emphasizing students’ social and emotional needs, and creating community schools.
Teaching race and history in schools
AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram spoke on NPR’s “1A” about the recent right-wing outrage over critical race theory being taught in American classrooms. Ingram called the response yet another attempt to politicize public education. He insisted that “teachers want to teach, and they want to teach the truth.” “No matter what the legislation is,” Ingram said, “our duty is to teach the truth about American history and the truth about world history.” Listen to the show.
In Chicago, Urban Prep educators’ agreement ends two-day strike
Teachers and staff at three Urban Prep Academies campuses represented by the Chicago Teachers Union reached a tentative agreement with the charter operator on June 9, ending a two-day strike. Among the gains for the predominantly Black, all-boys school community was a commitment from management to follow special education law, after months of rejecting contract language that would secure those rights for students.
Vermont hospital technologists say union yes, prep for their first contract
Technologists at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington began their quest for representation last year after a cybersecurity attack at the hospital and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though this group had tried to organize before, this time was different. Stacey Streeter, a CT scan technologist, says the pandemic was “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” The health professionals, including sonographers, cardiac technicians, interventional technologists and radiologic technologists, recently voted 123-32 to join the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals.
Why we celebrate Juneteenth
June 19, also known as Juneteenth, has long been celebrated in African American communities. The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people were freed. The celebration is a recognition of that freedom. The AFT’s Lisa Thomas details the history behind Juneteenth, and why it is important to recognize it as a part of our history, in a blog on Share My Lesson, where you can find lessons and other resources on Juneteenth.
Register by June 25 for Summer Educator Academy
What’s one of the best ways to build capacity in your local? Recommend participants for the Train-the-Trainer sessions at virtual Summer Educator Academy. These multisession courses cover key topics from math, reading and assessments, to trauma, social-emotional learning, teacher identity and student success strategies. We are also offering two participant-only courses on trauma-informed strategies and managing behavior. Don’t delay: Click through to learn more and register members by June 25.
May 28, 2021
First, let's cancel student debt
The personal impact of the student debt crisis came to light at the AFT’s virtual town hall May 25, with two members sharing how this national crisis has limited their lives’ trajectory, and how student debt cancellation and a properly administered Public Service Loan Forgiveness program could make all the difference. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a leader in the fight for $50,000 of student debt relief, joined the call along with NAACP President Derrick Johnson. Also that day, AFT President Randi Weingarten praised Education Secretary Miguel Cardona's plans to review higher education regulations and called for immediate student debt forgiveness.
Back to school safely for everyone
The AFT’s blueprint for a safe return to school this fall—full time and in person—was the topic of a frank conversation on MSNBC this week, with the emphasis squarely on clear and consistent guidance for masking. “We’re putting in $5 million to do a ‘Back to School for Everyone’ campaign this spring and this summer because we actually have to meet the fear and the obstacles for parents who are skeptical that we can keep their kids safe,” AFT President Randi Weingarten told MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace and Heidi Przybyla. Watch now.
AFT commends district on reopening strategy
After public schools in Newark, N.J., reopened classrooms to nearly 40 percent of their students last month, AFT President Randi Weingarten made sure to pay them a visit. “You are seeing a real turnaround in Newark,” Weingarten said during her stop Monday at First Avenue Elementary School, which is part of a reopening pilot program to gauge how COVID-19 protocols will work. The AFT president commended the Newark Teachers Union and district officials for their measures to ensure a safe return to school.
Bravo to Vermont technical and clerical workers
Hundreds of technical and clerical workers at the University of Vermont voted to unionize with the AFT last week. UVM Staff United represents more than 700 employees, including laboratory technicians, program specialists and library workers. Their vote caps a yearlong organizing drive. This is the third time in a decade that these workers have voted on unionization, and they’ve finally succeeded. Another 700 UVM staff are holding an election, starting today, on whether to join AFT Vermont.
Wonder what’s next? Find out at AFT TEACH
It's the professional development you and your members won't want to miss: AFT TEACH (Together Educating America’s Children) will be held virtually July 6-10. In addition to more than 50 workshops, plenaries and special events, attendees will receive certificates of completion for CEUs and PD hours. Plus, we'll have fun games, fitness sessions, mugs and a chance to win an Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headset. Spread the word.
AFT Voices: DACA at the White House
AFT member and DACA recipient Karen Reyes could hardly believe she was at the White House, and when President Joe Biden greeted her with his trademark humor, she was thrilled. More importantly, she recognized the significance of Biden’s meeting with her and five other DACA recipients May 14 to hear their stories and understand more deeply the urgency of preserving DACA and moving forward with immigration reform, so that all immigrants have a path to citizenship.
Healing a poisoned world
Cities are not segregated by accident or because of people’s preferences, and the effects of segregation on health and wealth are still with us. In American Educator, read how officials made it difficult for people of color to buy homes—while at the same time making it easy for white people. Even worse, explains AFT Health Care, these officials intentionally placed polluters, such as bus depots and chemical plants, near communities of color, causing everything from asthma to cancer.
May 21, 2021
Toward a renaissance in public schools
In her New York Times column, AFT President Randi Weingarten says schools must reopen five days a week this fall for in-person learning. “School is where children learn best, where they play together, form relationships and learn resilience,” she writes. “It’s where many children who otherwise might go hungry eat breakfast and lunch.” Her column reflects a major speech she gave last week outlining our union’s vision for public education as we emerge from this pandemic. In related action, Weingarten has written again to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this time asking for clarification in a series of detailed questions about COVID-19 masking guidance for schools and other workplaces.
AFT officers visit schools in the Northeast
AFT President Randi Weingarten and AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus visited public schools in Providence, R.I., and Syracuse, N.Y., this week to commend them on their work throughout the pandemic. Their stops in Providence included the Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex, above, and Leviton Elementary School. “As we are looking at COVID in the rearview mirror, we need to plan for the recovery of our kids—emotional, social and academic,” Weingarten said.
New Mexico faculty secure first union contract
Faculty at the University of New Mexico have agreed to terms for a historic first contract, drawing on the power of collective action to overcome the challenges of the pandemic and win significant gains at the bargaining table. United Academics of the University of New Mexico reached the tentative agreement May 19; it will secure pay raises and job security for the most vulnerable full- and part-time faculty, and create pathways to relief from an overly burdensome workload. The agreement covers more than 1,600 full- and part-time faculty.
National RISE winner announced
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Tuesday named Melito Ramirez, a high school intervention specialist in Washington state, as the nation’s first Recognizing Inspiring School Employees awardee. AFT PSRP congratulates him and honors its own finalist, Ohio’s RISE winner and special education paraprofessional Cerssandra McPherson. Read about her award and her outstanding career. The judges for RISE, which highlights support staff’s contributions to education, noted how amazing all the finalists were—but you already knew that.
Next AFT town hall: Public service loan forgiveness
Millions of Americans are stepping off a financial cliff. Now is the time to fix the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which denied participation to 99 percent of applicants under former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. It’s also high time to cancel up to $50,000 of student debt and level the playing field for borrowers of color. Join us on Facebook this Tuesday, May 25, at 6:45 p.m. EDT, as a panel of luminaries discusses these issues during our virtual town hall.
Webinar: Bargaining for student debt benefits
Student loan debt is a major source of economic hardship. Nationwide, student debt tops $1.7 trillion, and a growing share of our members’ pay is consumed by student debt payments. Indebtedness also drives racial inequality, with graduates of color holding a disproportionate share of the total debt. Join us this Tuesday, May 25, 4-5:30 p.m. EDT, to learn how to bargain for tax-free student loan benefits.
May 14, 2021
Back to School for Everyone
This year has been one of the most challenging we’ve faced as a union and as a country. On Thursday, AFT President Randi Weingarten outlined our union’s vision for public education as we emerge from the pandemic. Amid a polarized national education debate and lingering fears among parents over school safety, Weingarten backed the Biden administration’s deployment of billions in federal resources for full five-days-a-week reopening of schools and launched an unprecedented $5 million “Back to School for Everyone” campaign to realize it. “The United States will not be fully back until we are fully back in school. And my union is all-in,” said Weingarten. Weingarten laid out 10 ideas, backed by real-world models, to match rhetoric with reality and fulfill the speech’s practical promise. The plan was backed by a formal resolution, passed by the AFT’s executive council.
Poll: Majority of parents support reopening schools
The last remaining piece of the school reopening puzzle—a lingering lack of trust within communities hit hard by COVID-19—can be overcome if states and districts adopt the safety guardrails recommended by the AFT. The safety measures in the AFT’s reopening plan—layered mitigation strategies, testing and vaccinations—raised the percentage of parents who are comfortable with in-person learning for their child this fall. According to the survey, 73 percent of all parents and 59 percent of Black parents were comfortable with reopening schools, but those numbers jump to 94 percent and 87 percent with the implementation of the AFT’s reopening plan.
Fighting anti-Asian American racism and hate in all its forms
This year, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month takes on extra meaning because of an increase in hate crimes, AFT President Randi Weingarten said as she opened the AFT’s May 11 virtual town hall, “Freedom to Thrive: Combating Anti-Asian Hate.” The panel of AAPI leaders outlined the facts on anti-AAPI racism, described its history, and considered solutions like the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, bystander intervention trainings, ethnic studies and teaching Asian American history in schools.
Honoring George Floyd with a vision for the future
There is something powerful happening at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, a place where people go to honor the dead and protest police brutality, but also a place of change and hope. Building community in a place of trauma, activists—including AFT members and staff—are envisioning a better world and making concrete demands to build it.
Share My Lesson’s school reopening community explores learning beyond COVID-19
How is your district preparing students for a return to the classroom? What ideas does your local have for learning recovery and social-emotional recovery? Share My Lesson’s school reopening community is a helpful go-to for resources and lessons to support school reopening. In addition to free resources, it invites members to share how their community or school is supporting students during this transition time. Join this school reopening community and find new ways to create, discover and share lesson plans, handouts and resources.
May 7, 2021
How to return, recover and reimagine America’s public schools
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, AFT members sprang into action, and we have continued to work throughout to keep every child safe, nurtured and engaged. In the wake of the crises brought about by the pandemic, and with the possibilities created by an unprecedented infusion of federal funding into our schools and communities, we now have a rare opportunity to rethink public education in America. That’s why AFT President Randi Weingarten will be giving a speech next Thursday, May 13, at 11 a.m. EDT, to outline our union’s vision for public education as we emerge from the pandemic. We’ll be streaming the speech on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Register here.
For National Nurses Week, a safer way forward
While COVID-19 has surged and ebbed nationwide, our members who work in healthcare have provided lifesaving treatment and support to those in need. The AFT celebrates National Nurses Week, May 6-12, by inviting our community to say thank you by recording a short video or message that we can share on social media. And be sure to watch AFT President Randi Weingarten's thank-you video. We’re also launching the Moral Injury Project to raise awareness about the challenges facing nurses, and we’re taking action against workplace violence.
The moral imperative of healthcare
While vaccines offer hope, the pandemic continues to expose inequities in healthcare and accentuate the challenges faced by frontline providers. The latest issue of AFT Health Care delves into the severe problem of moral injury among healthcare professionals and discusses the deep changes necessary for patients and providers to thrive. Also in this issue: the importance of respectful maternity care for women of color, how clinicians can support health literacy and equity through better communication, and the essential work of nurse practitioners.
Members push OSHA for a safety standard
The pandemic has drastically affected our members, with the AFT losing more than 300 members to COVID-19. For more than a year, nurses and health professionals have been caring for patients while their hospitals made choices that put them at risk. These members have been filing complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and demanding an emergency safety standard for COVID. Now, more help may finally be on the way.
AFT citizenship clinics change immigrant lives
Last weekend in Houston, many immigrant workers made significant strides toward becoming U.S. citizens, thanks to a citizenship clinic sponsored by the AFT, Texas AFT and Houston-area AFT locals and featuring help from attorneys from the Equal Justice Center. Volunteers helped lead participants through the complicated naturalization process and handed out free books for families as well. “We know the naturalization process is daunting,” said AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus. “But we are here—presente—to help."
Student debt is holding this counselor back
Middle school guidance counselor Darimir Perez came to the United States from the Dominican Republic when she was 13 and, despite hardship, became the first in her family to graduate from college. Now student debt is holding her back, making her wonder why, as a college graduate, she can’t even afford to send her own children to college. Debt relief would make a huge difference in her family’s life.
April 30, 2021
Creating the freedom to thrive
Today the American economy has been described as an hourglass, with extreme wealth at the top, tens of millions of people struggling at the bottom and an ever-narrowing middle class. Our country built a robust middle class once before, and we can do it again. Read AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest monthly column in the New York Times.
Members honored on Workers' Memorial Day
Every April 28 on Workers' Memorial Day, the labor movement remembers workers injured or killed on the job. This year, the day took on deeper meaning. AFT President Randi Weingarten describes the pandemic as one of the worst workplace hazards in a generation. On Tuesday, she moderated a telephone town hall to honor our members, and on Wednesday, she joined U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin for a tribute outside AFT headquarters. To get a sense of the toll COVID-19 has taken on healthcare workers, read this conversation in AFT Health Care.
Rhode Island members demand education justice
After more than a year, a state takeover has failed miserably to deliver on the public school staffing and supports so badly needed in Providence, R.I. Earlier this month, Providence Teachers Union members and their allies marched to demand “an end to broken promises” in their resource-starved schools and a beginning for the educational investments all their students deserve.
Tracing the deep roots of anti-Asian violence
The outcry against anti-Asian violence triggered by the March killings in Atlanta has ignited protests throughout the country. Kent Wong, a member of the AFT Asian American and Pacific Islander Task Force and a California Federation of Teachers vice president, reflects with colleague Stewart Kwoh on the deep historical roots of the problem and how we must confront white supremacy in all its forms.
How to talk about racism in the workplace
The Many Threads, One Fabric town hall series sponsored a lively session about how to have “courageous conversations” on racism, sexism and all the other “isms” that perpetuate inequity and discrimination. Featuring counseling professional Leven “Chuck” Wilson, the session framed truth and mercy as essential to progress, and recognized the challenge of meeting anger and frustration with calm recognition of our differences.
Learn more about AFT trauma benefit for members
All working AFT members have access to free trauma counseling to help them in the aftermath of an incident like assault or workplace bullying, or in dealing with secondary trauma, such as the trauma many members have experienced during the pandemic. The coverage is for traumatic incidents occurring both in and outside the workplace. These services are provided by licensed counselors who have undergone specialized training in trauma recovery. See our informational flier and FAQ, register and watch a short webinar, then go here to access the benefit, now with AFT member-ID lookup functionality.
April 23, 2021
Workplace violence bill gets new life
Nurses and health professionals are one step closer to federal protection from workplace violence with the passage of the Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1195) in the U.S. House of Representatives April 16. Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) introduced the measure to help workers like Carol Grant, who has been a nurse for 17 years. She is no stranger to dealing with patients or family members who get violent. Workplace violence has gotten worse, especially in the last three or four years, she says. “It is definitely happening more and more in the workplace. You try and make excuses, but it just gets really out of hand sometimes.” Explore the AFT’s workplace violence prevention toolkit.
Observe Workers’ Memorial Day by taking action
On April 28, Workers’ Memorial Day, the nation will remember workers killed or injured on the job and renew our commitment to fight for health and safety protections for all workers. That is especially important in this COVID-19 pandemic. In the last year, we’ve lost more than 300 members to COVID-19. Our members deserve better protections at work. That’s why the AFT is asking affiliates and state federations to join our day of action by filing complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or state and/or local departments of health, or through the grievance process where employer mitigation strategies are deficient. We have a toolkit of resources to help plan your action and share it on social media when it’s done.
Weingarten, Ingram offer thoughts on Chauvin verdict
Three guilty verdicts against the murderer of George Floyd are an important inflection point for police accountability and making our communities safe for everyone, AFT President Randi Weingarten and Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick C. Ingram said this week, as they stood with our members in Minneapolis. “This verdict isn’t a panacea—justice can’t be fully served until we have equal opportunity and justice in America for everyone—but today is a huge moment,” Weingarten said. Watch their visit and read the AFT statement.
When choosing to be a nurse means choosing student debt
Every day Melissa Cain, a nurse in rural Ohio, takes care of people at their most vulnerable, inserting IV lines, swabbing wounds, reassuring family members and more. Like other nurses, she gives so much—yet she is saddled with a six-figure student debt, accumulated because she was training to be the best nurse she could possibly be. Her story is just one of many arguments for student debt relief.
7 anti-union shenanigans the PRO Act would fix
The unionization drive at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama didn’t pan out, but it did put the need to unionize more workers at the forefront of our national discussion. Amazon is part of a long history of employers that have fought unions with a variety of tactics, legal and illegal, to make it hard for workers to form unions. The sad fact is that our outdated labor laws are no longer strong enough to protect us on the job. The Protecting the Right to Organize Act would help level the playing field. Take a moment to watch Thea Lee, president of the Economic Policy Institute, explain how.
April 16, 2021
CDC reassures educators on new reopening guidelines
In response to AFT President Randi Weingarten’s questions, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, in a letter, addressed the concerns of Weingarten and many educators about the recent guidance on distancing in schools. Weingarten says, “The letter makes clear the new physical distancing guidance is a floor, not a ceiling, and how the CDC recommendations are implemented will vary dependent on the local context in addition to the evolving science.” Given the information in their letter, Weingarten now endorses the guidelines.
Climate activists, labor agree: ‘Our movements have to be intersectional’
The AFT brought together an engaging town hall panel on April 13 to discuss advancing a labor-climate agenda, including actress and activist Jane Fonda, Varshini Prakash of the Sunrise Movement, and Michael Regan of the Environmental Protection Agency. The discussion was led by AFT President Randi Weingarten. “We are at the crossroads of standing up for a stronger, fairer democracy; a cleaner, more livable planet; and a more just, sustainable economy, … of helping build toward a world where all of this can thrive,” said Weingarten. “Our movements have to be intersectional because one justice movement doesn’t survive without the other.”
Listen to teachers: Reopen safely, and reopen better
Teachers want to return to school buildings and teach full time, but they want to do it safely—and they have the specialized knowledge that can guide us. Detroit teacher Corinne Lyons makes a case for listening carefully to teachers, acknowledging their expertise and striving to reopen schools that are even better than they were pre-pandemic.
Racism in policing: Two views from inside
The AFT invited state and local leaders to take part in a series of chats with AFT staff for Black History Month. AFT Voices has a recap of a conversation with two leaders from the AFT Public Employees division—Antoinette Ryan-Johnson, an employee of the Baltimore Police Department and president of the City Union of Baltimore, and Wayne Spence, a parole officer and president of the New York State Public Employees Federation. Their conversation ranged from childhood aspirations to racism in policing to the school-to-prison pipeline.
New resources to help grieving students
As some educators begin to return to school buildings, and others continue to teach virtually, many are confronted with a stew of emotions among their students. The AFT is here to help with our Grief-Sensitive Educator project, a collection of webinars, handouts and other resources that provide practical information about how to navigate students’ grief, whether it is pandemic-related or based in the everyday losses all communities experience.
April 9, 2021
AFT poll: Educators are vaccinated and back in person
Our new survey of AFT members shows that President Joe Biden’s pledge to make the vaccine available to all educators and support staff has been successful, with 81 percent of AFT members either vaccinated or with an appointment to get vaccinated. Meanwhile, 85 percent say their schools are back to operating in person on at least a part-time basis, showing they are doing their part to ensure their kids can return to the classroom safely. “Educators are rolling up their sleeves, not only to get vaccinated but to return to in-person schooling with the CDC’s safety guardrails in place,” AFT President Randi Weingarten says.
Remembering WTU President Elizabeth Davis
Washington Teachers’ Union President Elizabeth Davis was killed April 4 in a car crash. AFT President Randi Weingarten says, “We’re stunned by this horrific tragedy. Liz had an impact on countless lives and helped bring respect to her profession by prioritizing the needs of students and the voices of teachers. She did her job and lived her life with a smile, and with hope and fierceness for the city’s schools, its kids and her members. We mourn her sudden passing and keep her family, friends and loved ones in our thoughts.”
AFT town hall: Climate justice, jobs and the freedom to thrive
As we approach Earth Day later this month, the AFT is joining our members, climate activists, trade unionists and elected officials to make our schools and workplaces greener, expand pathways to high-quality green union jobs and save our planet. That's why we're holding a "Climate Justice, Jobs and Freedom to Thrive" town hall on April 13 at 6:45 p.m. Eastern time. Join the conversation on April 13.
Taking on student debt for my dad
Sarabeth Murray became a nurse to help other people in the way healthcare providers helped her dad, who died when she was 17. To reach her goal, though, she had to take on student debt. In this AFT Voices post, Murray wonders about the price she and other nurses pay for the privilege of helping others, and makes a strong case for student debt relief.
April 2, 2021
All of us deserve the 'freedom to thrive'
As part of the Biden administration’s giant push to get the nation past the pandemic and back on its feet, AFT President Randi Weingarten joined environmental and economic justice leaders on March 29 in support of new legislation that dovetails with the AFT’s “Freedom for All to Thrive” campaign. The package includes ambitious programs for infrastructure, labor rights and public services in the caring professions.
AFT hails victory for Oregon hospital workers
AFT President Randi Weingarten is congratulating the 155 therapists, technicians, and technologists at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, Ore., who ratified a momentous first contract Wednesday after 15 months at the bargaining table and a nine-day strike. The hospital staff union, St. Charles United, is affiliated with the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals. Weingarten said, “I am so proud of the newest members of the OFNHP and AFT family, who organized for years and fought fiercely at the bargaining table and on the picket line to win a fair first contract."
Faculty and staff fight for vaccines
AFT members who work as higher education faculty and staff are on campus, working face to face with students, yet often they have no access to COVID-19 vaccines. In Illinois, their union is fighting to change that so they can get vaccinated sooner and keep themselves, their families and their students safe. This sort of advocacy worked in New York state, where the faculty-staff union played a key role in winning vaccination priority—and protection—for its members.
Using my paraprofessional voice
Special education paraprofessional Cerssandra McPherson describes overcoming her jitters in public speaking, growing her career as an AFT national trainer, winning Ohio's top award for PSRPs, being tapped to serve on the Toledo City Council—and, best of all, supporting and caring for thousands of students over the course of her inspiring career. Read her fun and engaging account on AFT Voices.
'We learned we could really make some noise'
A strategy-savvy, action-focused new AFT faculty local at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater has organized during a pandemic, weathered a tough reopening fight, and beat back 67 layoffs. And it's just getting started. UWW United President Chris Ramaekers, pictured above conducting the UW-Whitewater Symphony Orchestra, grew up in a union family and knows the value of solidarity: “We can’t let the administration pit departments against each other."
Standing in solidarity with the AAPI community
As we respond to recent hate crimes in Georgia, New York and elsewhere, we must lead with the needs of those most directly affected: victims and their families. Racist stereotypes about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, combined with the hypersexualization of Asian women, put AAPI women at particular risk. The AFT has launched a resource page you can share with your members and the community.
Faculty fund helps college students in need
The pandemic has hit everyone hard, but low-income college students often struggle in the dark, ashamed to admit they are pennies away from being evicted and dropping out of school. AFT faculty have stepped in to help with a growing number of FAST Funds, emergency relief programs that help students with small grants covering anything from rent checks to books, transportation and food.
March 26, 2021
Trampling on the sacred right to vote
Every person in America deserves a vote; it’s essential for democracy and for Americans to thrive. But in 2020, anti-democracy forces worked overtime, purging eligible people from voter rolls, limiting who could vote by mail, reducing ballot drop-off locations, and closing polling places so that many voters stood in line for hours. Despite these obstacles, people voted in record numbers, AFT President Randi Weingarten writes in her New York Times column. Now, Republicans are pushing more than 250 state bills that would limit the right to vote. That’s why Congress must pass the For the People Act, H.R. 1/S. 1, which will strengthen our democracy.
Nurses hopeful as COVID slows
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 29 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the United States and well over half a million Americans have succumbed to the disease. The good news is that the nationwide vaccination program is yielding results, and the country is experiencing a downward trend in hospitalizations and deaths. “Last year at this time, people were freaking out. There was a lot of stress,” says emergency room nurse Sherri Dayton. Now, she says, things are much better.
Town hall addresses COVID’s impact on women
In celebration of Women’s History Month, an AFT town hall on March 23 featured a conversation about the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on women, as well as the best ways to make vaccine distribution more equitable. The pandemic has disproportionately affected women in many ways, including higher job losses; greater exposure to COVID-19 because women are often on the frontlines of healthcare and other essential services; and a heavier toll on their mental health.
It’s time to end gun violence
Given two mass shootings within a week—one in Colorado, one in Georgia—AFT members have sprung into action. A 2019 report by Everytown for Gun Safety, the AFT and the National Education Association provides a clear map to improving school safety. We are calling on lawmakers to stand up to the gun lobby and finally start protecting our schools from gun violence. This problem can be solved. It's not a predetermined fact of life—it is a consequence of decisions made by our elected leaders. Share AFT resources with your members.
Poultry plant deaths underscore need for unions
The AFT joined several other union and immigrant advocates March 23 to stand in solidarity with workers at a poultry plant in Georgia, where six workers died after a workplace accident. Many of the surviving workers are undocumented immigrants and afraid of repercussions should they come forward with information about working conditions in a place where safety measures could have prevented this tragedy. “An injury to one is an injury to all,” said AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram. “We demand justice in the Gainesville community."
How we can stop AAPI hate
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders stand with our staunchest defenders against the coronavirus. Filipina American healthcare workers toil long hours in intensive care units, Korean American home-care workers look after the elderly, Vietnamese American grocery workers stock necessities, and Chinese American teachers keep kids at their studies. Yet, AAPI people continue to suffer hostility and violence. With redoubled antiracist teaching and a new task force, here’s how our union intends to turn that around.
Supporting young feminists at school
More than ever, students are craving community, a space to talk about feminism and social justice, and a chance to process teen life during a pandemic. As we wind down Women’s History Month, New York City teacher Sari Beth Rosenberg reflects on powerful lessons from the student-led feminist club at her school, where students show up virtually each week eager to talk about current events, learn about feminist history, dish on the latest pop culture and vent about school stress.
March 19, 2021
AFT responds to new CDC physical distancing guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its physical distancing guidelines for children in schools, changing its recommendation from 6 feet to 3 feet between students in classrooms. AFT President Randi Weingarten says, “While we hope the CDC is right and these new studies convince the community that the most enduring safety standard of this pandemic—the 6-foot rule—can be jettisoned if we all wear masks, we will reserve judgement until we review them, especially as they apply in districts with high community spread and older buildings with ventilation challenges.”
“Kids need to be in school, and the AFT has advocated consistently for safely reopening in-person learning since last April, but we are concerned this change has been driven by a lack of physical space rather than the hard science on aerosol exposure and transmission,” Weingarten says.
AFT sounds alarm over private equity and its risks to retirees
The AFT is advising its pension trustees with more than $3 trillion under management to review their private equity investments. Its new report, co-published with the Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund, exposes the diminished returns and structural risks associated with the industry. “Lifting the Curtain on Private Equity: A Guide for Institutional Investors and Policymakers” shines a light on opaque fees, dubious business practices, and the farcical situation in which public pensions are invested in private equity funds that profit through the privatization of the public services those employees work for.
“Retirement security is front of mind for hundreds of millions of Americans, including virtually all of our members, but private equity is all too often a detour into uncertainty,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “This report exposes how the industry has failed to match its rhetoric with reality and has instead introduced countless investment risks we should be trying to eliminate.”
Weingarten and Canada: ‘Let’s all rally for schoolkids’
In a New York Daily News op-ed, AFT President Randi Weingarten and Geoffrey Canada, president of the Harlem Children’s Zone, acknowledge that they’ve been at odds with each other in the past, often disagreeing on the best approaches to help students succeed. However, now, “at this time of upheaval for children, families and the country,” they note, “we are united about the need not just to return to in-person teaching and learning, but to re-imagine learning beyond COVID-19. Systemic inequities have long denied Black, brown, Indigenous and low-income children the equity, justice and opportunity they deserve.”
Ohio taps Toledo para for new RISE Award
When Congress passed a law in 2019 to honor outstanding preK-12 paraprofessionals and school-related personnel at the national level, it was only a matter of time before a PSRP from our union would rise to the top. For the first Recognizing Inspiring School Employees (RISE) Award, to be announced by the U.S. Department of Education this spring, Ohio has nominated a high school paraprofessional from Toledo, Cerssandra McPherson.
Student loan forgiveness: Biden can restore a broken promise
In a new op-ed in USA Today, AFT President Randi Weingarten and Student Borrower Protection Center Executive Director Seth Frotman call on President Joe Biden to provide immediate relief to the educators, first responders and other public service workers who have student loan debt, and fix the broken student loan system. They say, “It’s time for the government to deliver on that promise, fix the broken system and immediately cancel their student loan debts.”
Share My Lesson’s virtual conference to host Education Secretary Miguel Cardona
Miguel Cardona, the newly appointed Secretary of Education, will join AFT President Randi Weingarten in conversation on March 25 during a keynote session of Share My Lesson’s ninth annual virtual conference. Cardona and Weingarten will discuss the urgent priorities to support America's students, teachers, school staff and parents—as schools across the country begin to reopen and plan for learning recovery, trauma support, and social and emotional development in the wake of the pandemic. This is an opportunity to hear firsthand from Cardona about the new administration's commitment to the education of our students.
March 12, 2021
Biden signs $1.9 trillion relief bill into law: What it means for AFT members
President Joe Biden on Thursday signed into law a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that provides much-needed funding to accelerate COVID-19 testing and vaccination and to help families struggling with job loss, food insecurity, the threat of homelessness and other challenges related to the pandemic. The new law is expected to cut child poverty in half, extend a lifeline to unemployed people and help fund the safe reopening of schools. “This legislation will change lives almost immediately,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “It will send relief directly to the communities, schools, hospitals and workers that need it most, and help buoy the very institutions and people that have carried us through the COVID-19 crisis.”
Dr. Irwin Redlener: ‘This year has been a major challenge’ for children
March 9, with Congress on the cusp of passing the American Rescue Plan, the AFT’s town hall was a reflection of the progress made and the work still left to be done during the pandemic. AFT President Randi Weingarten was joined by Dr. Irwin Redlener, a pediatrician, co-founder of the Children’s Health Fund and founding director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness. “A lot of work is going to need to be done to get children restabilized in an environment that’s normal,” said Redlener.
American Educator’s Spring 2021 issue now available online
The latest issue of American Educator explores ways to support students and families experiencing homelessness, strategies for high school students with reading difficulties to access social studies content, best practices for college developmental courses, and teaching Native American community college students to believe in themselves.
America's COVID spring shouldn't include standardized tests for any students
AFT President Randi Weingarten and U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) co-wrote an op-ed about why standardized tests should not be a requirement for any students this spring and at this stage in the pandemic. They say the Biden administration missed an opportunity by failing to offer a blanket waiver for all testing this year. Students are already experiencing issues such as isolation, grief and general instability, and these issues are only exacerbated by socioeconomic and racial inequality.
Instability is a way of life for adjunct professors
The pandemic has taught us all a lot about instability, but adjunct faculty have been dealing with instability their entire careers. These highly qualified professionals, who have a long list of responsibilities and often years of experience at their colleges and universities, are dramatically underpaid, and their jobs—which they cannot count on from semester to semester—are highly unstable. New Mexico AFT member Jona Kottler describes her experience and why she is actively advocating in her union and in her state Legislature for better working conditions.
March 5, 2021
Call your senators to get the rescue plan passed
If you had the chance to directly help nearly 300 million Americans—including teachers and school staff; nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers; essential workers who keep our society going; and 85 million kids—I’m sure your first question would be: “When do I start?” Well, you can, and the answer is: Right now. Right now, you can click this link and call your senators to make sure they vote for the lifesaving American Rescue Plan Act.
Leverage collective bargaining to reopen safely
AFT leaders are navigating troubled waters. The pandemic forced many schools to switch to remote learning, but it remains a poor substitute for in-person learning, a view the AFT took well before the pandemic. See these case studies of how AFT affiliates have navigated some of the most pressing issues through bargaining and collaboration with school districts. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. However, elements of these measures should be part of reopening plans.
New poll shows members want to return in person
More than 8 in 10 AFT teachers and school staff support a return to in-person learning with safety guardrails in place. A new poll shows AFT members overwhelmingly trust their union and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide sound advice about how and when schools should reopen. Watch this short video, which highlights the AFT’s top three priorities for a safe return to classrooms. Only a smart reopening will ensure that all have the freedom to thrive.
With AFT backing, Cardona confirmed
In a bipartisan 64-33 vote, the Senate has confirmed Miguel Cardona, Connecticut’s education commissioner, as the new U.S. secretary of education. President Joe Biden’s selection of Cardona makes good on a campaign promise, made directly to AFT members, to pick a public school educator to be his education secretary. Jan Hochadel, president of AFT Connecticut, appreciates how Cardona has “a way of helping teachers, improving their pedagogy, improving student learning outcomes."
Civics survey for members closes March 17
The AFT wants to hear from members about what civics education looks like in your school district and what professional learning opportunities you want your union to provide. Take this survey and share with your members to help inform our planning. Deadline to complete the survey is March 17.
Learn more about AFT trauma benefit for members
All working AFT members have access to free trauma counseling to help them in the aftermath of a traumatic incident like assault, or workplace bullying, or secondary trauma that many members are facing during the pandemic. The coverage is for traumatic incidents occurring both in and outside the workplace. These services are provided by licensed master’s level or higher counselors who have undergone specialized training in trauma recovery. Check out our informational flier and FAQ, register and watch a short webinar, then go here to access the benefit, now with AFT member-ID look-up functionality.
February 26, 2021
A road map to safely reopen our schools
Contrary to what some would have us believe, educators are ready to return to school. In her most recent column, AFT President Randi Weingarten dispels the myth that teachers unions don’t want a return to in-person education, and points out that the AFT has been refining our safe reopening plan for nearly a year. “Eighty-five percent of AFT teachers and school staff support a return to in-person learning with the health and safety guardrails that the AFT laid out,” she writes, referring to survey results from earlier this month. “With commonsense safety protocols, COVID-19 testing and vaccines, our public schools can reopen for in-person learning and can do so with the overwhelming support of teachers and support personnel."
Our economy needs a shot in the arm
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to pass a pandemic rescue plan that is way overdue but still welcome and urgently needed. We need crisis funding for vaccine production and distribution, an infusion for our cash-strapped state and local public services, and the resources schools need to create a coronavirus-safe environment. Go to our action page, where you can tell your senators to vote yes on the American Rescue Plan Act.
Connect history to today with the 1619 Project
“Slavery touches almost every aspect of modern American life, yet it’s been an asterisk to the American story,” says Nikole Hannah-Jones, above left, the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the 1619 Project, a collection of essays, poetry, podcasts and other resources grounding the American experience in the history of enslavement and Black culture. At a panel discussion Feb. 18, Hannah-Jones was joined by Harvard scholar Khalil Gibran Muhammad, above, to talk about the project and explore some of the materials now available to teach this rich, crucial and neglected history.
How Black history can lead us to the future
At the AFT’s Black History Month telephone town hall Feb. 23, Black activists, educators and scholars joined AFT President Randi Weingarten in a discussion honoring the history and triumphs of the Black community by leaning into the work that still must be done. From passing the American Rescue Plan Act to changing our school curriculum, history informs the many routes to a more antiracist nation.
AFT launches historic task force
The AFT’s new Asian American and Pacific Islander Task Force kicked off earlier this month, its 14 members drawn from local affiliates all over the nation and across AFT constituencies. AFT President Randi Weingarten, who announced the task force at the union's convention last July, attended the meeting. She said the representation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders must go beyond celebrating the Lunar New Year and teaching about the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
A teacher’s voice from Parkland
This month, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School community marks the third anniversary of the shooting that killed 17 people and still reverberates through the lives of those who survived. MSD teacher Sarah Lerner is one of those survivors—as are many of the school’s seniors, who were freshmen at the time of the shooting and are now living through a pandemic. Lerner shares her reflections on the tragedy and its aftermath, along with the continuing challenges of stitching together a community through recovery.
This year's Public Schools Week, never prouder
As we wrap up Public Schools Week, watch this panel of exemplary educators discuss the profound lessons AFT leaders and our partners in the Learning First Alliance have learned during the pandemic. The 90-minute panel, “Speaking Up for Public Schools,” spotlights social-emotional learning and mental health needs. “Collectively,” says one speaker, “our voices are louder and stronger."
February 19, 2021
Survey says: Teachers want to return to classrooms with protections in place
More than 8 out of 10 AFT educators support a return to in-person learning with safety guardrails in place, and, by a similar margin, educators approve of the Biden administration’s plan to make safely reopening schools a reality, according to a new national poll released Feb. 16. The wide-ranging survey finds just 16 percent of educators think their school system has gone too far with reopening, and 85 percent would be comfortable working in classrooms if the AFT’s safety recommendations were followed and funded. The majority of respondents, 79 percent, say remote learning is not working as well as in-person learning.
Help get America on the path to recovery
Americans are facing the most challenging moment in a generation, with a long road to recovery from the health and economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This moment requires bold, proven solutions to address the virus, get people back to work, and ensure the promise of economic and educational opportunity for all. Working people and families need immediate relief to survive, before they can have a chance to get on a path to recovery. In just days, Congress will vote on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Tell your lawmakers to support Biden’s plan.
Restoring faith in our democracy—recovering from the attempted coup
How do we make sense of the attempted coup on U.S. soil, and can we ever restore our faith in democracy? AFT member and political science professor Nikol Alexander-Floyd suggests the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol should not have been a surprise, given our history and the multiple warning signs that it was coming. And she points to education, organizing and accountability as the best ways forward.
Union protests equity violations as university breaches contract on staff pay
The faculty-staff union at the City University of New York bundled up and made some noise at a demonstration Feb. 15, demanding that CUNY stop delaying the $1,000 equity pay raises promised in the Professional Staff Congress union contract. PSC fought for the increases to ease inequities experienced by a group of staff who are among the lowest-paid workers at CUNY, and who are mostly women and people of color. PSC is also fighting for equity increases for lecturers.
Registration is open for Share My Lesson’s virtual conference
It’s time to register for Share My Lesson’s ninth annual virtual conference, to be held March 23-25. Featuring more than 40 free, for-credit sessions, this professional development event is one not to miss for preK-12 teachers, school staff and parents. Sessions will cover topics like supporting students’ learning recovery and social and emotional recovery, increasing civic engagement, strengthening anti-bias and culturally responsive instruction, and incorporating trauma-sensitive practices. New: Share My Lesson is now a New York State Education Department-approved provider for Continuing Teacher and Leader Education requirements.
February 12, 2021
New York Times on AFT’s Weingarten: Head of nation’s most powerful teachers union wants kids back in school
AFT President Randi Weingarten was profiled in the New York Times on Feb. 8. Weingarten has been outspoken since April 2020 about the importance of reopening schools once safeguards are met and has stressed the need to ensure schools get the funding to meet this goal. “Teachers, Ms. Weingarten says, have good reasons to be anxious. They don’t trust soap and running water will always be available in schools, because they sometimes haven’t been. They don’t trust that extra funding will materialize for masks, hand sanitizer and nurses, because in so many other years, budgets were cut.” Weingarten said, “I’m confident that we will overcome the fear. But it’s not going to happen in two-and-a-half nanoseconds.”
‘New Deal for Higher Education’ could restore public colleges and universities
The AFT and the American Association of University Professors launched a bold campaign Feb.10, introducing “A New Deal for Higher Education” that calls for massive federal investment to make public colleges and universities more accessible to all students. The campaign lists, among other elements, free college, student debt relief, and sustainable workplaces for faculty, as the pathway forward. It also pays particular attention to inequity and access for Black, Indigenous and Latinx students, and has support from legislators including Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
A righteous fight in Philadelphia for a safe reopening
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers is pushing back hard for a safe reopening of schools. On Feb. 8, hundreds of educators signaled their concerns by teaching remotely from inside tents and parked cars and right outside school buildings. Joined by AFT President Randi Weingarten and many elected officials, they rallied to demand safe teaching and learning conditions for themselves and their students. The massive day of action was a show of solidarity that resulted in two key wins: Mayor Jim Kenney announced a partnership with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to vaccinate educators, and the district backed off its requirement that educators enter unsafe school buildings.
AFT mourns the loss of Chicago leader Karen Lewis
As a lifelong educator and unionist, Karen Lewis led the Chicago Teachers Union with strength and grace. AFT President Randi Weingarten says Lewis’ lifelong dedication to education and working people should be an inspiration to us all. “We are all better for Karen Lewis having been a part of our lives, and a part of the education and labor movements. She will be remembered as a force of nature.” Lewis was honored as an AFT Hero in 2020 because her trailblazing leadership helped shift the narrative on public education in Chicago.
Make Black lives matter at school every day
United Teachers Los Angeles President Cecily Myart-Cruz is celebrating Black Lives Matter at school every day, at every moment. We must be co-conspirators in antiracism and work to elevate ethnic studies, get more counselors and fewer police in our schools, and make this the moment to listen to Black voices and follow their lead.
AFT retirees—‘AFTerburners’—prove successful at boosting union power
The AFT’s member volunteers, especially our retirees, are the lifeblood of our organizing and get-out-the-vote efforts, but the coronavirus pandemic has made the more traditional forms of grass-roots outreach impossible. So the union has found new and creative ways to engage members—including a successful new program called the AFTerburners. By definition, an afterburner is a device in the engine of an airplane designed to increase its power; this group of AFT retiree volunteers took on the name AFTerburners to build on the union’s power by increasing member engagement, voter education and voter turnout in the 2020 election.
Hospital tech workers fight for a fair contract
For two days, more than 100 technical employees at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, Ore., walked the picket line in front the hospital to demand fair pay and working conditions. Frank DeWolf, a cardiac electrophysiology technician at St. Charles, was pleased with the turnout and community support for the picket held Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. “I think we showed over the past two days that we are a well-organized group and we are all on board to fight for a fair contract,” said DeWolf. The picketing comes a year after the hospital began contract negotiations with the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, which represents about 150 technicians at the hospital.
February 5, 2021
Weingarten on returning to in-person learning
AFT President Randi Weingarten joined an epidemiologist, a student and a teacher this week on NPR’s “1A” podcast, focusing on the push to return to in-school education after nearly a year of the pandemic. “People are scared,” Weingarten said. “Everyone understands that in-school learning is better for children than remote.” Also this week, she reprimanded Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for bashing teachers, and for his continual stonewalling on COVID-19 relief for states, local governments and schools.
Black Lives Matter at School: A week of action
The AFT started off Black History Month by passing a resolution supporting making the first week of February an annual week of action for Black Lives Matter at School. Affiliates have been celebrating with a range of activities across the country, from panel discussions and professional development to a Black history film series and meetings about how to advance ethnic studies. The resolution pledges to work year-round on measures to make schools safer and more welcoming for Black students.
Don’t miss this webinar on The 1619 Project
Join Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, AFT President Randi Weingarten and members of the Pulitzer Center education team as they explore a selection of essays from The 1619 Project, a groundbreaking edition of The New York Times Magazine that re-examines the legacy of enslavement in the United States and highlights the contributions of Black Americans to our democracy. Register now to attend the Feb. 18 session at 5 p.m. EST. This event is eligible for credit and will be available on demand later the same day.
Leadership means inclusion
The societal paradigm is shifting and multiculturalism is about to become the order of the day, says Juana Bordas, who spoke yesterday at the fourth event in the “Many Threads, One Fabric” national town hall series sponsored by the New York State United Teachers and the AFT. A nationally recognized Latina leader and activist, Bordas described a society evolving to embrace many traditions, where people share power, respect the contributions of every person and value the common good over individual gain. Watch here.
California lecturers demand job security, fair pay
It’s been a year since their contract expired and 21 months since they began bargaining for a new one, but lecturers at the University of California are still fighting for the most basic of workers’ rights: job security and a living wage. At a virtual rally Feb. 1, University Council-AFT members kept up the fight, demanding a fair contract and welcoming support from AFT President Randi Weingarten and California Federation of Teachers President Jeffery Freitas.
‘We lived through the shootings’
The U.S. House of Representatives voted yesterday to remove Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) from a seat on its education committee due to her embrace of conspiracy theories, calls for hate and violence, and harassment of students who survived mass shootings. The AFT had sent a letter to the House urging her removal, including a plea from two teachers who endured horrific school shootings in Newtown, Conn., and Parkland, Fla.
January 29, 2021
Fauci: Schools can reopen, with the necessary resources
Teachers and support staff are a crucial part of the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. “We’re not going to get back to normal until we get the children back in school,” says Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Fauci joined AFT President Randi Weingarten and National Education Association President Becky Pringle last night for a live virtual event in which Fauci answered questions from members. Watch the session.
AFT fights exploitation of teachers from the Philippines
Teachers from the Philippines are being lured to work in the United States with promises of good jobs in public schools, only to be charged exorbitant fees, threatened with lawsuits when they cannot pay, and otherwise exploited by job placement companies. The AFT is helping defend them in court, and we’re applauding the New Mexico attorney general for suing one particularly predatory agency, Total Teaching Solutions International. If you are an international teacher who has experienced abuse, report it here and the AFT may be able to help. All information submitted will be kept confidential.
With robust testing, we can reopen schools
Schools can be reopened safely before vaccines are available everywhere, according to AFT President Randi Weingarten and Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, a physician and health economist who served as U.S. Agency for International Development administrator under President Barack Obama. In a Jan. 24 op-ed in USA Today, the two make the case that safe in-person instruction is possible—but only by implementing an aggressive testing regimen. They are clear about the process: With rigorous testing and protocols, along with stepped-up vaccinations for teachers and staff, the risks of spreading COVID-19 can be lowered enough for everyone to trust that being back in a classroom is safe.
Register now for next AFT reopening clinic
The AFT has created a series of reopening clinics focused on the science, strategies and tools AFT leaders need to be able to talk with members and management about how to reopen schools safely. The next clinic, “Implementing Public Health Protocols in Our Schools,” is Friday, Feb. 5, 3:30-5 p.m. Eastern time. Even with expanded access to testing and vaccination, public health protocols like physical distancing and adequate ventilation will remain a critical part of the strategy to reduce transmissions. Hear from experts about the elements of a public health strategy and what AFT affiliates have done to advance these issues. Register here.
Help pass the American Workforce Rescue Act
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their team have been working at a furious pace to begin to contain the coronavirus, get our country vaccinated, help struggling Americans and their communities, and start reversing the executive actions of the past four years. But Biden and Harris cannot do it alone. You can help them work with Congress to pass the $1.9 trillion legislation Biden has proposed—the American Workforce Rescue Act. Ask your lawmakers to get it done.
Biden restores federal union rights
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Jan. 22 restoring collective bargaining rights for federal workers, rescinding three orders by his predecessor that had stripped workers of their civil service protections and severely restricted their union activities. The order affects several AFT affiliates, including the Federation of Indian Service Employees and the Overseas Federation of Teachers. Biden also eliminated Schedule F, which gutted civil service protections for a class of employees and had the potential to create patronage jobs by allowing agencies to burrow political appointees into career positions. And he directed agencies to review federal jobs paying less than $15 an hour and recommend how to get them up to a living wage.
Thanks for teaching through tumultuous times
Abandoning their lesson plans after the attack on the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, educators focused on “the human part of what we do in school,” addressing students’ emotions and then guiding them through conversations about justice, democracy and the dangers presented by white supremacy and violence. AFT President Randi Weingarten used her column this month to thank educators for helping students think critically about these events and giving them opportunities to learn.
We honor members lost to the pandemic
Reflecting on the hard work of union members, and their sacrifices in supporting our communities, the AFT and the Albert Shanker Institute have created memorial pages dedicated to our members who lost their lives over the past year due to COVID-19. The AFT page consists of a memorial wall commemorating each AFT member who died in the pandemic, while the Shanker Institute has created a place where you can post tributes and memories of them.
January 22, 2021
First Lady Jill Biden honors educators with virtual event
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden held a virtual event to honor the work of educators on Jan.21, the first full day of the Biden administration. She was joined by AFT President Randi Weingarten and National Education Association President Becky Pringle. “I’m ready to get to work with you and the unions that support you every day,” said Biden during the event. Watch the event.
Defending democracy requires both unity and accountability
At the end of Inauguration Day’s celebrations of the peaceful transfer of power, AFT President Randi Weingarten led a discussion on defending democracy in America. Panelists praised President Joe Biden’s call for unity but also said American democracy must have truth and accountability to survive. Weingarten’s latest column also focuses on fighting efforts to undermine our democracy, such as the spread of misinformation about the validity of the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6 attempt by domestic terrorists to violently overthrow our government. Weingarten shares how teachers are helping students examine in real time these dangerous and disturbing events.
Biden’s plan for his first 100 days as president
President Joe Biden’s first day saw him sign 17 executive orders, among them orders related to immigration, separated families and the coronavirus. Biden wants the country to know he is serious about the coronavirus response and safely reopening schools. He has insisted that K-12 schools would reopen in the first 100 days of his presidency, and while his dedication to reopening schools is appreciated by union leaders, they also want him to take into account the surging coronavirus numbers nationwide. AFT President Randi Weingarten says, “Crucially, we are grateful the president recognizes the pandemic is rapidly evolving, and that new variants and the latest science must continue to guide decision-making on reopening in the days and months to come.”
Turning art into funds for people affected by COVID-19
Caring for COVID-19 patients can be stressful and frustrating, especially when you are a daily witness to patients struggling to breathe and dying. Jessica Curtisi, a registered nurse working in the medical intensive care unit at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, uses painting to help her cope with the emotional toll. When one of Curtisi’s paintings caught the eye of a friend and co-worker, Craig Dixon, he had the idea to raise money to honor patients who have died from COVID-19 by selling T-shirts decorated with the painting.
Advocacy groups to Biden: Address equity, cancel student debt
The AFT joined more than 235 organizations formally urging President Joe Biden to cancel federal student debt on day one of his administration. In a letter addressed to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris before they took office, the community, civil rights, climate, health, consumer, labor and student advocacy groups noted the coronavirus pandemic has magnified racial and gender disparities in many arenas, including student debt. Great strides could be made toward equity, justice and a healthier economy if student debt were canceled, they wrote.
January 15, 2021
Amid crisis in democracy, ‘We have a right to be hopeful’
After a week that saw the seat of U.S. government overrun by a mob that stormed the Capitol, prompting the historic second impeachment of President Donald Trump for inciting the deadly riot, participants on a livestreamed town hall led by AFT President Randi Weingarten nevertheless found reasons to be hopeful about American democracy. Joining Weingarten as speakers during the Jan. 14 town hall were Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum, and Sari Beth Rosenberg, a history and social studies teacher in the New York City public schools and host of the Summer Zoom Teacher Series on PBS.
COVID-19 vaccine town hall addresses members’ questions
The COVID-19 vaccination rollout is underway in the United States, and many healthcare workers, nursing home staff and residents who received the vaccine in early January are already getting their second shots. Meanwhile, more essential workers, including teachers, are in the queue for the next round of vaccinations. A town hall held on Jan. 12 and sponsored by the AFT; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; the National Education Association; and the Service Employees International Union gave union members a chance to hear from a panel of the nation’s leading experts on the COVID-19 vaccine. Watch a video of the event, where panelists answered questions on a variety of issues ranging from vaccine safety and efficacy to equitable distribution.
Teachers were targets of violent threats on Parler
Parler, an app used heavily by Trump supporters, has been removed from major app stores, and Amazon has declined to continue to host the app, essentially removing it from the internet. This happened because of multiple threats of violence against specific lawmakers, teachers, Black and Jewish people, and many others, all leading up to the violent insurrection at the Capitol. Amazon says that it spent the months leading up to Jan. 6 warning Parler officials about the threats on their platform. In a list of specific threats of violence, Amazon cited threats to kill teachers. At least one user said that after they kill politicians, “teachers are next.”
COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant requests due Jan. 24
The AFT is pleased to announce round two of our COVID-19 Rapid Response grants for the 2020-21 school year. Local and state K-12 and PSRP AFT members, with support from their affiliate president, are invited to submit applications, laying out projects that can support educators, school staff, students, families and communities to help mitigate the short- and long-term effects of COVID-19 on your communities. Grant awards will range from $20,000 to $50,000, based on affiliate size. Help us spread the word to members. Visit www.aft.org/innovate for more details and to apply. Cycle 2 applications are due on Jan. 24.
Teaching about Martin Luther King Jr. is more important than ever
Martin Luther King Jr. is known for his nonviolent movement in the push for civil rights for African Americans. King believed in the protection and strength of unions, as well as the power of an education, in addition to his commitment to equality for the historically and currently oppressed. In 2021 it is still imperative that we teach King’s lessons, especially after the violent show of white supremacy at the Capitol. The AFT’s Share My Lesson has resources to help members celebrate King.
January 8, 2021
AFT calls for Trump’s removal
Supporters of President Trump stormed the Capitol Wednesday in what has been called sedition, insurrection and an attempted coup. Trump encouraged it, taking his presidency to a new low. AFT President Randi Weingarten said Wednesday night: “Donald Trump made clear why he shouldn’t be president. He enabled terrorists who stormed the U.S. Capitol and threatened the lives of duly elected officials while the world watched in horror. This reprehensible failure of the executive to protect the legislative branch is unconscionable, and for the safety of this country, Trump cannot leave office soon enough. Today was not a protest, it was an insurrection; President Trump, his accomplices and allies are guilty of incitement and must be held accountable. That starts with Trump’s immediate removal from office."
Teaching at this precarious moment
The attempted coup in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 shocked the nation and highlighted the dangers of conspiracy theories and attacks on democracy. Students across the country are processing this violence, and educators will have to answer questions about what happened. Share My Lesson offers strategies for talking with students; ways to discuss the insurrection; and content on the Electoral College, the peaceful transition of power and how democracy is supposed to work.
DeVos resigns. Weingarten: 'Good riddance.'
The reaction of AFT leaders to the resignation of U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was summed up succinctly last night by AFT President Randi Weingarten: "Good riddance." Prominent figures such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren echoed the statement, which is being quoted widely in the news media and was trending on social media. DeVos is the second member of President Trump’s Cabinet to resign since he incited Wednesday’s assault on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. "They are running away," House Majority Whip James Clyburn told CNN.
New hope for a new year
As last year ended, filled with so much loss, hardship and trauma, AFT President Randi Weingarten wrote in her latest New York Times column that she is grateful for signs of hope for the new year. Americans, including heroic frontline healthcare workers, are starting to receive vaccinations for COVID-19. The Biden-Harris transition team is already working on a comprehensive, science-based plan to combat the coronavirus. And new therapeutics appear to reduce the severity and lethality of this disease. Hope is on the horizon.
Apply now for second round of COVID-19 grants
The AFT is pleased to announce round two of its Innovation Fund Rapid Response grants for the 2020-21 school year. Local and state K-12 teacher and PSRP members, endorsed by their affiliate president, are invited to submit applications, laying out projects that can help educators, staff, students, families and organizations mitigate the effects of COVID-19 in their communities. Grants will range from $20,000 to $50,000, based on affiliate size. Spread the word to your members. Applications are due Jan. 24.
Educators experience pandemic-related trauma
Teachers are struggling with their mental health during the pandemic, USA Today reports. AFT President Randi Weingarten compares the stress they’re enduring to the impact of conflicts or natural disasters. She says, “I saw it after 9/11 in New York City. You see it after crises. The only time we’ve seen it on a sustained level like this is obviously when you had a war.” Last year, not long after the pandemic began, the AFT added trauma coverage for members.
December 11, 2020
Grief among students: Tools for educators facing a wave of loss
As COVID-19 sweeps through communities across the nation, educators are on the frontlines witnessing unprecedented grief and loss among their students. In a new survey from the AFT and the New York Life Foundation, 95 percent of educators say that providing social and emotional support has never been more important, and most say they need more preparation to provide it. The AFT is offering resources to help.
From the schoolhouse to my house
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the life of Matt Haynes as a teacher. Ever since his wife became pregnant with their first child in the spring, he's had to take every precaution to make sure he didn't get infected at school. His infection would surely lead to hers, along with complications to her pregnancy and now to Harper Lee Haynes, their new baby girl.
Adjusting to the new normal
Some call it chaos. Louisiana first-grade teacher Rosamund Looney calls it Tuesday. The school year began as she and her colleagues expected—bumpy roads, few signposts, rows of desks not quite 3 feet apart and 6-year-olds excited to see their friends in person or on the screen. For them, first grade in a pandemic is the only first grade they know. But their teachers know what the kids are missing.
Poverty among professors clocked in new survey
A new report from the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice has revealed a troubling reality among college and university professors: Despite the presumed prestige of the profession, many academics are underpaid and overworked, with 38 percent of instructional staff unable to even meet their basic needs, including food and housing. “Yes, college students are struggling, and that’s truly horrible,” said one respondent. “Unfortunately, many of their instructors are, too.”
Continuing the fight for equity after the election
Keep your foot on the gas. Don’t let up. This message, from AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram, characterized the determination displayed during the most recent “Many Threads, One Fabric” event Dec. 3, where five justice warriors discussed postelection steps for activists. Among their priorities: pandemic relief, the U.S. Senate election in Georgia, appointing more Latinx leaders, re-establishing Native nations relations, and advocating for racial equity for Black people, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Latinx people, Indigenous people and other people of color.
Support Students with Grief and Loss webinar on Dec. 21
Childhood bereavement is common—and educators have an important role to play in supporting learning through grief. Still, being a grief-sensitive educator is not easy. Join this webinar for AFT members on Monday, Dec. 21, at 3 p.m. EST to learn about five strategies to support students who are experiencing grief and loss. This session is available for 1.5 hours of PD credit, per local schools or districts. It will also be available on demand, so sign up to get the live and on-demand links sent via email. Share this important opportunity with other members.
December 4, 2020
A blueprint for safely opening schools
In a recent op-ed, AFT President Randi Weingarten lays out a blueprint for what a safe reopening of schools can and should look like. “Systems from New York City to the Netherlands have shown that, with the necessary protocols to prevent transmission, students can safely return to learning in person,” Weingarten says. “But schools are not islands. Americans must summon the collective will to follow science both in and out of schools. If we can do this, we can allow children across the country back to schools for the second semester and then for enriched summer programs.”
Town hall features top vaccine experts to address union members’ questions
As COVID-19 cases surge to record highs nearly every day in the United States, the possibility of a COVID-19 vaccine that would be available as soon as the end of this year has sparked both hope and concern. To answer questions and address concerns of union members surrounding the development of a vaccine, three of the nation’s leading experts on vaccines took part in a virtual town hall on Dec. 2, sponsored by the AFT; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; and the Service Employees International Union. Watch a replay of the event.
AFT affiliates give Houston educators what they need: A voice
Houston educators voted overwhelmingly to make the Houston Federation of Teachers and the Houston Educational Support Personnel their exclusive representatives in formal consultation with school administrators. “This vote is a huge victory for the educators and school staff in Houston, and the entire public school community as well,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Philly’s University of the Arts faculty say ‘union yes’
Faculty at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia have voted resoundingly to join the AFT, tallying a whopping 99 percent "yes" vote in an election that was finalized Nov. 24. Now, 356 full- and part-time faculty will have a voice in the way workers are treated at their university; they’ll have a shot at improved job security, livable wages, reasonable workloads, adequate health insurance and more.
AFT calls on retailers to pause gun sales during the holiday
Guns Down America and the American Federation of Teachers are asking major retailers to put public safety first and pause the sale of firearms and ammunition during the holiday shopping season. Data shows that over the course of the last 10 years, October, November and December have accounted for roughly 30 percent of all likely firearm sales. Black Friday and the days around Christmas usually make up the largest number of background check requests in a single day each year. “All around the country we know that individuals and families alike are struggling with the effects of isolation, illness, grief, economic hardship and invisible losses,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “As COVID ravages our communities with a third record-setting surge, desperation and despair are finding ripe conditions to take root. Adding more guns to this equation makes the pandemic even more deadly.”
Members rise up as administration tries to disband faculty union
In one swift move, the board of trustees at Saint Leo University in Central Florida has disbanded the faculty union—and its members are fighting back. Facing a pandemic and a recession, faculty are fearful about their job security and other worker protections; their community of alumni and allies are joining them in circulating a petition to save the union.
November 20, 2020
Joe Biden's potential to bring the country together
Americans came out in the middle of a pandemic to vote in record-shattering numbers to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, writes AFT President Randi Weingarten in her latest New York Times column. She notes that all Americans want to feel safe, “economically, emotionally and physically,” and says Biden is the leader who can make that happen. But the country remains bitterly divided. In the midst of contagion, recession, climate crisis and racial injustice, she writes, Biden will work to make the country more united and secure.
Weingarten on past, present and future schools
AFT President Randi Weingarten joined the podcast NY1 to talk about how teachers and schools are coping with a surge in the coronavirus, especially as New York City schools go virtual in anticipation of a third wave and as teacher deaths have mounted nationwide. In the podcast, Weingarten draws on the AFT’s COVID-19 plan for reopening schools safely, which was released last spring and is still on point. She also revisits the disastrous tenure of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and considers what’s next for education under a Biden administration with a practicing educator, Jill Biden, as first lady.
Women professors sue Rutgers for equal pay
More than 50 years ago, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, then a law professor at Rutgers University-Newark, joined her female colleagues and sued the institution over equal pay for women. The women eventually won, but women faculty at Rutgers are facing the same issue today—and still fighting back. Supported by their union, Rutgers AAUP-AFT, five female professors are suing the university to demand pay equity and address the discrimination that has left them six figures behind their male colleagues. Here are their stories.
Hug your loved ones—virtually—this Thanksgiving
Again this year, the Great Thanksgiving Listen is a fun project to assign to secondary students studying American history, social studies, language arts and other subjects. Students create an oral history by recording an interview with an elder, mentor or someone they admire, and their interviews become part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. People in the same pod can use the StoryCorps app, and those in different locations can record the conversation using a web-based platform, StoryCorps Connect. Both are free.
November 13, 2020
Finally—It’s President-elect Biden
Patience—counseled by former Vice President Joe Biden all election week as Americans waited for votes to be counted—finally paid off on Nov. 7, four days after Election Day, when Biden won in Pennsylvania and gained enough Electoral College votes to acquire a new title: president-elect. AFT President Randi Weingarten says our union’s leaders and members can’t wait to get started on the work ahead “with an administration that will embrace and fight for the values we hold dear.” Read her full statement here.
Physician assistants find a voice in their union
The physician assistants working within the walls of Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor never really had much of a say in the way patient care was performed. The lack of a voice was one of the biggest reasons behind their plan to organize a union two years ago. But it was the coronavirus pandemic that kicked the organizing effort into high gear and pushed the physician assistants to the finish line.
There are no bad kids
After more than four decades of teaching, educator Betty Wallach has concluded that there is no such thing as a bad kid. But now, Wallach wonders, is it time to despair? Has Donald Trump divided our country so irretrievably that there is now such a thing as a “bad kid” because so many kids are fed hatred and fear—twin elements of prejudice—at home? In this blog post, she shares stories that illustrate her conclusion.
Share My Lesson launches wellness series
Is your stress level at an all-time high? Share My Lesson can help. This Tuesday, Nov. 17, Share My Lesson kicks off a health and wellness series with the return of a member favorite, Marc Brackett, who will give you research-based strategies to find calm in chaotic times. Following that, join AFT member Glenda Macal, who will lead us in live virtual Zumba. On Thursday, Nov. 19, we’ll meet again to focus on nutrition, and then watch and discuss a new documentary, A Trusted Space, which outlines the stresses we face during COVID-19 and provides strategies for redirecting stress and grief into growth. Bonus: When you sign up for the series, you can enter for a chance to win an Apple 6 watch to help meet your goals.
Member's compassion serves immigrant students
Since she saw migrant workers toiling in the fields when she was a girl, Luz Maciel de Villarroel has been moved to work for immigrant rights. Today she directs the DREAMers Resource Center at Portland (Ore.) Community College, where undocumented and DACA students share their fears around deportation, lack of funding and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on their communities. They inspire her with their resilience as she gives them hope and a helping hand.
November 6, 2020
Lessons for a post-election world
The 2020 election season and its eventual outcome will draw the curiosity of historians and the public for years to come, and the emotional toll it is taking on our country could not be more profound. Whatever the outcome, students will need guidance and support to help them understand the election results, what will happen next in the electoral process, and how we can work to unite as a country. Share My Lesson is working with partners to create and curate timely content to help us discuss the complexities of the evolving situation with students.
AFT Votes bus tour finishes with a flourish
Ending on Nov. 1 after a spirited dash through Florida, the AFT Votes bus tour visited thousands of members in 14 states, tapping into excitement for the presidential election and helping our members get out the vote nationwide. AFT President Randi Weingarten, joined most of the way by Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick C. Ingram and Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus, hosted every type of event possible while maintaining stringent pandemic protections, from drive-in rallies and car caravans to safely distanced marches, meetings and canvasses.
‘We are fighting to count every vote’
The AFT telephone town hall on the eve of Election Day was an opportunity to thank members for their activism and make one more push to get out every last vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. AFT members showed up in extraordinary ways to get out the vote in this election season. “If we leave everything on the field, then we are going to win,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said on the call. “If we continue to do the extraordinary work that we have done, Joe Biden will be the president.”
Only ‘we the people’ can save democracy
Every important element of our democracy relies on free and fair elections—including the rule of law, freedom of expression, the ability to protest and an independent judiciary. AFT President Randi Weingarten and Albert Shanker Institute Executive Director Leo Casey taught these principles in New York City high schools, and as the 2020 election approached they reflected on how President Trump threatens this bedrock of our nation when he refuses to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, discourages mail-in voting and suggests his supporters should “watch the ballots.” The way to stop this attempt to kill democracy is to vote, Weingarten and Casey said.
‘Many Threads, One Fabric’: NYSUT and AFT weave together equity and inclusion
Social justice is hardly a new concept at the New York State United Teachers, the union for educators in New York. But since George Floyd’s murder and the racial reckoning that’s followed, NYSUT has partnered with the AFT and amped up its commitment to the cause with a plethora of resources and a new education series, “Many Threads, One Fabric,” featuring antiracist thought leaders like Ibram X. Kendi and Peggy McIntosh.
October 30, 2020
To win, we need to get people to the polls
Election Day is around the corner, and the AFT Votes bus is racking up miles. The get-out-the-vote bus tour rolled through Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, stopping to engage voters, distribute free books, and rally with our members, state and local lawmakers, and other union allies. The AFT officers urged support for Biden and Harris and encouraged AFT members to make their voices heard by voting early—either by mail or in person. “We know that if we vote, we win. But we have to get out and vote,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said.
With voting underway, Harris says ‘the future is in our hands’
During a national telephone town hall just days before the Nov. 3 election, Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris urged union members to be sure to cast their ballots.“The future is in our hands,” she said. “When we vote, things change.” The event, organized by the AFT and AFSCME, focused on getting out the vote—and then making sure that every vote is counted. AFT President Randi Weingarten said, “We will have to be defenders of democracy”—even after Election Day.
AFT and other unions sue OSHA for failing to protect healthcare workers
The AFT and several other unions that represent healthcare workers sued Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for unlawfully delaying rulemaking on an occupational standard to protect healthcare workers from infectious diseases transmitted by contact, droplets or air—like the flu, COVID-19 and Ebola. “Doctors, nurses, respiratory techs and other healthcare professionals have been treating COVID-19 patients for the better part of a year without basic workplace protections, including adequate PPE, robust testing and, most importantly, an infectious diseases standard that would require employers to establish a comprehensive infection control program to protect frontline workers who are facing daily exposure,” AFT President Randi Weingarten says.
Retirees talk voter suppression and how to stop it
Just ahead of Election Day, the members of AFT Retirees’ Legacy Initiative held a webinar on Oct. 23, focused on voter suppression and what can be learned from our history to prevent it in the future. The event included a panel discussion with Stacy Davis Gates, who is vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union and executive vice president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, and Keron Blair, who is executive director of the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools. “We are building on struggle after struggle,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said. “We are building on win after win. We hope to build a better, a more just country.”
This November, vote against student debt
Student debt has been an albatross around the necks of so many individual Americans, even dragging down the economy at large. At a virtual event Oct. 19, AFT President Randi Weingarten and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) talked about the gravity of this crisis and how we could turn it around if we elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. “This election is absolutely critical,” said Jayapal, and thanks to young people, educators and labor unions, student debt is on the agenda. “It is a motivating factor for young voters to hear that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are going to take on this debt crisis.”
‘On Nov. 3, I'm voting for peace and love’
Carl Williams, a school custodian, California native and AFT vice president, likes the way U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris has always been a big supporter of the California Federation of Teachers. And, on a side note, she is Carl's political crush. This Election Day, he plans to vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as a way to turn around the pandemic, its economic impact and the trauma caused by racism in this country. "You can’t put a price tag on love," he writes in AFT Voices. "A Biden-Harris administration will end the chaos and bring back calm, peace, love and caring."
Why Joe Biden is a visionary
Being African American, Richard Franklin of the Birmingham AFT in Alabama sometimes doubts whether a white candidate for elected office could resonate with him. Franklin doesn’t know any racists, however, who would be willing to serve as vice president under a person of color. Joe Biden’s actions speak louder than his words; they resonate with the local union leader not just politically but personally. That’s why he supports the Biden-Harris ticket.
October 23, 2020
Your vote is your voice
In her New York Times column, AFT President Randi Weingarten talks about the election and the life-changing consequences it will have as America confronts four crises: a pandemic, an economic crisis, systemic racism and a climate emergency. “I have been struck by the resilience and hopefulness of the people I have seen,” Weingarten writes. “Your vote is your voice. Make a plan to vote. Vote early if you can, in person or by mail, and track your vote online if you vote by mail.” Help us spread this message by sharing Weingarten's column.
Nurses at Connecticut hospital win contract
Registered nurses at Backus Hospital in Norwich, Conn., after a two-day strike, voted nearly unanimously on Oct. 21 to approve a settlement with the hospital. The agreement improves protective gear policies and empowers caregivers to address staffing at the 213-bed acute care facility. “We’re grateful to our patients and the entire region for having our backs,” says Backus Federation of Nurses President Sherri Dayton. “Now we can focus on what we do best—delivering the great quality care all of our patients deserve.”
AFT Votes: Let’s elect leaders, not a bully
It is still amazing to AFT member Michael Barry that we have a bully for a president. A president who mocks a teenage global climate activist. A president who makes fun of a differently abled news reporter. A president who dismisses the top infectious disease doctor in the United States and tweets, “No problem, no masks.” Every day, there’s a new story about Donald Trump going after people he doesn’t like. How did we get here, and how do we get out of this mess? The answer to the first question will be debated for years, but the way out is easy: America needs to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
On the AFT Votes tour, why teacher voice matters
At a stop in Minnesota, along the route of the AFT Votes bus tour this month, high school social studies teacher Leah Hood spoke about why teacher voice is so important. Without it, students cannot get what they need to reach their potential: smaller class sizes, differentiated instruction and fully funded schools. Since teachers work directly with students, they are the experts, and if we fail to listen to them about what students need, we do so at our peril. To support public education, teacher voice is critical—and it matters in this election.
Black America is not a monolith; neither is our vote
Wisconsin lawmaker and AFT member LaKeshia Myers likes to quote the poet and writer Audre Lorde, who said, “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” In her AFT Voices post, Myers says Lorde’s assessment has never been more appropriate than at this moment in our collective history, especially for African Americans.
We want an educator in the White House
On a beautiful fall afternoon in Hampton, Va., Jill Biden joined a small group of educators to discuss her husband’s vision for better public education for all children. Her husband, of course, is former Vice President Joe Biden, Democratic candidate for president. Jeion Ward, a former teaching assistant, the president of the Hampton Federation of Teachers and a legislator in the Virginia House of Delegates, led a roundtable discussion with Jill Biden.
COVID-19 deepens the need for grief support
America’s educators see an urgent need to provide greater social-emotional support to students, as COVID-19 amplifies the prevalence of grief in our nation’s schools, according to a national survey of educators released Oct. 21 by the AFT and the New York Life Foundation. When asked how many students each year typically need their support due to the loss of a loved one, 87 percent of educators said at least one, and 25 percent said six or more. Now, as students return to the classroom during the pandemic, these numbers are likely to increase.
October 16, 2020
'It's our moment, but we have to get out and vote'
With Election Day less than three weeks away, the AFT Votes bus tour rolled into the upper Midwest, with stops in Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan over the past few days. Along the way, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick C. Ingram urged educators, parents and community allies to vote—early, if possible. The Biden-Harris ticket, they said, is the right choice to move the country forward.
Backus nurses hold two-day strike
Registered nurses at Backus Hospital in Norwich, Conn., launched a two-day strike on Oct. 13 over unfair labor practices by hospital management amid ongoing contract negotiations. The nurses rallied in the rain on day one and were joined by union leaders, including AFT President Randi Weingarten and elected officials who called on the hospital to negotiate a fair contract with the nurses.
Democracy is on the ballot this fall
We need to organize and vote to win elections like never before because American democracy is under attack like never before, AFT President Randi Weingarten told members in a webinar on Oct. 13 sponsored by the AFT and the Albert Shanker Institute. Drawing participants from across the country, the webinar focused on the crisis American democracy faces and the key things citizens must do to make sure government by the people survives this election.
Is America better off than it was 4 years ago? No
President Trump began his presidency by declaring, “We will make America strong again. We will make America wealthy again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And yes, we will make America great again.” Four years later, AFT member Patrick Armstrong walks us through an evaluation of where we are as a country and whether Trump succeeded. Spoiler alert: No.
‘Si, se puede!’ New citizens get ready to vote
The day an immigrant becomes a U.S. citizen is always a proud and exciting occasion, but this year, there’s even more to celebrate: New citizens will get to vote. To help them on their way, AFT affiliates in Texas have been offering clinics and legal advice, then following up to be sure new citizens cast their ballots.
Remembering the AFT's own Nat LaCour
AFT Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus Nat LaCour, a giant in union organizing and an unparalleled champion of educators in New Orleans, passed away on Oct. 10. Nat’s impact on our lives and our movement is immeasurable, as captured in this video tribute and in remembrances by AFT officers. “Nat LaCour exemplified the best of our union,” AFT President Randi Weingarten says. “He was a true visionary with regard to the essential role of unions.” We will miss his infectious smile and generous spirit.
Rutgers professors sue for equal pay
Five Rutgers University professors are suing the New Jersey institution over pay equity. The women, whose lawsuit harkens back to early struggles there by the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, are asking a judge to require the elimination of pay inequities, exposed through a program to address faculty salary inequality. That program is part of the contract negotiated last year by Rutgers AAUP-AFT, which represents full-time faculty and graduate workers.
October 9, 2020
AFT Votes bus tour is ridin’ with Biden
We may have to stand 6 feet apart, but we’re standing together. Crossing half the country from west to east since the end of September, the AFT Votes tour bus is making critical stops to engage voters, distribute free books, and rally with our members and other unions—all done with pandemic safety precautions in place to keep everyone safe.
Confronting the climate crisis
Confronting the climate crisis was the focus of the AFT’s town hall on Oct. 8. The fires in the West and the hurricanes in the South are raising public awareness about climate change, but it’s time to match public awareness with public action, said AFT President Randi Weingarten during the event. “Climate change is real. It’s caused by humans, it’s already doing significant damage, and we need to act,” she said, adding that the climate crisis should be a central issue in the election.
AFT fund supports innovative reopening projects
Like everything else in education, the AFT Innovation Fund, a program that awards funding to local and state affiliates directing creative projects in education, has been influenced by COVID-19. Grant recipients, announced Oct. 7, will use their awards on projects such as food and clothing distribution to communities hit by the pandemic-related recession; expanding professional development for remote learning; additional health and wellness resources; trauma-informed training; and literacy clinics for students adjusting to online learning.
AFT introduces new healthcare journal
In the face of our nation’s challenges, healthcare and public health professionals are essential to healing our nation. That’s why we’re excited to introduce AFT Health Care, a new journal for the more than 200,000 health professionals who are members of the AFT. This journal is designed to support these members—nurses, EMTs, doctors, orderlies, respiratory techs, scientists, and nursing and health faculty members—to develop and share expertise, and to bring us together in cultivating health for ourselves, our families, our communities and our nation. Our inaugural issue focuses on critical health issues laid bare by the pandemic, from the need for universal healthcare coverage to the impact of environmental racism.
A president for all
As part of AFT Votes, member Sami Al-Abdrabbuh of Oregon describes how he decided to engage in the democratic process by running for public office, and why he supports Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for president and vice president. “When you elect a president, you’re electing a president for all,” he writes. “Joe Biden understands democracy and decency. Whether you’re a class president or president of the United States, the job of a democratically elected leader is to bring people together for the common good.”
Trust Black women: A charge for US politics
The fact that COVID-19 has killed more than 40,000 Black people is one big reason to vote for Biden-Harris this November, says leading Black feminist Brittney Cooper. “Trust Black women,” she says—they are the frontline workers and caretakers disproportionately affected by the pandemic, and their “radical vision” is best served by the Biden-Harris ticket: a vision for a world where kids are safe, everyone goes to good schools, our vote is protected and we all live in safe neighborhoods.
October 2, 2020
The most consequential election of our lifetime
Our country is in the midst of four crises—a health pandemic, an economic crisis, a reckoning with racism, and a climate emergency—all made worse by President Trump. In a new video, AFT President Randi Weingarten makes the case that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the leaders we need to confront the crises we face and to reimagine a fairer and more just America. Working people have always acted collectively to create change—on the streets and at the ballot box. We need all AFT members’ voices and activism to save our democracy and ensure justice for all. See Weingarten’s video, and to urge your friends and family to vote, too.
AFT launches multistate get-out-the-vote bus tour
Elections always matter, but this is the most consequential election of our lifetime, says AFT President Randi Weingarten, which is why the AFT—in the midst of a pandemic—launched a multistate bus tour on Sept. 30. The AFT Votes bus kicked off the tour in Los Angeles and will continue across the country until nearly Election Day, with stops from west to east and north to south. “Elections are always about choices, but this election is about who will help solve the issues that keep us up at night—healthcare, decent wages and jobs, and our kids’ education and future,” says Weingarten.
AFT’s Weingarten lauds revised HEROES COVID-19 relief bill
The House of Representatives has unveiled an updated $2.2 trillion version of its HEROES COVID-19 relief package. AFT President Randi Weingarten points out that “while the Senate is focused solely on a Supreme Court power grab, the House is stepping up, once again introducing a comprehensive bill that provides desperately needed relief for millions of American workers slammed by the pandemic and its economic fallout.” Weingarten also notes that “this new bill is not just about helping schools, it also extends unemployment insurance and funds healthcare—a top concern for most Americans that would be gutted by the far-right Supreme Court the Senate seems so eager to achieve.”
Health equity webinar series continues
The second webinar in the AFT’s series on structural inequities in healthcare will be live tonight, Oct. 2, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. EST. Register for “COVID-19 and Racial Equity: Understanding and Addressing Health Equity,” featuring Deborah Riddick from the Oregon Nurses Association and Alexis Rean-Walker from Health Professionals and Allied Employees in New Jersey. To accompany the series, Structural Inequities in Healthcare, the AFT released a report containing four policy recommendations, highlighting the importance of addressing the immediate need for healthcare access, the immediate need for economic relief, the social determinants of health, and the long-term need for reform of the U.S. healthcare system.
In case you missed the first webinar in the three-part series, “Creating Affirming and Inclusive Experiences for LGBTQ+ Populations,” it is available on demand with one contact hour awarded.
Racism is embedded in student debt
“When white America catches a cold, Black America gets pneumonia.” This saying not only applies to higher COVID-19 death rates and a harsher recession for Black Americans—it also applies to student debt. Because of the legacy of enslavement and Jim Crow, Black borrowers have higher debt for a longer time, and fewer opportunities to get out from under it. Here’s the story, along with tools to fight back.
September 25, 2020
Back to school like never before
“Back to school” has never looked like this. Classes in three-quarters of the 100 largest school districts are entirely online, even though more than 16 million U.S. students lack internet access. Parents struggle to help their children learn. People who used to laud virtual charter schools, even Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, now champion in-school instruction. President Trump tweets “OPEN THE SCHOOLS!!!” but he has put less effort into funding the safe reopening of schools than he’s put into those tweets. To date, more than 200,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. It is unconscionable to pit life against learning this way. Read how the AFT and our affiliates are working to reopen safely.
Every branch of government is on the ballot
The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has raised the stakes in this election, AFT President Randi Weingarten told member activists who joined the AFT’s biweekly telephone town hall on Sept. 22. The call, held on National Voter Registration Day, focused on the importance of voter registration, voter protection and voter engagement. Weingarten had visited the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court the day before to pay her respects to the late justice, who broke new ground for gender equality throughout her legal career.
Oregon school employees help wildfire victims
When wildfires spread across Oregon in September, burning more than a million acres, more than half a million Oregonians were under some level of evacuation notice, including thousands of Oregon School Employees Association members forced from their homes. As communities and homes continue to be threatened by fire, with many people still evacuated and seeking food and emergency shelter, OSEA is stepping up to help its members.
American Educator focuses on saving democracy
In addition to our lives and livelihoods, democracy itself is on the line this fall. The new issue of American Educatorprovides historical context and a way forward. Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt explain how polarization is fracturing our nation, and former Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. examines voter suppression. Also in this issue: how youth-led activism strengthens democracy, how campus protests advance racial justice, and why we must support freedom of speech. Plus, strategies for hybrid and remote instruction, and resources for teaching about racial equity and social justice.
Joe Biden will bring healing to this country
“What I want our members to know about Joe Biden is that he understands us,” writes AFT Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus Lorretta Johnson in AFT Voices. “The way I see him is as a regular working guy who knows the jobs working people do. After he lost his wife and daughter in a terrible car accident, he stayed home with his boys. He kept doing his job and riding home on the train every night to see his kids and put them to bed. That’s what regular people do.” Read why Johnson is voting for the Biden-Harris ticket and why she wants you to join her.
AFT Voices: Retirees stay connected
Since the pandemic hit, Janice Poirier, president of the Florida Education Association-Retired and member of the AFT Retirees Committee, usually can be found on her computer, on the phone or at her desk writing cards to stay in touch with her fellow retirees. Poirier is focused “all day, every day” on member outreach. “With the help of the FEA-Retired presidents and district directors, I have been doing a welfare check on our members,” she says.
September 18, 2020
New poll: Parents, teachers want safety first
The AFT has released results of a new poll showing that the nation’s parents and teachers see through the Trump administration’s disinformation over reopening schools this fall. Conducted by Hart Research Associates, the survey shows that while supermajorities of respondents fear they or their child will be infected with COVID-19, they are united behind the need to secure safety measures and the resources to pay for them, with the goal of returning students safe and sound to in-person learning.
NYSUT sues state over school funding cuts
New York State United Teachers has filed a lawsuit against the state over reductions in state school aid for districts across New York. NYSUT seeks the release of money withheld in July, August and September and an injunction against future withholding of or delayed school funding payments. The suit points to the fact that some school districts are flat out of resources and depend on state funding.
Native Americans urgently ask for help to reopen
Lahoma “Sue” Parton is a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and, as president of the Federation of Indian Service Employees, speaks on behalf of thousands of employees across four federal agencies governing Native American affairs. The coronavirus has hit Native American communities especially hard. Lack of information—and misinformation—from the Trump administration have complicated the lives of tribal students and FISE members, violating the promise the federal government made long ago to safeguard Native people. In AFT Voices, Parton describes how the union is fighting on their behalf.
AFT Voices: Safe at home
Kim Ross, a registered nurse, has spent the past year working on a cardiac floor at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. Not long ago, she moved back to the Toronto area, where she will soon be practicing again. Ross is confident about returning to work in Canada because she knows she will have the best possible protection against COVID-19; at the beginning of the pandemic, her colleagues in Canada had all the personal protective equipment they needed to ensure that staff and patients were safe. Ross says this year has been one of comparing and contrasting the two healthcare systems.
Civic education and the 2020 elections
Teachers, school staff and community members are invited to join AFT Share My Lesson’s new six-week webinar series on engaging students in civic education and the 2020 election. For-credit webinars are featured each Thursday, with all webinars available to access on demand—and with closed captioning in English and Spanish. The sessions cover topics such as immigration, policing in schools, addressing adverse childhood experiences, ideas for participating in our democracy and engaging with the community.
Spread this survey among educators, support staff
As a collaborating partner of the American Psychological Association on school safety and climate, the AFT is helping disseminate a survey for educators and school support staff on their experiences and concerns with school climate and safety. The results of this interdisciplinary, anonymous survey will inform the policies, practices and professional development of all school personnel. Help us spread the word by asking your members to take this survey today.
Our schools are our community
Teachers wear so many hats, from counselor and custodian to cheerleader and nurse. Corinne Lyons, an AFT member in Detroit, describes how providing essential resources puts schools at the center of the community, and she makes the case for funding them so she has the resources she needs to care for her students and still get to the core of her job: teaching.
September 11, 2020
From Labor Day to Election Day
This was a Labor Day like no other. Our nation is in the midst of three major crises—we now have more than 6 million COVID-19 cases, our economy shows increasing signs of weakness, and racial injustice still plagues our country’s soul. It’s always working people acting collectively who create change, whether on the streets or at the ballot box. Thank you for your persistence. Thank you for caring, fighting, showing up—and, this fall, voting.
‘We need a Senate that does what people need’
As the political campaign season enters the homestretch, thousands of callers from across the nation joined AFT President Randi Weingarten during a telephone town hall Tuesday that focused on electing a Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate. “We are deep into the choices that will be made by Americans about whether we have a president, House and Senate that will do the people’s work,” Weingarten said. “We need a Senate that does what people need.”
Now is the time to request your ballot
We all need to make a plan to vote. If you want to vote by mail, deadlines to request a mail-in ballot are right around the corner. We’re joining our friends at When We All Vote, a get-out-the-vote initiative headed by former first lady Michelle Obama, to make sure everyone gets their ballot on time. Engage your members and let’s get it done. Visit weall.vote/hub to make sure you’re shipshape for the most important election in our lifetimes.
The virtues of going virtual
When the Scranton, Pa., school board proposed a hybrid reopening model this fall, the Scranton Federation of Teachers knew it was the wrong move. Too many crucial safety variables hadn’t been figured out, from classroom ventilation to cleaning supplies. So the SFT mobilized educators and parents to persuade the board to reconsider. Educators are eager to return to the classroom once it’s safe, and they want to do their best to make remote learning as effective as possible in the meantime.
Philly’s University of the Arts needs a union
This Labor Day, faculty at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia donned masks and rallied on campus to announce their campaign to form a union, which would represent more than 500 lecturers, adjuncts and full-time faculty. “Winning a union at UArts means more stability, granting faculty access to healthcare, not worrying about receiving contracts to teach last-minute, knowing that your class size won’t double without additional compensation,” says UArts lecturer Beck Gusler.
September 4, 2020
AFT announces newly elected leaders
AFT convention delegates, who cast their ballots by mail, voted overwhelmingly to re-elect President Randi Weingarten, elect Fedrick Ingram as secretary-treasurer and elect Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus to her first full term. The results from the unprecedented election process were announced live on Sept. 1, several weeks after the union’s first virtual convention was held in July.
Day of action frames AFT members’ demand for safe schools
Across the nation, educators and parents stood up on Sept. 2 to #DemandSafeSchools in a day of action campaign—ranging from one-person statements posted on social media to press conferences with elected officials that reached thousands—that insisted on funding to open schools safely in the face of COVID-19. More than 200 events, like distanced demonstrations and virtual town halls, included dozens of members of Congress and more than 50 partner groups. “Testing, tracing, isolation, PPE, ventilation, connectivity, tools and more require resources,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “We don't have them from Trump, McConnell and Senate GOP lawmakers. Once again, we have to hit the streets to get kids the education they need.”
Teachers, school staff should be among the first to receive COVID-19 vaccine, says AFT’s Weingarten
On Sept. 2, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted an online session to hear public comments on a draft framework that will assist policymakers in planning for equitable allocation of a vaccine against COVID-19. AFT President Randi Weingarten was among dozens of leaders, advocates and citizens who gave their input that will inform a study to recommend priority for distribution of the initial supply of COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.
Police violence, voting rights fuel passion at historic March on Washington
Fifty-seven years after Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the Lincoln Memorial and delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, a new generation gathered there to celebrate the anniversary, mourn lives lost to police brutality, steel themselves for the continuing fight for justice and inspire one another with hope. Along with the Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III, AFT President Randi Weingarten was there with other labor leaders to join the call to end to racial violence, renew a commitment to get out the vote, and remember the crucial role labor continues to play in the fight for justice.
Under pressure, USDA extends waivers for school meals
Since the pandemic lockdowns began in March, rules governing school meals have been waived so that school food service workers could make sure meals get to children who need them. Our members have been incredibly creative in making sure students stay fed—whether by deliveries at school bus stops or at outdoor distribution centers. Despite these heroics, the U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to cancel its accommodations by the end of September and make it harder for schools to distribute—and for families to pick up—school meals. Now, under pressure from the AFT and our allies, the USDA has reversed itself and decided to extend the waivers until Dec. 31. It is a partial victory for students and their families.
August 28, 2020
Trump’s COVID-19 school crisis
When a Georgia student posted a photo of her packed school hallway with virtually no one wearing masks, it went viral. The reaction from those in power was to suspend her rather than figure out how to keep kids and educators safe during a pandemic. Later, of course, they had to take the coronavirus seriously when 35 people at the school tested positive. In her latest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten writes that such behavior has been the norm in far too many places, and nobody has modeled it more than President Donald Trump. He has spent the entirety of the COVID-19 crisis downplaying the virus and distorting reality, jeopardizing the physical and economic health of Americans, writes Weingarten.
Sept. 2 day of action: Demand safe schools
Across the country, the new school year has begun, or will soon begin, and parents, teachers and school staff are struggling to figure out how to go back to school safely and meet the needs of all students. But Republican senators, President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos are still refusing to get schools what they need. The Senate has refused to vote on the Democrats' HEROES Act, which would provide critical resources to protect students, educators and their families from COVID-19; to save jobs; and to meet the academic, social, emotional and mental health needs of children. Join us in demanding that our federal government fund solutions; register to participate in a national day of action to support our children on Wednesday, Sept. 2.
Reimagining, rethinking, reopening: Town hall looks at back-to-school with new eyes
On Aug. 25, AFT members tuned in to the union’s twice-monthly telephone town hall for a multifaceted discussion that not only addressed how to reopen schools safely, but also reimagined what learning might look like as this crisis breaks the old “factory model” of schooling wide open. Also spotlighted: How one state took on the need for pandemic-informed professional development and how one community school found innovative ways to be there for students and families.
Union wins protection against premature return to Florida schools
Teachers and students will not immediately be forced to return to Florida schools before they are safe from COVID-19, after a judge ruled against an emergency executive order from the governor. The ruling, which is temporary, signals progress for the fight for safety in schools—a fight that includes a lawsuit brought by the Florida Education Association against the governor and his administration. “Local communities should have the freedom to make the best decisions for reopening or keeping open local schools,” says Florida Education Association President Fedrick Ingram.
AFT offers workshops during Congressional Black Caucus conference
The AFT is offering a series of free professional development presentations during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference, one of the most influential policy gatherings for people engaged in the issues that affect African Americans and the global Black community. Held weekly through September, the series focuses on how to stop the criminalization of American schools and the related pathway to prison and low-paying jobs, with sessions on culturally responsive pedagogy, adverse childhood experiences (including trauma) and effective teaching during the pandemic.
Teaching: A tool to dismantle racism
When George Floyd was murdered by police, high school history students in Sari Beth Rosenberg's remote classroom were already talking about systemic racism. Read about how this AFT member in New York City continues to incorporate difficult history and wrenching current events into her lessons, and heed her call to all educators to use teaching as a tool to dismantle racism.
CDC offers strategies to protect K-12 staff from COVID-19
Recognizing that the more interactions teachers and staff have with others, and the longer those interactions last, the higher the risk of COVID-19 exposure and infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded its focus on the health and safety of K-12 school staff. The CDC’s recently updated “Strategies for Protecting K-12 School Staff from COVID-19” addresses a broad range of staff exposure issues beyond those of classroom teachers. It provides workplace safety and health information to protect school nurses, paraprofessionals, custodians, bus drivers, food service workers, office workers, coaching staff and athletic trainers, and others.
August 21, 2020
DNC delegates bring joy and determination
Bursting with enthusiasm for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, AFT delegates to the Democratic National Convention gathered online to prepare for the convention, ask questions and get fired up. They will nominate Biden for president and Harris for vice president at the Democratic convention Aug. 17-20, a virtual convention “like no other,” in the words of AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Latino leaders share strategies to win in battleground states
On Aug. 17, the first day of the Democratic National Convention, the AFT partnered with the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators and the League of United Latin American Citizens to host a discussion on the Latino vote in 2020. Latino leaders across the country joined an enthusiastic discussion about mobilizing and engaging Latino voters in the key battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin.
Educators affirm their support for Biden
During the virtual Educators for Biden convention watch party on Aug. 18, speakers—including AFT President Randi Weingarten, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Jahana Hayes—affirmed their support for a candidate who exhibits kindness, humility and empathy. And they showed their unbounded enthusiasm for a future president they know will always be in their corner.
Labor council: Everything is on the line
A cross section of unions from the public sector to the trades met during the Democratic convention Aug. 19 to discuss what it will take to rid the nation of Donald Trump and restore a set of values in which workers can be assured of a decent living and a good retirement.
Labor leaders celebrate 100 years of voting
Aug. 18 marked the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. To celebrate, the AFL-CIO hosted a panel of women who are leaders in the labor movement, including AFT President Randi Weingarten. The panelists reflected on the lessons learned from 100 years of progress and highlighted issues affecting today’s working women, especially as the country heads into the 2020 election cycle.
Weingarten joins panel on gun violence at the Democratic convention
On Aug. 19, the third day of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, a session called “Gun Violence in America: Uniting for a Safer Future” brought a truly diverse panel together, including a world-renowned soccer player, a grieving mother-turned-U.S. representative and AFT President Randi Weingarten, among others. The session was sponsored by the AFT and Everytown for Gun Safety.
AFT’s webinar offers strategies to improve ventilation in schools
Join us next Wednesday, Aug. 26, as we continue our series of labor-management webinars, “The Road to Reopening Schools.” Each webinar offers promising nuts-and-bolts strategies for a return to school buildings based on the best available scientific evidence. Next week’s session on school ventilation and building systems will provide models for school administrators and union leaders to consider in developing their strategies to effectively improve ventilation and explore steps unions and administrators can take to realize and adopt sound ventilation practices. Please join us and feel free to invite any administrators you would like to participate.
Deadline nears for 2020 census
The 2020 census is coming to an end on Sept. 30. There is still time for you and your community to be counted. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to complete your 2020 census. The AFT is working with the We Count! campaign to help ensure an accurate and complete 2020 census count. You can get FREE We Count! books for your school. The book is available in 15 different languages and is designed to help children learn to count while the adults reading it to them learn how to ensure each one of us is counted in the 2020 census.
August 14, 2020
Why we heart Kamala Harris for VP
When Joe Biden announced his choice of Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, AFT President Randi Weingarten observed that Harris is ready to serve this country on day one. “Like Biden, Harris has built a career on standing up for the backbone of this country—the truly essential people,” Weingarten says. “From standing up to big banks, to facing down the gun lobby, to fighting for the LGBTQ community, to rallying for justice in policing, Harris knows where she stands and she isn’t afraid to fight for it.”
AFT defends the right to vote
AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus urges AFT members to take vigorous action to “protect our most sacred institution—our right to vote.” During an Aug. 11 telephone town hall, she called out Republicans for their attempts to suppress voting rights. “In a true democracy,” she said, “we make it easier to vote, not harder.” Joining her were Jamal Watkins, vice president of civic engagement at the NAACP; Hector Sanchez Barba, executive director and CEO of Mi Familia Vota; and Carolyn DeWitt, president and executive director of Rock the Vote. On the same day, the AFT filed a lawsuit against New Hampshire alleging undue burdens on the rights of people to register and vote by absentee ballot.
AFT to McConnell: Don’t hold HEROES Act hostage
A digital sit-in and massive call-in sponsored by the Poor People’s Campaign drew thousands of participants who flooded Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s offices on Aug. 10 with calls to demand that he stop holding the HEROES Act hostage. AFT President Randi Weingarten joined the Rev. William Barber, the Rev. Liz Theoharis and others in challenging McConnell because he is in the driver's seat when it comes to passing legislation that would fund the safe reopening of public schools and help the unemployed, renters and workers.
PSRPs prove their adaptability in the pandemic
The coming school year may start one way and end another, but what AFT school and college support staff know for sure is that they intend to be at the table when decisions about the school year are made. That was the message delivered when members of the AFT PSRP program and policy council brainstormed ways they’re adapting to upheavals caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Nurses share insights on COVID-19
During our union's national convention, AFT President Randi Weingarten led a panel of AFT nurses sharing their experiences from the frontlines of the pandemic. They said it’s disheartening to see mask-wearing politicized and public health experts’ advice disregarded under Donald Trump, and expressed appreciation for the protective gear purchased for members by the AFT. They offered two hopes: to elect a president who will unite Americans in this crisis while listening to science, and to slow the transmission of COVID-19 by wearing masks, observing social distancing and washing hands.
AFT shows up for Puerto Rico
The passion and power of activism shone brightly during the AFT convention as AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus kicked off a discussion of economics for working families. “Today I would like to talk about our sisters and brothers in Puerto Rico and how, in the AFT, we care, we fight and we show up for these members,” she said. “We showed up after hurricanes in 2017. We showed up after the earthquakes early this year. And now we are fighting together in this pandemic."
Honoring Diane Ravitch
The AFT honored historian Diane Ravitch at the convention with its Women’s Rights Award, then hosted a talk with Ravitch, Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Stacy Davis Gates, and AFT-West Virginia Vice President Tega Toney. Together with AFT President Randi Weingarten, they discussed the importance of community and the pursuit of justice. Ravitch shared her vision for public schools that will be “better than ever” with Joe Biden in the White House.
August 7, 2020
Don't miss these webinars on reopening
A series of labor/management webinars, “The Road to Reopening Schools,” will offer promising nuts-and-bolts strategies for a return to school buildings based on the best available scientific evidence. The free webinars will begin next Wednesday, Aug. 12, with a session on cleaning and disinfecting schools, including protocols and the roles of staff and students. Upcoming weekly webinars will cover physical distancing; ventilation and building systems; and hand hygiene and protective gear.
AFT Votes: Joe Biden sees big changes ahead
Talking with delegates to the 2020 AFT national convention, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Americans are on the threshold of historic change and opportunity. Welcoming Biden, AFT President Randi Weingarten said, “This is not just about defeating Donald Trump. What you bring at this time is what our nation needs in terms of the empathy, the understanding, the caring about people and the listening to people.”
Shoulder to shoulder with us: Schumer and Pelosi
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are fighting for a relief package centered on reopening schools safely, protecting frontline workers and helping America’s families get through the COVID-19 crisis. “When states opened too early a few months ago, it set off another stage of this disease. We will not repeat that same mistake when it comes to our teachers and our students,” Schumer said during the AFT’s national convention in July.
Climate crisis is hurting workers and kids
The Natural Resources Defense Council has released a report showing, through case studies of 14 union workers, that climate change is harming essential employees. One case study is of AFT member Orlando Green, a school bus driver and member of the St. Tammany Federation of Teachers and School Employees who lives in Slidell, La. From mid-August through October, temperatures on his bus can reach well into the 90s, with the heat index surpassing 100. Sometimes, Green doesn’t know if his students are napping or have passed out.
Lin-Manuel Miranda on arts, teaching, democracy
The arts enrich our lives, the teaching profession deserves our respect, and our democracy is at stake in this election. Calling out President Trump’s demonization of Latinx people, Lin-Manuel Miranda noted that change won’t happen “without a voice in the halls of power,” and he shared his strong support for presidential candidate Joe Biden. Those were among the topics in a wide-ranging conversation AFT President Randi Weingarten had with the creator and star of the award-winning musical “Hamilton.” Miranda reflected on his experience as a teacher and his hope that “Hamilton” encourages young people to find inspiration in history.
Honoring Karen Lewis, public education champion
“As a chemistry teacher, active in my union, I dreamed of a union that was vocal, engaged, productive, creative and visionary,” says Karen Lewis. When she became president of the Chicago Teachers Union in 2010, Lewis worked hard to make that dream a reality. In the process, she has earned a place among the icons of the labor movement. Her trailblazing leadership helped shift the narrative on public education in Chicago. That is what makes Karen Lewis an AFT hero.
Support staff are the infrastructure of the world
It has become obvious who the essential workers are. “Let me be clear,” writes AFT Secretary-Treasurer Lorretta Johnson. “I am not criticizing mayors, university presidents or school superintendents. But amid the COVID-19 contagion, we would be nowhere without custodians, paraprofessionals, food service workers, administrative assistants and school bus drivers. School and college tech support workers alone have kept networks connected and students engaged in their studies, and they will become ever more important as we reopen schools.”
July 31, 2020
Weingarten shows we’re addressing crises through activism and elections
In her State of the Union address, AFT President Randi Weingarten outlined three national crises—a public health crisis, an economic crisis and a crisis of racial justice, all made worse by Donald Trump. Kicking off the AFT’s virtual convention, Weingarten detailed a robust plan for addressing these crises through activism and elections, especially by sending Joe Biden to the White House and electing a Senate that will support his progressive agenda.
For students’ safety, nothing is off the table
As the Trump administration pressures schools to reopen despite insufficient COVID-19 safety measures, the AFT has announced it will “use every action and tool available” to fight unsafe school reopening plans—including “supporting local and/or state affiliate safety strikes on a case-by-case basis as a last resort.” Members are already participating in town halls, lobbying efforts and even lawsuits to keep their communities safe and their students engaged in learning.
Dr. Anthony Fauci calls safety ‘paramount’ in reopening schools
One of the nation’s most trusted experts on the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, joined AFT President Randi Weingarten for a July 28 virtual town hall on Facebook Live to answer questions from the AFT’s educators and health professionals. The questions ranged from how to approach the reopening of schools to the possibility of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Continuing the conversation on racism
Conversations about the three crises facing the country—the public health crisis, the economic crisis and the crisis of systemic racism—are embedded in this year’s AFT convention. A July 29 panel discussion focused on racism in America and the Black Lives Matter movement. The panel included the Rev. Dr. Bernice King, CEO of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change; New York Democratic congressional nominee Jamaal Bowman; Leslie Redmond, president of the Minneapolis NAACP; and Sari Beth Rosenberg, a history teacher in New York City. AFT President Randi Weingarten led the conversation.
AFT delegates pass a raft of bold, progressive resolutions
Delegates to the AFT convention passed a number of resolutions during the three-day virtual event. Each daily session featured votes on resolutions addressing the health, economic and racial justice crises our country faces as well as resolutions that envision a better America now and post-COVID-19. AFT delegates also overwhelmingly voted to endorse Joe Biden for president, saying the future of our democracy is on the line in this year’s election.
Retiring AFT Secretary-Treasurer Lorretta Johnson honored with Bayard Rustin Award
In honor of her 54 years as a labor activist and leader, AFT Secretary-Treasurer Lorretta Johnson was presented with the Bayard Rustin Award at the opening session of the AFT’s 84th biennial convention. Johnson gave a stirring farewell address, reflecting on her long career and encouraging PSRPs to continue leading and advancing the values of the union.
AFT retirees are ready for action
This year’s virtual format for the AFT Retirees conference—due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic—provided an opportunity for more than 500 retired AFT members and guests to gather online July 23 to focus on activism and organizing. The meeting also amplified the AFT Retirees program’s message that activists never retire, and it’s never too late to become an activist or ally.
July 24, 2020
Safety, not recklessness, must drive reopening
We know that children connect and thrive best in person—not through remote learning—and so 76 percent of AFT members polled are ready to return to school. But only if public health measures are in place to keep them safe from the coronavirus. Unfortunately, these measures are not in place. In her most recent column, AFT President Randi Weingarten insists that appropriate protections be adopted before schools open, and presses for the congressional funding we’ll need to do this.
AFT report shows education job losses headed toward 1.4 million
As Congress begins negotiations on a desperately needed new wave of federal stimulus, the AFT has released an analysis revealing the hundreds of billions of dollars in urgent assistance necessary to stop record layoffs at public schools and colleges and to protect students and educators from the coronavirus. "A Time to Act: The Importance of Investment in Public Education and Other State and Local Services in the Time of COVID-19" calculates the need to fill a gaping $93.5 billion preK-12 funding gap and $45 billion higher education funding shortfall caused by the country’s economic slump, and identifies an additional $116.5 billion to keep schools and colleges as safe as possible from the coronavirus.
Florida teachers sue to block unsafe return to school
The Florida Education Association filed suit on July 20 against Gov. Ron DeSantis, Commissioner Richard Corcoran, the Florida Department of Education, the Florida State Board of Education and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez to safeguard the health and welfare of public school students, educators and the community at large. The lawsuit intends to stop the reckless and unsafe reopening of public school campuses as coronavirus infections surge statewide. “The push to physically reopen schools full time without any precautions or new resources, and, most importantly, amid a skyrocketing COVID-19 surge, ignores science, safety and basic humanity. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order, as carried out by others, puts an entire generation of kids—as well as their families and their educators—at risk,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Layoffs and program cuts signal hard times ahead for higher ed
As if their struggles for adequate funding were not already challenging enough, public colleges and universities’ budgets have been strained like never before due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many are starting to lay off faculty and staff, denying students the services they need now more than ever. Unions are fighting back—both at the university level, and at the federal level advocating for HEROES Act funding and more.
Rise Up for Equity: A Virtual Summit on Community Schools
Rise Up for Equity was a monthlong summit designed to explore the importance of community schools in today's American public education landscape—and their history. The AFT was a sponsor. The events brought together classroom educators, scholars, community activists and AFT members from every corner of the United States. When the pandemic struck, the June experience went virtual, and also took on an entirely unexpected subject: how to educate students and support their families in a new era of stay-at-home orders.
July 17, 2020
Making sure Black lives matter
Since the murder of George Floyd by a police officer, thousands of protests across the globe have amplified the discourse around racism and police brutality. As calls for police reform become louder, there is growing acknowledgment of the need to address structural problems that perpetuate disparities in investing in Black communities. Read this three-part series on AFT Voices about how chronic disinvestment leads to police violence, how increased policing does not make schools or communities safer, and why big, systemic change is what we need.
Senators! Pass the HEROES Act!
In a national day of action, AFT members and allies across the country protested the U.S. Senate’s decision to go on vacation without passing the HEROES Act, the $3 trillion COVID-19 relief package passed in the House. From car caravans and socially distant rallies to online press conferences and digital actions, our members told senators lollygagging in their home offices: Get back to work.
Town hall zeroes in on police reform, racism
With the country entangled in health and economic crises along with an overdue reckoning with racism, the AFT devoted its July 14 telephone town hall to racism and police reform. These crises intersect and have exposed America’s inequities, all made worse by the leadership of this country, said AFT President Randi Weingarten. She was joined in the conversation by Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and LeRoy Barr, secretary and staff director of the United Federation of Teachers.
Victory for international students
In a resounding win over the Trump administration’s threat that international students must attend classes in person or leave the country, students, their colleges and their unions successfully won a reversal: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has rescinded its rule and will allow students to stay in this country regardless of the online status of their classes. Opposition to the proposed rule was formidable and included a lawsuit from Harvard and MIT, supported by dozens of amicus briefs, including one from the AFT and three other unions.
Students at risk as college fires every counselor
Just as students at Broward College in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., are struggling with the pandemic, those who could best help them have been fired: All of the college’s counselors, many with decades of experience, were told to vacate their positions. “I am still at a loss [as to] how a great institution like Broward College would abruptly disengage the professionals most equipped to help students at this critical time,” says Teresa Hodge, president of the full-time faculty union. “To add insult to injury, 11 of our 14 faculty counselors are faculty of color. Our academic institutions need more inclusivity during this moment in history, not less."
On track for student debt forgiveness
Eric Oddo is a high school debate teacher at Niles West High School in Skokie, Ill., where he remembers tagging along as a kid with his mother, also a debate coach. He loves his job and the bonus of coaching the debate team. He credits the Illinois Federation of Teachers with securing his good salary and benefits. Even so, his family’s debt load is heavier than his mortgage. It wasn’t until Oddo joined an AFT program called Summer, which is free for members, that he was able to reduce his payments and get on track for loan forgiveness.
July 12, 2020
Jill Biden, Warren lead roundtable on reopening
Educators want to get back to their classrooms, but a roundtable discussion with Jill Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, AFT President Randi Weingarten and AFT leaders from four states focused on President Trump’s abandonment of science and safety in new demands that schools reopen without the resources or the protocols needed to protect students and staff.
Pediatricians join us in urging safe return to school
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Education Association and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, joined the AFT July 10 in making a statement on the safe return of students, teachers, and staff to schools. It begins: “Educators and pediatricians share the goal of children returning safely to school this fall. Our organizations are committed to doing everything we can so that all students have the opportunity to safely resume in-person learning.”
Randi Weingarten on CNN: How to reopen safely
In an interview on CNN July 11, AFT President Randi Weingarten discussed what schools, their staff and communities need to reopen safely this fall. She spoke in the wake of President Trump’s demand that schools and colleges reopen at all costs—a demand that flies in the face of recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “I’m glad that the president has woken up that kids are important, but I am really mad,” Weingarten said. “How dare they go out and say directly the opposite of what their own report said?”
In a water crisis, you need public employees
When you’re a state public health scientist, there’s nothing quite like having a water emergency land in your laboratory during a full-on pandemic—and on a weekend, too. That’s exactly what faced members of the Montana Federation of Public Employees last month as they neared capacity in conducting coronavirus tests at the state lab. In the middle of running 1,300 COVID-19 tests per day came a call for help from the town of West Yellowstone.
AFT Voices: A lifetime of racism
Lisa Thomas learned that the world was a cruel place for Black children when she was very young: Her white teacher used the N-word, refused to believe she was a sharp student and allowed her to be bullied by other students. Later, her Black school was under-resourced, she internalized variations of “the talk” to keep herself safe, and her community endured a lynching—in 1981. Thomas offers her personal story as well as guidance for educators returning to class: Listen, learn and understand that Black people have been exhausted by racism for generations.
Music educator lobbies for the HEROES Act
Young people of all ages need the safe space Colette Hebert, a music teacher in Yonkers, N.Y., created in her music room. There they could pick up an instrument, unwind, and also develop an enthusiasm for school and a capacity in their brains for more academic work. But Hebert, along with many of her colleagues, has been laid off, and music education, along with public education in general, is facing huge budget cuts. Read why Hebert and the AFT are supporting the HEROES Act to fund education at this most critical time.
Share My Lesson: Stop the summer slide
Share My Lesson has curated a special collection to help engage children in reading and stop the “summer slide.” From book lists to literacy activities for all ages, abilities and backgrounds, these free summer reading resources will keep kids involved in learning over the long break and reinvigorate a love for reading.
June 26, 2020
Renewing our commitment to end systemic racism
AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest column calls for an end to the systemic racism that is deeply rooted in America. “This is a moment to really listen. But it is also a moment of reckoning that requires us—all of us—to act,” writes Weingarten. “Entire systems must change, because racial bias is built into virtually every system in the United States. Bias is evident in underfunded schools, inadequate healthcare and racial health disparities, voter suppression, lack of housing, food deserts, unemployment and disproportionately low wages, and discriminatory policing and mass incarceration.”
Reopening schools? Make sure communities are involved
As schools begin planning to reopen in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, AFT members are working hard to ensure the people most severely affected—educators, students, parents and local communities—are part of the conversation. With parent surveys, telephone town halls and the AFT’s guide to reopening, which can be tailored to districts’ specific needs, members are striving not just for a safe reopening, but to improve the racial inequities laid bare by the pandemic.
Nurses tell Hackensack Meridian: ‘Ignoring your nurses is bad medicine’
Hundreds of nurses and community members turned out for early-morning picketing outside the Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, N.J., on June 22. During the picket, passersby blared their car horns in support of the nurses who were protesting the lack of progress in bargaining a new contract with Hackensack Meridian Health. Health Professionals and Allied Employees represents 1,300 nurses at Jersey Shore; their contract with the hospital expired on May 31. “The public calls nurses ‘heroes,’ but the proposals from HMH don’t reflect that,” says Adam Witt, a nurse and president of HPAE Local 5058 at Jersey Shore. “We deserve respect for our hard work, sacrifice and commitment.”
Organizing in a pandemic: A charter school goes union
Since its founding in 2011, Washington, D.C.’s Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School has racked up an impressive number of firsts: It was the first green charter school to open in the city. Then it became the first charter school in the city to ratify a first contract after forming a staff union. At the same time, Mundo Verde opened another new bilingual school nicknamed Calle Ocho, which led to another first: Calle Ocho became the first D.C. charter school to organize its own union in the midst of a pandemic. But that part wasn’t so easy.
AFT town hall tackles student debt on all fronts
Student debt has soared to $1.7 trillion, and the triple crises facing the nation—the coronavirus pandemic, the economic recession and systemic racism—have not helped. At a telephone town hall June 23, AFT President Randi Weingarten led a lively discussion describing the many ways the AFT is tackling this challenge and making progress: with "right now" help for borrowers, successful lawsuits against bad actors like Betsy DeVos, and efforts to change federal policy. We are exploring further legal action on behalf of members denied relief under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Members whose applications for PSLF have been denied should take this survey to see if they can join in and be a part of the student debt solution.
AFT Voices: Lessons for my Black son
For generations, Black parents have given some variation of the same lecture to their children to keep them safe during almost inevitable encounters with law enforcement or with white people who might harm them. Detroit Federation of Teachers President Terrence Martin talks about how he has "the talk" with his own son.
Martin says: “In some cultures, when a boy reaches the age of 13, his entire community comes together to acknowledge his coming of age in a ceremony that celebrates the beginning of manhood. I’ve had to teach my 13-year-old son that being perceived as a grown Black man can be dangerous.”
Tell the Senate: Support the HEROES Act and don’t forfeit our futures
The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, known as the HEROES Act, provides valuable resources for testing, tracing and hospital support to help ensure we can reopen safely, and provides critical funding for our states, cities, towns and schools. Before Congress goes on vacation this summer, we need to secure the Senate’s support for this necessary funding. Make sure your members and followers contact their senators today.
June 19, 2020
Unions caravan for racial, economic justice
Labor unions nationwide took to their cars on Wednesday to protest systemic racism and demand economic justice for all. The federal government must keep workers healthy and employed by sustaining public services through the pandemic, AFT President Randi Weingarten said on her way to the mobile action from Arlington, Va., to Washington, D.C. “Frankly, if we do not get that money in the HEROES [Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions] Act for state and local funding, we won’t be able to open schools for in-person learning in September,” she said. To keep your union’s advocacy strong, use these actions in the AFT’s brand-new tool kit.
AFT passes resolution to combat racism
On Wednesday, the AFT executive council passed a groundbreaking resolution, “Confronting Racism and in Support of Black Lives,” which lays out 19 commitments to combat systemic racism and violence against Black people, including the separation of school safety from policing and police forces. The AFT will reconvene a union-wide conversation on how to transform school security to achieve a safe and welcoming environment for students and staff, instead of a militaristic police state that criminalizes Black and brown students.
AFT Voices: We must say her name, too
Black women and girls, like Black men and boys, are also the victims of state violence, but their stories are sometimes overlooked. We must not make Black women and girls an afterthought, writes AFT Secretary-Treasurer Lorretta Johnson in AFT Voices.
Her name was Breonna Taylor: She was shot at least eight times, while sleeping, by police who were serving a warrant at the wrong house. We can only hope she was dreaming of a better life, a more just America.
AFT celebrates Supreme Court rulings on LGBTQ rights, DACA
The U.S. Supreme Court issued two momentous rulings this week. In Bostock v. Clayton County, the court decided that the federal law barring job discrimination on the basis of sex also applies to gay and transgender people. “Let us rejoice, for a moment, in this important victory,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. A second ruling, Trump v. NAACP, held that the Trump administration's termination of the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program was “arbitrary and capricious.” Weingarten notes that the ruling means thousands of essential workers can stay put for now. AFT member and DACA recipient Karen Reyes says: “While this is a huge win, we cannot forget that this is a temporary victory. We need to continue to push for a legislative solution with a pathway toward citizenship, and we need to vote in November."
State workers win bargaining rights in Colorado
State employees in Colorado have won a historic victory as the governor signed the state's first-ever collective bargaining bill June 16. The new law gives state employees the freedom to come together in a union and bargain for wages, benefits and working conditions to improve public services.
Members brave pandemic to deliver free books
Kara McCormick Lyons, president of the White Plains (N.Y.) Teachers Association, is such an evangelist for literacy that she mobilized members and allies to figure out how they were going to distribute thousands of free children's books in their community—despite a pandemic. The union teamed up with First Book, an AFT partner that together with our members has distributed more than 5 million new, free books to children in need. Read their story and watch the video on AFT Voices.
Juneteenth: The fight for liberty continues
On June 19, 1865—a full 71 days after the Civil War ended—Major Gen. Gordon Granger reached Galveston, Texas, to deliver a general order that “all slaves are free.” Liberation had finally reached the shores of Texas. June 19 became known as Juneteenth, the oldest annual Black freedom celebration in the United States. But 155 years later, African Americans still struggle for true freedom and for full and equal protection under the law.
June 12, 2020
Town hall generates hope for racial justice
On the day George Floyd was buried, AFT President Randi Weingarten led a discussion with racial justice leaders during a telephone town hall, mourning his death at the hands of Minneapolis police. “It’s time to right these wrongs,” Weingarten said, echoing the Rev. Al Sharpton. The leaders on the call remain hopeful as the protests spur policies like a ban on chokeholds, a “duty to intervene” for bystander cops, and new legislation introduced in Congress. Meanwhile, Minneapolis schools have severed their ties with police. As we lock arms in the fight for racial justice, sign this petition to stand with students who lead the way.
This is no time for austerity
The massive nationwide shutdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus has had a devastating impact on the economy, our public schools and other vital public services. This three-part series explores the reasons why a return to austerity policies is not a solution. Read why austerity funding would hurt recovery efforts, how it would make reopening harder, and why we need an economy that works for everyone.
AFT sounds the alarm over ‘triple crisis’ for schools
Our union has released a new study spelling out the level of investment required to reopen schools in the fall. “Reopening Schools During a Time of Triple Crisis: Financial Implications” sounds the alarm over the scale of expenditure needed to ensure school buildings can reopen safely and effectively. If the federal government fails to act, school buildings will stay shuttered and America’s families will endure another academic year of at-home learning—with potentially disastrous consequences. Sign this petition supporting the HEROES Act.
Ad campaign urges Senate to pass HEROES Act
America can’t fight COVID-19 or reopen without support for educators and other essential workers. The AFT today launched a $1 million ad buy to tell the U.S. Senate to fund, rather than forfeit, the future by passing the HEROES Act so that frontline workers can combat the coronavirus and safely reopen schools and the economy. The spots, “Essential,” airing in 30-second and 15-second versions across the country, show AFT members feeding our kids and helping them learn amid the pandemic.
American Educator: Teaching reading is rocket science
Although educators have long understood the importance of literacy, teaching children to read is very complex. Far too many children have trouble reading and writing. The summer edition of American Educator explores how our nation’s teachers bring the science that is research-based reading instruction to classrooms across the country, unlocking the power and joy of reading for our children.
Why Black male teachers matter
Many of the lessons Black male teachers bring to the classroom go far beyond academic content and pedagogy. Their unique experiences create a rich curriculum that contributes to student success in ways that can’t be graded or easily quantified. Using methods that transcend traditional teaching and learning, Black male teachers can provide hope, inspiration, advice, compassionate listening and, sometimes, tough love to make a difference in their students’ lives.
AFT Votes: Biden leads on racial justice
Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden has delivered a speech that America needs to hear right now, pushing back at the callousness, racism and narcissism in the White House. Biden shows what real presidential leadership looks like: “Our country is crying out for leadership—leadership that can unite us. The moment has come for our nation to deal with systemic racism. When we stand together, finally as one America, we’ll rise stronger than we were before.”
For some teaching remotely, 'I can't find my students'
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute has launched a series called “Education & Equity in a Post-COVID Society” with a virtual briefing that included AFT President Randi Weingarten. While students in affluent areas seem to be "getting by," those in tougher circumstances sometimes seem to vanish. "These crises have exacerbated all the inequities," Weingarten said. "In our reopen plan, we try to deal with learning gaps, the digital divide, food insecurity and the distress that everyone is experiencing.”
June 5, 2020
We’re calling for a national overhaul of police practices
The AFT has joined the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and hundreds of other organizations in sending a letter to Congress demanding it create a federal standard for when police officers can use force, prohibit racial profiling, and end a program that provides surplus military supplies to local law enforcement, including school police. The letter addresses the fact that these and other changes to police practices and oversight will "protect Black communities from the systemic perils of over policing, police brutality, misconduct, and harassment, and end the impunity with which officers operate in taking the lives of Black people."
Teachers and parents say: Pass the HEROES Act
Teachers and parents fear for the future of their schools if the Senate fails to pass the HEROES Act. This relief package would provide valuable resources for testing, tracing and hospital support to help us reopen safely, and would fund our states, cities, towns and schools. Without federal assistance, schools won’t have money to reopen safely and will have to lay off teachers and staff. Ask your senators to support critical pieces of the House-passed HEROES Act in the next COVID-19 relief bill.
Labor-management partnership offers framework to reopen schools
As the nation’s parents and educators ponder sending children back to school in the face of an ongoing pandemic, a labor-management partnership that includes the AFT is putting forward a framework school districts can use in planning how to welcome back students.
‘Books, ballots and bucks’: Inequity in the age of COVID-19
In May, civil rights advocates expected to celebrate the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark Supreme Court decision that integrated public schools. Instead, they are facing stark, historic inequities laid bare by a global pandemic. At a panel discussion May 28, five leading activists confronted the fact that communities of color have been hit much harder than others by the coronavirus crisis and its economic impact, and they discussed how best to navigate the intersection of “books, ballots and bucks”—that is, public education, voting and funding—so that every community has access to a high-quality education regardless of race or socioeconomic status.
Oregon State University faculty secure historic contract during pandemic
Faculty at Oregon State University have agreed to terms on a historic first union contract, at a time of unprecedented challenges to higher education. After six years of organizing and 18 months of negotiating, the faculty union, United Academics of Oregon State University, inked a tentative agreement May 28, covering 2,200 workers, to strengthen their campus through the power of collective action. The contract will be among the first in the Pacific Northwest for research-heavy land-grant universities.
Brown University grad workers win groundbreaking first union contract
Graduate workers at Brown University in Providence, R.I., have signed a groundbreaking labor contract, winning job security, hundreds of dollars in COVID-19-related healthcare relief and a stipend increase, in the middle of an unprecedented national crisis. The contract marks the first time an Ivy League school has agreed to a labor contract with graduate workers. The tentative three-year agreement, covering more than 1,200 workers, will provide graduate employees with peace of mind and financial relief to chart a path through the coronavirus and economic turmoil upending U.S. higher education. It comes after five years of organizing and 13 months of bargaining by their union, Stand Up for Graduate Student Employees, which is affiliated nationally with the AFT.
Teachers put on a graduation extravaganza
Ideas for an alternative high school commencement came from all sides in this time of the coronavirus. In Pottstown, Pa., the class advisers, principal and union leaders created a plan to have graduates pick up their diplomas, one by one, in the high school auditorium over a six-day, slow-motion ceremony, all while practicing safe distancing. But the ideas didn’t stop there. Next came a billboard, yard signs and a car parade.
May 29, 2020
‘A Pandemic without a Plan’
In her latest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten writes that during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic President Trump said his “administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens” from the outbreak. “But the president ignored—and continues to ignore—experts’ guidance,” writes Weingarten. “Experts call February the ‘lost month,’ when Trump downplayed the threat of the coronavirus, claimed it would miraculously disappear, and squandered precious time to prevent its spread. Trump’s magical thinking didn’t defeat COVID-19, and it won’t help us safely reopen our communities and our economy.” Instead, Weingarten writes, we should focus on reopening schools, because “reopening public school buildings is key to reopening the economy.”
Telephone town hall shows deep commitment to the HEROES Act
On May 26, some 30,000 participants joined the AFT’s telephone town hall to hear from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the status of the HEROES Act, a $3 trillion bill that will ensure states, cities, towns, public schools and public colleges receive the federal aid they need to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy discussed the bill’s implications for states, and AFT local leaders shared what their members are doing to ensure that the HEROES Act passes.
AFT’s upcoming webinar on getting back to work safely
A safe return to work requires an active and engaged union and the involvement of other key stakeholders in developing, implementing and evaluating pandemic plans. The health and safety of the workforce is top priority among the many important work-related issues unions will need to discuss with employers during this difficult time. Each constituency of the AFT has unique challenges and idiosyncrasies. This work can only be done when we have a seat at the table with the employer. We are a fundamental stakeholder in emergency and pandemic planning. Health and safety is a mandatory subject of bargaining. On June 2, at 3 p.m. EDT, the AFT will host a webinar, Taking Our Seat at the Table: A Primer on Getting Back to Work Safely. Our hope is that you’ll leave this webinar with an idea of your next steps and the basis for an action plan. Register to join the webinar.
All students should have the right to #LearnWithoutFear
For years, punitive student discipline policies and an increased police presence in schools have created a schoolhouse-to-jailhouse path that criminalizes minor classroom behaviors. Now, a group of Boston Teachers Union members is working in collaboration with community groups to establish a school district policy to disrupt what they call a school-to-deportation pipeline.
Outreach program to retirees provides a friendly voice from their union
In late March, the United Federation of Teachers’ Retired Teachers Chapter and its Retiree Social Services began an outreach program to determine how its retirees were doing during the coronavirus pandemic. The UFT has thousands of retired members in Florida, so the union launched its program there with plans to reach out to retirees in other states soon. “The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive,” says Lynne Winderbaum, who is coordinating calls in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Polk counties.
Education support staff worldwide face pandemic
In anticipation of the third annual World Educational Support Personnel Day, the AFT’s school and college support staff joined their peers from around the world to celebrate the work they do and describe the challenges they face amid the coronavirus pandemic. Hosted by Education International and featuring AFT Secretary-Treasurer Lorretta Johnson, the May 15 videoconference drew participants from about a dozen countries one day before World ESP Day.
‘How I tamed my family’s student debt’
Student debt in Sue Davies' family is complicated, with her own old loans, her husband's loans and Parent PLUS loans for her kids. Keeping up with it all seemed impossible, she writes in AFT Voices, and loan servicers were not helping. Enter Summer, an organization that supports borrowers and guides them through loan repayment and forgiveness options. Now free for AFT members as a member benefit, Summer helped Davies slash $700 from her monthly loan payments. She's even been able to retire and return to art-making—instead of increasing her work hours as a public school teacher, something she had to do when her monthly loan payments were higher.
May 22, 2020
Don't forfeit the future
AFT President Randi Weingarten implores Congress not to “forfeit the future” in her latest column, urging the U.S. Senate to follow House Democrats’ lead and provide aid to cash-strapped states, cities and towns. Such action would prevent even greater carnage from COVID-19. “President Trump has caused the country to lose ground in our fight to save lives and avert economic catastrophe,” writes Weingarten. “Congress has what may be its most important charge before it—to ensure that states, cities, towns and schools have the resources to protect lives, maintain essential services and restart the economy."
AFT Votes: All we want is a fair fight
During a May 19 telephone town hall on how to protect and extend voting rights and access in this presidential election year, AFT President Randi Weingarten told nearly 25,000 participants that the crucial question of 2020 is: “Will we have a free and fair election?” The discussion included Stacey Abrams, founder and chair of the Fair Fight 2020 voter protection organization; Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP; and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the Minnesota Democrat who ran for her party’s presidential nomination and is a co-sponsor of federal legislation aimed at protecting every American’s right to vote.
Obtaining PPE for members is union work
After a nail-biting five weeks in transit, close to $3 million in personal protective equipment arrived safely in New York City, and the AFT, which purchased the urgently needed gear, has begun distributing it to frontline healthcare and public safety members across the country. Darlene Williams, a leader with the New York State Public Employees Federation and a state occupational therapist, is helping deliver the PPE to our members in hospitals and residential facilities. Watch this moving video as she first sees the delivery.
Members fill the gap to support immigrant families
Two months into shutdowns forced by the pandemic, millions of working families are feeling the effects of drastically reduced work hours, layoffs and the highest unemployment since the Great Depression. But for the nearly 12 million immigrant workers suffering disproportionately from pandemic-related economic hardships, more help is needed.
To save jobs, they mounted a car caravan
Faculty and staff from colleges and universities filled New York City’s midtown May 18 to protest the elimination of thousands of adjunct faculty jobs and budget threats to the City University of New York. Led by members of the faculty staff union, the Professional Staff Congress, protesters drove cars and rode bicycles festooned with signs reading “Save Jobs” and “Save CUNY, the People’s University,” all while keeping a safe distance. With budgets threatened by new COVID-19 costs, some CUNY campuses may reduce this vulnerable workforce by as much as 40 percent.
Nurses rally to preserve sick leave
Hillsboro, Ore., a town 20 miles west of Portland, has been fortunate to be spared the worst of the pandemic. But nurses and allied healthcare workers at the town’s hospital—Oregon Health & Science University Hillsboro Medical Center—have cared for those with the virus. So when the hospital decided to stop informing nurses and other workers about confirmed coronavirus exposures and floated a plan to cut their sick leave and coverage during breaks, they were upset. On May 1, more than 100 nurses represented by the Oregon Nurses Association held a protest (with social distancing) in front of the hospital.
'My district was already in chaos—enter the pandemic'
“When the pandemic shut down our schools in Rochester, N.Y.,” writes PSRP activist Angie Rivera, “my district didn’t give educators much of a plan to work from. The district was deep in a fiscal crisis, with nearly 100 midyear layoffs already traumatizing our students. On top of that, the new superintendent resigned. Everyone was feeling the chaos. Still, it seemed like our administrators, teachers and food service workers knew how they could keep working—by providing grab-and-go meals, distance instruction and more. But the path forward was less clear for paraprofessionals. So we got creative.”
May 15, 2020
AFT releases student ‘capstone’ projects
Our union has published four sets of unique “capstone” learning projects for teachers and students to bring finality, excitement and a sense of achievement to a disrupted school year. The AFT’s Culminating Capstone Projects initiative aims to engage the 55 million K-12 students whose educations have been interrupted by school closures, providing them with a concrete assignment to focus on during the rest of the spring semester.
Town hall explores help for rural America
AFT members gathered May 12 for their ninth week of telephone town halls to discuss confronting the coronavirus pandemic, focusing on rural and small-town America. Before introducing the speakers, AFT President Randi Weingarten praised House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s relief plan, which would keep families afloat despite the highest unemployment since the Great Depression and make sure that essential state and local public services keep going. These programs are key to safely reopening the economy, and a new poll shows widespread bipartisan backing for federal aid to maintain these vital services.
Another wave is coming—we can't let that happen
Registered nurse Trung Le was the first frontline worker at his facility to contract COVID-19. In his AFT Voices piece, he says there are a lot of lessons to learn from his experience because a second wave of the coronavirus is coming. Now is the time to learn from our mistakes so that history does not repeat itself.
'I am a nurse, a DACA recipient, and I belong in this country'
“I started working as an intensive care unit nurse right around the time the COVID-19 pandemic hit Washington state,” writes Jessica Esparza, a member of the Washington State Nurses Association. “And while the numbers of infected patients are now decreasing at my hospital, which is about two hours outside of Seattle, I still have anxiety going into work. I’m a brand-new ICU nurse, so I worry about my patients’ health, and I’m also nervous about my own status as a resident of the United States."
Meeting online, PSRPs power up their game
School and college support staff proved again last week why they rank among the most essential workers during the pandemic. Hundreds signed up for a webinar where they shared encouragement and advice on how to deliver meals and lessons to students.
AFT calls on Senate leader to protect older Americans
The pandemic underscores the vulnerability of older Americans. That’s why the AFT sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, urging him to protect older adults, not punish them. “So many retirees depend on our pension benefits to lead an economically secure life. Anything that would endanger those benefits by removing constitutional and regulatory guarantees would diminish and impair the lifestyle we fought for,” says Tom Murphy, chapter leader for the Retired Teachers Chapter/United Federation of Teachers. “The Senate should enhance, not diminish, the economic security of retirees.”
Still rolling, reading and feeding
In McDowell County, W.Va., writes Amanda Fragile-Peyton on AFT Voices, meeting the needs of students and families during the coronavirus pandemic has been a challenge. But because members and allies of AFT McDowell have spent the past several years building strong bonds throughout the community, they were ready to spring into action. "In a way," she says, "the virus didn’t slow us down, it sped us up."
Find debt relief with new AFT member benefit
Find debt relief with new AFT member benefit AFT members, get ready to reduce your student debt. The AFT has partnered with Summer, an organization that helps borrowers with repayment and forgiveness options, and we're offering access to the service as a member benefit. Thus far Summer has cut student debt for AFT members by an average of $170 a month and $57,769 over lifetime loan balances.
May 8, 2020
AFT buys personal protective equipment for members
The AFT has purchased lifesaving personal protective equipment for members, in response to the steady plea for gear that will keep them safe as they protect, feed, educate, engage and care for the American public. We have launched numerous lobbying, advertising, petition and demonstration efforts to help them. But the need is still urgent, as a nurse tried to explain to President Trump in the Oval Office on National Nurses Day, despite his objections. To meet this need, over the last six weeks, the union has purchased 500,000 N95s, 50,000 face shields and more than 1 million surgical masks from 3M and additional overseas manufacturers to help protect its members fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Latest town hall dives into AFT’s reopen plan
AFT activists turned to each other Tuesday night for a deep discussion of the union’s new plan to reopen schools and communities, offering encouragement and calls to action during the seventh in a series of Tuesday evening telephone town halls since the coronavirus pandemic began. The call, which drew around 26,000 participants, featured a roundtable of five local leaders in addition to AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Check out the top 5 things AFT is doing during the COVID-19 pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, AFT members across the country are stepping up and becoming heroes in their communities. That’s why their national union has been working hard to support them and ensure they have what they need to do their critical jobs. From advocating for more personal protective equipment for our healthcare workers to providing educational resources for our teachers, here are the top five things we’re doing to help our members.
AFT passes wide range of resolutions related to COVID-19 pandemic
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the AFT’s executive council passed resolutions on May 7 that call for free and fair elections in the fall, protections for older Americans, and massive reinvestment in public services. “Securing Free and Fair Elections and the Right to Vote in 2020: American Democracy Is at Stake” calls for federal and state governments to take all necessary steps to ensure that the 2020 elections are free and fair. “Supporting and Protecting Seniors and Retirement Security in Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic” says that the AFT will support economic stimulus measures that protect the health, safety and economic stability of seniors and retirees. And in “Protecting Health, Safety and Economic Well-Being in the United States During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic,” the AFT resolves to advocate for an immediate, massive reinvestment in public services.
‘I beat COVID-19’
Registered nurse Baylee Klopfenstein wasn’t on the frontlines when her hospital started getting COVID-19 patients a few months ago. Her unit was told they we would never get the coronavirus patients because they didn’t have negative airflow rooms. Then, one morning, Klopfenstein woke to a call informing her that she had been exposed to a patient who had tested positive for the virus.
COVID-19 pandemic raises concerns about accurate 2020 census count
Robust participation and an accurate census count are crucial to AFT members and the communities where we work and live. The decennial count of everyone residing in the United States helps determine representation in Congress, and informs how federal funding and resources get allocated to states and localities for programs and services that are critical for schools, students and families.
As the new year began, the AFT and our community partners ramped up efforts to amplify the 2020 census to ensure a complete count. But by Census Day on April 1, the official beginning of the nationwide count, the country was in the middle of a massive shutdown to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Georgetown graduate workers win groundbreaking first contract
Graduate workers at Georgetown University have ratified their first-ever labor contract, winning significant wage and benefit improvements to help them weather the coronavirus, combat the spiraling cost of living in the nation’s capital and provide sorely needed job security in uncertain times. The historic agreement—reached on May 1, International Workers’ Day, and overwhelmingly ratified by 99 percent of the membership by May 8—is widely expected to become a model for graduate workers across the nation.
May 1, 2020
AFT launches landmark plan to safely reopen America’s schools and communities
The AFT has launched a 20-page, science-based “Plan to Safely Reopen America’s Schools and Communities.” It features five core pillars that should inform our decision to reopen the country, based on science as well as educator and healthcare expertise. AFT President Randi Weingarten says, "Our blueprint serves as a stark contrast to the conflicting guidance, bluster and lies of the Trump administration. The input of educators and healthcare workers, as well as parents, is crucial in making any reopening plan work. They are the eyes and ears, and are indispensable in making any plan work safely and effectively. We hope this blueprint will be the start of a real discussion on reopening schools, universities and other workplaces that allows our workers and families not only to dream of a safe and welcoming future, but to realize it.”
To protect workers, AFT sends a message: ‘Do your job, OSHA’
Workers Memorial Day, April 28, happened to coincide this year with the day the Occupational Safety and Health Administration first opened its doors nearly 50 years ago. The unfortunate irony is that OSHA, the government agency responsible for protecting workers’ health and safety on the job, is missing in action during the worst pandemic our country has ever faced. Frontline and essential workers are confronting the coronavirus pandemic without adequate protection and training—and it is killing them.
Thank a hero
Celebrate our heroes for Teacher, Nurse and Public Service Appreciation weeks this month. Enter, or nominate a hero, to win dinner from a local restaurant or free books for kids. Fifty people will win a $100 certificate to a local restaurant of their choice. Prize-winning entries are reserved for educators, healthcare professionals and public employees. Additionally, 25 winners will win a $100 gift certificate to First Book. Entrants must be from Title I or Title I-eligible schools to win. The promotion ends May 15 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.
Warren, Shalala join AFT town hall on reopening schools and needed aid
On the eve of the announcement of the American Federation of Teachers’ guidelines for how to reopen U.S. public schools, more than 30,000 AFT members joined AFT President Randi Weingarten, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Donna Shalala for a telephone town hall discussion of next steps in the coronavirus crisis.
Schools shouldn’t have to pay for this pandemic
The economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic threatens to devastate the state budgets that fund public schools, but a new report from the Albert Shanker Institute outlines a viable path to minimizing the damage. The report, released April 24, calls on the federal government to pump money into the system in the short term, while relying on states to secure funding and build up infrastructure to weather future downturns.
‘My vote should not cost me my life’
Growing up, AFT member Nyia Sallee heard older family members from Mississippi talk about how black people put their lives on the line to exercise their constitutional right to vote. She read history books about selfless men and women who had sacrificed their lives so that future generations—people like her—could vote. Never, in a million years, did she dream that in 2020 she would have to risk her life to vote. But that’s exactly what she was forced to do on April 7, along with hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin voters, after a federal judge refused to postpone the primary election despite the potentially life-threatening dangers posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Pandemic magnifies adjuncts’ precariousness: Here's what we're doing about it
Adjunct faculty already struggle to eke out a full-time salary from part-time positions across multiple campuses, and the coronavirus pandemic has only made things worse. One Philadelphia adjunct describes adjuncts’ anxiety over declining enrollments and the subsequent loss of work—and he describes how his union is helping, with workshops on unemployment, student debt and more.
Keeping school employees working: It’s good for kids and good for the economy
In normal times, April brings masses of tourists to Lee County in Southwest Florida. They come to play in the surf and sand of the beautiful Gulf Coast beaches. Tourism is the backbone of their local economy, which provides critical resources for public services, including neighborhood public schools. In a county where many students’ parents work in the tourism and hospitality industry, this is a tough time, which is why keeping school employees working is good for everyone, writes Jamie Michael, president of the Support Personnel Association of Lee County .
April 24, 2020
Heroes on the frontlines
AFT President Randi Weingarten’s full-page spread in the New York Times this past weekend was dedicated to AFT members fighting the coronavirus. The column is about how our country is handling the pandemic, and how, even with enormous challenges facing them, our nurses, doctors, orderlies, respiratory technicians, food service and grocery store workers, bus drivers, educators and more have risen to the task, putting their own safety at risk to care for others.
Partnership donating 10,000 books to homeless kids
Thousands of children living in New York City homeless shelters will receive free books as AFTBooks4Keeps donates 10,000 books to the Women in Need network, the city's largest provider of transitional housing for families. With the United Federation of Teachers, Win and First Book, the AFT launched this project to promote reading while the pandemic keeps schools and libraries shuttered. “These books were specifically chosen by Win and First Book staff for the children and families living in all 10 Win shelters to help them cope with the stress and trauma we are all feeling, to keep them engaged and safe inside their temporary homes, and to inspire a lifelong love of reading,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Governors join AFT town hall
With most of the nation in the sixth week of shutdown, more than 30,000 AFT members took part in a telephone town hall Tuesday to talk about what comes next as Americans begin to chart a path forward. The question, AFT President Randi Weingarten said, is “How do we reopen safely? First and foremost, it has to be safe.” Joining her were Govs. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.
Resources you need: Contract language and more
The AFT’s power in this moment is that, together as a union of professionals, we can help each other through this pandemic. Our resources cover everything from face masks to advice for custodians. Here’s a quick summary, including contract language on coronavirus leave policy, webinars about how to convert classes to home learning, opportunities to influence coronavirus policy in Congress, and personal stories from our members.
Michelle Obama energizes teachers, young voters
In the last election, only 1 in 3 young people eligible to vote did so. When We All Vote, launched by former first lady Michelle Obama, aims to increase voter participation in every election and make voting a lifelong habit. The former first lady this week hosted the first in a series of virtual events to help educators ensure their students register to vote. AFT President Randi Weingarten joined in the call to action for teachers and students.
Educators step in to help immigrant students
In recent years, anti-immigrant sentiment and expressions of racial hostility have become more widespread and extreme. For many immigrant and undocumented students and families, neighborhood public schools have become places of refuge and security. But with school buildings closed now around the country because of the coronavirus pandemic, educators say they are concerned about how these students and families are faring.
We are the helpers
Fred Rogers once said that when “scary things” happen—during crises like the coronavirus pandemic—“look for the helpers.” At the AFT, we are the helpers. From the nurses caring for COVID-19 patients to bus drivers delivering meals for children, AFT members are everywhere, helping to mitigate the impact of this pandemic. Read about our contributions.
April 17, 2020
‘I don’t want any child to go hungry’
Essential workers come in many forms: doctors and nurses, of course, but how about school bus drivers, custodians and food service employees? Yolanda Fisher, a cafeteria worker at a middle school in Dallas, describes on AFT Voices how she and a small crew put their own safety on the line every day to serve others. Public schools provide the only chance many students have to eat each day, so Yolanda and her colleagues are still going into work to ensure that kids have grab-and-go meals. For their efforts, they made the cover of Time.
New resources to fight COVID-19
COVID-19 and its aftermath will be with us a long time. Our union is continually updating its rich collection of resources on everything from face coverings to free food for schoolchildren in need. Here’s a sampling of what’s available, including contract language on coronavirus leave policy, webinars about how to convert classes to remote learning, opportunities to influence coronavirus policy in Congress, and personal stories from our members.
Jill Biden lifts spirits of AFT nurses
When nurses and home health aides with the Visiting Nurse Association of Southeastern Connecticut gathered for breakfast at the invitation of Jill Biden, wife of presidential candidate Joe Biden, it was a chance to see one another. “The breakfast was uplifting,” says registered nurse Ann Ryan. “It brought me to tears because it was the first time we had a chance to see and talk to each other in weeks. For a brief moment in our day, everyone was smiling. It was a celebratory moment, and Dr. Biden thanked us for our hard work.”
PTA joins our town hall on home learning
With the emphasis firmly on social and emotional learning, the AFT and the National PTA hosted a telephone town hall on Tuesday. The call, which drew 55,000 participants, featured experts on mental health, psychology and the science of learning to assist parents who are now teaching their children at home.
AFT Voices: ‘I need PPE’
New Jersey nurse Jose DeJesus writes that much of what you are hearing on the news is accurate: There isn’t enough personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers. Hospitals are in great stress right now because of this lack of equipment, and so are nurses and other health professionals. Read his gripping account.
Colorado must protect public employees
The world is facing an unprecedented threat in the coronavirus. As it sweeps through the United States, many events, businesses and services are temporarily shuttered to slow down the virus. Many of our members, however, provide critical services that must continue even in the face of a deadly pandemic. Rita Uhler is proud to be one of those members. She teaches offenders at the Sterling Correctional Facility in Colorado. Read her story.
Straight facts on face coverings
Every day, we must limit our exposure to COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that you cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face covering when you have to go out in public—for example, to buy groceries or pick up prescriptions. Cloth face covers may guard against spreading the virus, so the AFT has prepared a fact sheet for you to use and share. First, understand that when you wear a face cover, it protects others, not you. Second, know that adjusting your face covering, touching your face and, most importantly, relaxing social distancing will wipe out any benefits of wearing a face cover.
April 10, 2020
AFT slams new guidelines for frontline workers exposed to COVID-19
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidelines revoking the recommended 14-day quarantine for frontline workers who have been exposed to—and may be infected with—COVID-19. The AFT represents hundreds of thousands of essential employees covered by the CDC’s rule. “Hundreds of healthcare workers, emergency workers, transit workers and grocery workers have gotten gravely sick or died from COVID-19,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “The president’s actions will result in more sickness and death; his actions tell essential workers they are expendable, when employers should be under more, not less, of an obligation to protect them.”
Don’t blame Asian Americans
Asian Americans are facing a double whammy with COVID-19, not only hunkering down like the rest of the world and in many cases working on the frontlines of healthcare, education and food distribution, but also dealing with racist remarks and actions now being tracked by the Southern Poverty Law Center. In this AFT Voices post, Kent Wong, who is a vice president of the California Federation of Teachers and the founding president of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, pays tribute to Asian Americans working to keep people safe from the virus and calls President Trump to task for using the phrase “China virus,” perpetuating a historical anti-Asian thread that runs through American history.
AFT members on the frontlines
AFT nurses, healthcare professionals, public employees, teachers, school staff and many others are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our members are trying to keep us safe and healthy under extraordinary and unimaginable circumstances. Check out the AFT’s latest video honoring these heroes and heroines.
First Book needs donations, you can help
Longtime AFT partner First Book is one of four organizations that the New York Times’ Neediest Cases Fund has highlighted in a special COVID-19 relief campaign to support and “remember the neediest” among us during the coronavirus pandemic. Please help spread the word and encourage those who can to make a donation so that First Book, which distributes free books, school supplies and personal care products to kids in need, can continue to provide for those most affected by this crisis.
Montana public employees test for virus
Montana’s state laboratory is a hive of activity on a normal day, but since COVID-19 hit, clinical laboratory specialists have stepped up their game. The lab has initiated a new test and continues testing to support Montana’s pandemic response. Its highly educated and certified analysts are a public asset, and although few may know of them, they deserve many thanks for the work they do to keep Montana safe.
Joe Biden on our issues
Sen. Bernie Sanders ended his presidential candidacy on Wednesday, clearing the way for a general election between the presumptive Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, and President Donald Trump. The AFT endorsed Biden as the Democratic nominee for president. To see where he stands on the issues that our members care about, visit AFT Votes.
Share My Lesson webinar: Emotional self-care during uncertain times
Have you been riding a roller coaster of emotions lately? You aren’t alone. On Thursday, April 16, you can join Marc Brackett for a timely webinar on strategies to help make the ride a little smoother. This interactive session will offer research-based strategies to support your own and others’ well-being and decision-making, relationship quality and performance. Register now.
April 3, 2020
School closures underscore inequities in education
With schools in 47 states and the District of Columbia closing indefinitely, educators, students and communities are grappling with the uncertainties of the new COVID-19 reality. And as school districts look for new ways to teach the nearly 57 million students who are away from their classrooms, the coronavirus health crisis is exposing and deepening inequities that continue to plague public education.
After COVID-19, we will need greater investments in special education
Most educators are well acquainted with the phenomenon known as “summer brain drain,” the learning loss that many students experience during the summer break from school. Researchers estimate that students can lose an average of up to three months of learning proficiency in math and reading. For students with special healthcare needs and those with physical or intellectual disabilities, the losses from interruptions to classroom learning can be more exaggerated and harder to overcome, says Caroline Marney, a 16-year veteran special education instructor in Houston.
Joe Biden’s plan to fight the pandemic
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 plan takes a three-pronged approach to address the pandemic. First, the plan would ensure that all frontline workers have high-quality and appropriate personal protective equipment—and that they have enough of it and appropriate training to use it. Second, the plan would ensure that no person, whether insured or uninsured, would have to pay any out-of-pocket costs for visits related to COVID-19 testing, treatment, preventive services and any eventual vaccine. Finally, Biden’s plan would focus on the economic health of the country with the creation of a federally funded state and local emergency fund to provide leaders with the resources and funds to respond to the immediate health crisis and economic fallout. In addition, Biden is listening to the concerns of the workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response. Last week, he held a virtual roundtable with first responders. Two AFT healthcare members were part of that discussion which is available at AFT Votes.
Pandemic proves we need internet for all
The majestic beauty of the densely forested mountains that surround Saranac, N.Y., is what makes people fall in love with the town in the Adirondacks. But those same mountains also make it difficult to get sorely needed internet access, Wi-Fi and cell phone service throughout the region. Even in normal times, the lack of internet service is a constant and serious issue. With the COVID-19 pandemic closing down schools, it’s become even more clear how the lack of internet is affecting students and families, particularly students’ ability to access learning tools.
I’m on the pandemic’s frontlines: Testing notes of a swabbing nurse
A New York nurse explains why she accepted the call to go out into the community to test people for the coronavirus, despite personal risk. Dressed in full hazmat gear—double-masked, double-gloved and carrying red biohazard garbage bags—she and her team present a frightening specter in the neighborhoods where they take swab samples from children, seniors and everyone in between. “I see the crisis escalating,” she says. “PLEASE listen to the safety precautions. If you don’t and you’re incubating the virus, you’re going to spread it.”
‘I don't want any child to go hungry while schools are closed’
Yolanda Fisher has been a food service worker in the Dallas public schools for 27 years, providing meals every day for hundreds of students. Now that schools are closed to students, she and her crew of two food service workers get together in the school cafeteria four days a week to prepare and package 600 breakfasts, 600 lunches and 600 dinners.Then every Monday and Thursday, their day starts at about 6:30 a.m., when they get ready to distribute the meals to about 300 students in COVID-19 quarantine.
March 27, 2020
AFT proposes ‘capstone’ to finish school year
AFT President Randi Weingarten has launched an initiative to engage millions of students marooned at home during the coronavirus crisis with a capstone project to bring completion to an interrupted school year. Our capstone plan, unveiled on “CNN Newsroom,” would give teachers the option and latitude to work with their students on a specific project alongside other activities and assessments to create engagement and demonstrate learning. “This school year is not a wash—we’ve had seven months of instruction,” Weingarten says. “We’re holding out hope we can bring a sense of finality to kids and families and end this unprecedented year on a positive note.”
School nurses work COVID-19 testing sites
To slow the spread of the coronavirus, Connecticut closed schools March 13, which meant school nurses like Toni Pederson would be out of work for weeks. As fate would have it, however, the state established test sites at local hospitals, and nurses like Pederson were needed. Pederson and other school nurses represented by AFT Connecticut were hired to do testing at the drive-through testing center at Lawrence + Memorial in New London. In fact, members bargained for this role. “It is a great example of solution-driven unionism and shows how collective bargaining empowers members to apply our faith, strength and willingness to work together—the union way—to get everyone through this,” says local president Ann Ryan.
Crisis heightens need to address student debt
Already a heavy burden on the U.S. economy, student debt is an even bigger problem now that the coronavirus is shutting businesses and student loan borrowers are losing income. To minimize the damage, the AFT, in partnership with the Student Borrower Protection Center, is circulating information and tips to help borrowers through the crisis with tools like income-driven repayment plans and hardship deferment. The AFT is also working with lawmakers to ensure that substantial student loan relief is part of the coronavirus relief legislation.
AFT endorses Joe Biden
Acting on a clear mandate from the AFT’s membership, the AFT executive council passed a resolution endorsing former Vice President Joe Biden for president. After more than a year of member engagement on the endorsement process—with more than 300,000 AFT members nationwide participating in candidate events, town halls, polls, regional conferences and other efforts—new membership polls show strong support for Biden.
Higher ed reels from pandemic shutdowns
As the coronavirus affects people around the globe, college campuses are emptying and students, faculty and staff are struggling to adjust. AFT affiliates fight to close campuses where staff are still required to report to work. Others reach out to displaced students with no housing or food. Still others circulate resources to move classes online. The AFT and the American Association of University Professors’ set of guiding principles is one of several resources your higher ed members can use during this tumultuous time.
Worldwide unions unite against coronavirus
Under the aegis of Public Services International, AFT President Randi Weingarten last week moderated a videoconference of union leaders from 10 nations who offered their experiences and lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemic. Unionists agreed that school, healthcare and other public sector support staff are most vulnerable to the virus because their jobs require the most contact with people, often without the same healthcare benefits as other public employees.
Neighborhood schools do more than teach
As teachers across the country figure out how to teach their students remotely, many are worried about what’s happening to some students now that they can’t come to school during the COVID-19 pandemic. In AFT Voices, Cincinnati Federation of Teachers President Julie Sellers says a lot of teachers are concerned about kids who depend on neighborhood schools for their meals, clean clothing and mental health services. Fortunately, the community is stepping forward to help students in need.
Prevent viral spread on the school bus
Share My Lesson, the AFT’s free online resource for teachers and support staff, has gathered best practices from states on keeping the coronavirus from spreading via school buses. State departments of education have shared information with school districts about the latest developments on COVID-19 and bus safety, and are offering guidance for schools both with and without identified cases of coronavirus in their communities.
March 20, 2020
Confronting the coronavirus
AFT President Randi Weingarten had a disconcerting realization last week: The most accurate and trustworthy information we've learned about the COVID-19 pandemic has come from colleagues, governors, mayors and family members in the medical profession—not from the federal government. Our leaders must respond to public health emergencies with factual information and guidance about prevention and precautions, testing and treatment, and managing the long-term health, economic and societal impacts of the emergency. By any measure, President Trump has failed that test.
How our union is focusing on members' health
The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is spreading rapidly, and the World Health Organization has declared it a global pandemic. As clusters of coronavirus cases continue to emerge in communities where our members live and work—transforming daily life—the AFT is here to help you in every way we can.
PEF members keep their state alive
Public employees have always been heroes. Now they are superheroes. Like public sector workers everywhere, members of the New York State Public Employees Federation continue to provide vital services through the coronavirus pandemic that has gripped our nation, whether they’re doing the job at their worksites, working from home or even traveling house to house administering tests for the novel coronavirus.
Virginia cheers collective bargaining
AFT members in Virginia have won a new state law allowing school boards and local governments to engage in collective bargaining with their employees. This is a historic step forward for public service workers in the commonwealth. Although the law falls short of the original legislation, you can bet your last dollar that activists in Fairfax, Hampton and Norfolk will keep up the fight in next year's session to strengthen union rights. In the meantime, the unions plan to work with local officials to put this new law into practice. Hear what these members have to say in AFT Voices.
Hurry! Virtual Conference is next week
Register today and pick your sessions. Learn how to address issues like mental well-being for staff and students, responding to the coronavirus, and strategies to help everyone succeed via online learning. Plus, catch keynote sessions featuring AFT President Randi Weingarten, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards President Peggy Brookins and Learning Policy Institute President Linda Darling-Hammond. It's valuable professional development brought to you by your union, and it's free.
7 ways Trump is attacking healthcare
Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear yet another challenge to the Affordable Care Act. Let's be clear: In the absence of a real healthcare strategy, President Trump's plan is to have the courts strip healthcare from millions of Americans. Here's what you should know about Trump's plan to take away your healthcare.
AFT Votes: Who will fill Warren's shoes?
Fifth-grade teacher Matthew Tuttle, a member of United Teachers of New Orleans, speaks for millions in AFT Votes: "As a teacher, I know the importance of preparation. There are plenty of charismatic teachers out there who excel at walking into a classroom and teaching a lesson off the cuff, but the teachers who really impress me are the ones whose meticulous and thoughtful plans create a seamless learning experience. That's what I see in Elizabeth Warren."
March 13, 2020
Join our telephone town hall on the coronavirus
Tomorrow, March 14, at 2 p.m. Eastern, the AFT will hold a telephone town hall on the coronavirus. We will highlight what we know, provide our recommendations and answer your questions. Since January, in response to the coronavirus, the AFT’s attention has been focused on how to ensure the health and safety of our families and communities, particularly those on the frontline of this crisis. Now, since the World Health Organization has labeled the coronavirus a global pandemic, our attention must be on everything: prevention and precaution, treatment, and the short- and long-term economic impact of COVID-19 on families and communities. We have been working with experts for months on preparing resources and fact sheets for all our divisions. Sign up to join us Saturday for our information session.
St. Paul educators’ tentative agreement ends three-day strike
The Saint Paul Federation of Educators has reached a tentative contract agreement with Saint Paul Public Schools, ending a three-day strike. The union of teachers, education assistants and other support staff went on strike March 10 to secure vital student services. The strike was a last resort after nine months of negotiations and bargaining.
“St. Paul educators stood up for their kids—in the middle of a pandemic—to fund our future and get them the support they deserve,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “The district decided to play politics, but the educators would not be cowed. By striking, they achieved more social workers, nurses, intervention specialists, restorative practices, substitute teachers, wage increases and manageable workloads. At the same time, educators recognized the coronavirus was an urgent crisis that we must fight together.”
AFT responds to Senate’s rebuke of Betsy DeVos
On Wednesday, 10 Senate Republicans joined Democrats in backing a resolution opposing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ borrower-defense rule, following a similar measure passed by the House. DeVos’ rewrite, if left unchecked, would make it almost impossible for defrauded students to have their education loans forgiven, as permitted by law. “A bit of justice was served for the hundreds of thousands of people who have fallen victim to this administration’s practice of siding with predatory colleges over the students and veterans who attend those colleges,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “Defrauded borrowers saddled with college debt are struggling to afford homes, pay medical bills and move forward with their lives. We’re witnessing an entire generation scammed by fraudulent claims from schools that targeted veterans, people of color and other vulnerable communities, and we have an education secretary in Betsy DeVos who’s made a career out of refusing to help them.”
AFT Votes: Hear our voices
Since launching the AFT’s 2020 presidential endorsement process a year ago, more than 300,000 of our members have engaged. We’ve hosted 10 candidate town halls, convened regional meetings, held telephone town halls, conducted member surveys and organized a first-of-its-kind presidential forum on education. Now, AFT members are voicing their personal preferences for who our next president should be. Weigh what they say in your own decision-making. Then find out how to engage at AFT Votes.
New education budget signals a shift in New Mexico
In a landmark win for public school students and working families, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham increased public education spending by $216 million for the coming school year. With a 4 percent salary increase for educators, millions more for early childhood services and funding for tuition-free college, the budget, passed by a pro-education administration, shows what a difference elections can make.
Check out the latest issue of American Educator
The Spring 2020 issue of American Educator explores how schools and communities can bridge the gap for English language learners and students with interrupted formal education. With nearly one in four students in America speaking a language other than English at home, the role of teachers is more vital than ever in helping all students thrive, no matter their background. Also in this issue: the effectiveness of interleaving in math, education myths debunked, and the role of classroom teachers in the community schools movement.
Join Share My Lesson’s ‘remote learning community’
The AFT’s Share My Lesson has a new online community for educators, school staff, leaders and parents, as schools prepare for possible closures due to the coronavirus. The community offers free lesson plans and remote learning resources to address the needs of children who may have to stay home from school for prolonged periods of time, including ideas to help teach about pandemics. It also provides checklists and tips for distance learning and a discussion section for sharing helpful information and asking for advice.
February 28, 2020
Emergency coronavirus funding is needed
This week, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention needs at least $136 million in funding for the government’s efforts to fight the spread of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. While the CDC has already spent its $105 million rapid-response fund, President Trump is proposing a 16 percent cut to the CDC budget. In the meantime, the coronavirus continues to spread and has caused the stock market to plunge over fears that it could hurt the global economy. Misinformation is proliferating on social media about the virus, but the AFT has facts and resources to help ensure your workplace is ready for the coronavirus.
Fiercely hopeful, but clear-eyed
In celebration of Public Schools Week, AFT President Randi Weingarten published a new blog post about how educators, students, parents and leaders must work together to make our public schools safe and welcoming places where students thrive academically and emotionally. “Our public schools are not simply a place of opportunity but also one where we can embrace our diversity and forge a common identity,” Weingarten shared. “As president of the American Federation of Teachers, I visit as many of our neighborhood schools, and listen to as many of our 1.7 million members, as possible, to see and hear firsthand what is working and what obstacles they face.”
AFT activists lean in to support 2020 candidates
As AFT leaders gathered at the February executive council meeting, it was clear: A year since we started the AFT’s endorsement process, with the largest, deepest engagement with AFT members and candidates ever, we needed to step into the next phase of the process—the advocacy piece. More than 300,000 members engaged personally in our 2020 election work during the first phase. We heard from nurses, teachers, school support staff, bus drivers, adjunct professors, graduate employees, public employees and more from all over the country, and learned about their aspirations and who they connect with and trust.
SPFE announces March 10 strike date
The Saint Paul Federation of Educators has been bargaining with Saint Paul Public Schools for months now, working to secure real commitments for mental health teams for students in every school, increased support for multilingual families, appropriate caseloads for educators working in special education, and fair compensation for educators and school support staff. But with negotiations hitting a roadblock, SPFE voted to strike starting on Tuesday, March 10. We know that educators want what students need, and we stand with SPFE in its fight for more resources.
Help ensure an accurate 2020 census count
The 2010 census missed more than 1 in 10 children under the age of 5. If we don’t count children, the programs that support them—like child care, schools, health insurance and public transportation—lose out on funds for the next 10 years, an entire childhood. Because we want to spread the word that all children count, the AFT is partnering with the We Count! campaign to offer a limited number of English and Spanish We Count! books free for AFT affiliates beginning March 9. If you are hosting a census event, please contact mkline@aft.org to order books and tell us how you will use them in your school, worksite or community. For more census information and resources, visit the AFT census page.
Buy a brick to help build teacher housing in W.Va.’s McDowell County
There are just a few days left to make a donation toward our Reconnecting McDowell housing project in McDowell County. Renaissance Village—a brand-new multiuse building with apartments, retail and community gathering spaces—is being built in downtown Welch, W.Va. It will provide the county with much-needed modern housing for teachers, school staff and others—many of whom have to commute hours a day just to work in McDowell County. Ask your followers to help address the housing crisis in this rural West Virginia county and be part of this exciting new project by making a donation to buy a brick paver engraved with a message of their choice.
February 21, 2020
Learning shouldn’t be hazardous
Never has a U.S. president talked so much about infrastructure and done so little. In her February New York Times column, AFT President Randi Weingarten takes a clear-eyed look at America’s infrastructure crisis, focusing on the severity of the crisis in our public schools, from lead and asbestos poisoning to rainwater pouring through walls and pooling on floors, creating toxic mold. Please read the column and share it with your members.
Executive council votes on presidential support
Last night, AFT President Randi Weingarten hosted a telephone town hall with 47,000 AFT members who’ve been engaged in the union’s 2020 presidential endorsement process. The call focused on the executive council’s new resolution, which outlines our next steps in that process, encouraging affiliates to support, be actively involved with, or endorse the candidacies of Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders or Sen. Elizabeth Warren ahead of the selection of more than 60 percent of delegates by the end of March and before the union makes a national endorsement. Weingarten said: “While several candidates in this race share our values, three in particular—Vice President Biden, Sen. Sanders and Sen. Warren—have significant support within our membership. There is a real connection with these three candidates because of their record of working with us over the years on public education, higher education, healthcare, labor and civil rights.”
NYSUT tour spotlights lack of funding
New York State United Teachers leaders are crisscrossing the state this month as part of a seven-week bus tour documenting the impact of ridiculously small budgets in public schools from Long Island to the North Country. Stops on the tour spotlight the resulting woes: staff layoffs in Rochester, counselor shortages in White Plains, and bursting class sizes in Schenevus. In other places, school supplies run short, roofs leak, and art and music programs have vanished. NYSUT members are determined to stop this mess or bust.
Teaching and the legacy of racism
The AFT sent 15 members to the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Ala., on a professional development field trip this past October to inform educators of the legacy of racism in this country—from slavery to Jim Crow and over-incarceration—and to help them integrate that knowledge into their classrooms. Several participants wrote about the impact of the trip and how they’ll use what they learned to make their schools safer and more welcoming for all students. Read the profound reflections of Nelver Brooks here, and find all four members’ blogs about the museum in a special section on AFT Voices.
A giant step for collective bargaining in Virginia
A statewide push led by educators and allies last fall succeeded in turning Virginia blue. And now that our AFT affiliates in Fairfax County, Hampton and Norfolk have joined with allies in a statewide effort, new pro-union legislation has passed the Virginia House of Delegates and gone to the state Senate for consideration. H.B. 582 would let state and local public sector employees—like teachers, nurses and firefighters—bargain for better public services.
AFT Voices: Sick kids need school, too
Growing up, Vicky McClure wanted to be a pediatrician, and then a nurse, but ultimately she became a special education teacher in Chicago. A member of the Chicago Teachers Union, McClure had worked in special ed for nearly a decade when she was offered the opportunity to become a hospital teacher with the school system. Its Home and Hospital Instruction Program provides continuous instruction by a certified teacher to any student whose academic programs are interrupted because of physical or mental illness. “Sick students need support. Unfortunately, not all teachers know how to provide that support,” McClure says. For her, this care is second nature; she spent a lot of time in the hospital as a child.
Public Schools Week is next week!
To help you and your members celebrate Public Schools Week, the AFT has gathered the materials you’ll need at AFT All In, including posters, selfie signs, stickers, logos and samples of social media you can adapt for your schools. Events that our members have planned include a First Book distribution by Alliance AFT in Texas, AFT Michigan events with legislators, and a photo booth at the Ohio Federation of Teachers’ state convention, where members will post selfies tagged #PublicSchoolProud. Join in the fun, and thank you for everything you do for our members and students.
February 14, 2020
Ready, set, go! Take the public school pledge
Nine of every 10 students attend public schools across the United States. Public Schools Week, a national celebration happening Feb. 24-28, highlights the great things going on in our nation’s public schools and the critical issues they face. Join AFT President Randi Weingarten and other education, business and civic leaders, along with thousands of public education supporters, and take the Public Schools Week Pledge now! Be part of the movement to strengthen and fund our country’s future. Here’s a toolkit, with messaging and graphics for social media, to help you spread the word.
NYSUT takes the bus to fund our future
For four weeks, New York State United Teachers leaders have been riding the Fund Our Future tour bus across the state to amplify the dire funding shortage in New York public schools. From Long Island to the North Country, they are witness to jam-packed classrooms; teacher layoffs; staff shortages among librarians, counselors and other essential personnel; dilapidated school buildings; and cuts to programs like music and athletics. On Feb. 14, AFT President Randi Weingarten joined NYSUT in Syracuse to call for a $2.1 billion increase in state aid, and new taxes on billionaires to support it.
Five things to know about the threat to ACA
The Trump administration and 18 Republican state attorneys general are working to have courts strike down the entire Affordable Care Act. This would devastate millions of Americans who rely on the ACA for access to healthcare. The fate of the law is uncertain, and we may not know the full outcome of Trump’s attack on the ACA until after the election. We have to remember that the future of access to healthcare is on the ballot. Here are five things you should know about the lawsuit and what Trump’s plan to overturn the healthcare law means.
Active shooter drills are harmful for students
Last year, we joined with the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund and the National Education Association to lay out a comprehensive safety plan that combines carefully tailored gun safety policies with school-based intervention strategies, including proactive measures schools can take to prevent mass shootings. Now, since many schools continue to rely on reactive solutions, we have jointly created an overview of the detrimental impact of active shooter drills, as well as considerations and recommendations for schools that decide to include students in these exercises. In an NPR story, AFT President Randi Weingarten says, “Those terrifying and traumatizing drills—they have no basis in fact and they harm more than they have ever helped.”
Don’t take food from their mouths
Under new rules proposed by the Trump administration, about 3 million Americans would lose their food assistance, which in turn would cause up to a million children to lose their eligibility for free and reduced-price school meals. On Feb. 6, West Virginia public high school teacher and AFT-West Virginia Vice President Tega Toney testified before a House subcommittee about this scheme, which AFT President Randi Weingarten calls immoral.
Fighting for loan forgiveness
Student loans should help, not hurt, borrowers. We are pressing Congress to make sure that is the case, by urging members to vote against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ attempt to gut a crucial borrower protection rule—“borrower defense.” When this rule was initiated, it canceled federal student loan debt for borrowers who had been defrauded by predatory colleges—institutions that took their loan money but provided no useful education in return. DeVos has failed to stop illegal collections from these borrowers, but a new law could stop her. The bill has passed in the House of Representatives, and now it’s onto the Senate. Tell your lawmakers to repeal the DeVos borrower defense rule.
February 7, 2020
Why America needs the PRO Act
The American Prospect published an op-ed co-authored by AFT President Randi Weingarten and Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International President Sara Nelson in support of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act. This bill would remove barriers for workers and enable them to organize, form unions and engage in collective bargaining. Weingarten and Nelson stress that “Good labor laws set a standard for how working people should be treated in an economy where there are countless laws already on the books to protect the rich and powerful.” The U.S. House of Representatives passed the measure on Feb. 6.
A look back at DeVos' tenure as Secretary of Education
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was confirmed and sworn in three years ago today. Teen Vogue has published a list from the AFT, looking back at many of the things she’s done to hurt public schools, students, educators, school staff and our communities.
Philly schools’ infrastructure crisis comes to a head
AFT members’ push to heal sick schools in Philadelphia is being felt at the state level. The health emergency in Philadelphia’s schools is reaching such a point that the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has sued its school district, persuaded the governor to budget more than $1 billion to fix schools statewide, and this week proposed a union-driven solution to address an asbestos crisis that so far has closed eight schools. On Wednesday, AFT President Randi Weingarten joined Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry T. Jordan, local elected officials, parents, educators and students at a press event in Philadelphia to stress the urgency of the facilities repairs needed in the city’s public school buildings and to offer a solution to the asbestos crisis.
A proactive approach needed for coronavirus
Educators, nurses and flight attendants are calling for a coordinated response to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in the United States. While the Trump administration says the risk to the public is low, AFT President Randi Weingarten and others want the federal government to take a proactive approach to make sure people are safe. That’s why nurses, healthcare workers, educators and flight attendants held a press call Feb. 4 about the need for the administration to provide the most up-to-date information on the best ways to contain the virus. The AFT has put together an information packet for members that can be shared. In addition, the AFT’s Share My Lesson has a new preK-12 collection of lessons, news articles and safety tips to engage students in learning more about the current coronavirus outbreak, prevention strategies and the history of pandemics.
Cuts to SNAP benefits will hurt families, communities and children
On Thursday, West Virginia public high school teacher and AFT-West Virginia Vice President Tega Toney testified at a House Oversight Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy hearing on the Trump administration’s proposal that would cut off SNAP benefits for approximately 3 million Americans. Toney, a social studies teacher at Oak Hill High School in Fayette County, W.Va., detailed how food insecurity affects students academically as well as physically and emotionally. “It is difficult for those who have never experienced food insecurity to realize the devastating impact it has on families, communities and children. It permeates every aspect of every day to those who battle with it. That is why this proposal is so egregious.” AFT President Randi Weingarten also spoke out against the administration’s practice of cutting resources for children and families. “This is not just bad policy—it’s immoral. We will see the negative effects play out in real time, as educators, school nurses, social workers and healthcare professionals are on the front lines of the fight against hunger in our schools and communities.”
Members engage with presidential candidates
Since the launch of the AFT's 2020 presidential endorsement process back in March of 2019, we have hosted 10 candidate town halls across the country, held dozens of telephone town halls, conducted member polling and surveys, and organized a first-of-its-kind presidential forum on education with top candidates. We will continue to connect with as many members as possible in this endorsement process. More AFT members have had the opportunity to have a voice in the AFT’s endorsement process than ever before. As we move into the new year, let’s stay focused on issues, values and solutions. And let’s continue to speak up, speak out and be engaged. Find out about how you can get involved at AFTvotes.
Collective bargaining measure passes in Virginia House of Delegates
Yesterday, lawmakers in the Virginia House of Delegates passed H.B. 582, a bill to allow state and local government employees—such as teachers, nurses and firefighters—to engage in collective bargaining to negotiate better working conditions. “Today is historic. Public employees across the commonwealth will finally have a voice at work, and the ability to come together and bargain collectively for the things that actually make a difference in their lives and the lives of the people they serve,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. The bill now needs to go to the Virginia Senate and then the governor.
Art with a purpose
The latest Winter 2019-2020 issue of American Educator was an appeal not only for educators to take the climate crisis seriously, but also for students, whose futures are at stake, to stand up and make themselves heard. At Glens Falls High School in upstate New York, art teacher Susan Botch was listening, and she took the opportunity to have her students use their artistic voices to illustrate AFT President Randi Weingarten’s call for everyone—even students who are too young to vote—to speak out on climate change. See Susan’s post “Art with a Purpose,” as well as six pieces by her talented students, on AFT Voices.
January 31, 2020
Community is our responsibility
From our fight for school funding to our relief efforts after natural disasters, the AFT has a long tradition of supporting the communities our members serve. In her latest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten contrasts that supportive ethos with the neglect elected officials demonstrate when they abandon places with the greatest needs. While President Trump has yet to issue a statement about the earthquakes in Puerto Rico, the AFT is distributing food and supplies there. We're also helping turn around economically struggling McDowell County, W.Va., and advocating for repairs to schools like those in Scranton, Pa. “Elected leaders too often neglect their responsibility to help people have a better life,” writes Weingarten. “Conversely, my union and our members have made community our responsibility.”
Members respond to crisis in Puerto Rico
The earthquakes in Puerto Rico this month have done terrible damage. But they can’t shake our determination to be there for our fellow members in the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico—even if the federal government has failed them so far. AFT members and partners have raised more than $50,000 and donated necessities, including first-aid kits, tents and solar-powered lights, being delivered at four ports by members of the Seafarers International Union. We’ve heard what a difference it’s making—and we won’t stop. Of course, we also will continue to urge the massive relief effort we should be seeing from the federal government. Please contact your representative in Congress about an emergency funding bill the House plans to vote on next week. Finally, share these resources from Colorín Colorado to help educators and families support children after natural disasters.
Don’t panic: Share AFT resources on coronavirus
The first U.S. case of a new coronavirus (2019-nCoV), identified in Wuhan, China, was diagnosed on Jan. 21. The virus is transmitted from animals to humans, but person-to-person spread appears to be increasing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 100 potential cases of coronavirus in the United States, and officials expect to confirm more cases. Ask about infection control plans and occupational health preparedness plans in your members' workplaces. The AFT has put together an information packet, newly updated with a special bulletin for teachers and school staff, that can be shared.
Collaborate for culturally responsive education
In a world where students are more and more ethnically and racially diverse, many educators are eager to devise more inclusive approaches to teaching and student support. That’s why the AFT’s Center for School Improvement Leadership Institute this year focused on culturally responsive pedagogy to help educators collaborate with administrators, parents, students, and others invested in creating safe and welcoming schools. Participants learned to develop content, scaffolding and instruction that embrace students’ cultures and experiences.
Share lessons for Black History Month
From the AFT’s rich resource for educators, the collaborative and always-free Share My Lesson, discover Black History Month school activities and lesson plan ideas to engage preK-12 students in learning about key events and individuals that continue to influence and inspire American society. From Maya Angelou to Aretha Franklin, and from Elijah Cummings to John Lewis, check out this curated collection of free resources. You'll be glad you did.
January 24, 2020
AFT sues DeVos over predatory schools
The AFT is part of a landmark lawsuit suing the Trump administration for stripping protections from students at for-profit and career college programs. American Federation of Teachers et al. v. DeVos, filed in federal district court on Wednesday, targets the illegal repeal of the “gainful employment” rule, a measure that requires colleges to show that their students have found stable employment after graduation. The suit accuses Education Secretary Betsy DeVos of violating federal law by pushing through a repeal riddled with errors, putting students at the mercy of for-profit schools with a history of leaving borrowers with worthless degrees and tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
Supreme Court to decide if voucher programs must include religious schools
The U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether to strike down the prohibition on state funding for religious education. The case, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, examines whether public school voucher programs must include religious schools among those they fund. The AFT is among dozens of organizations that have filed friend-of-the-court briefs to protect the ban on religious school vouchers. The case could be “a virtual earthquake in terms of what will happen to religious liberty and public education in this country,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
AFT offers resources on new virus
The first U.S. case of a new coronavirus (2019-nCoV), identified in Wuhan, China, was diagnosed on Jan. 21. The virus is transmitted from animals to humans, but person-to-person spread appears to be occurring. Union leaders should ask employers about their infection control plans and occupational health preparedness plans. We’ve put together a fact sheet for members that can be shared.
Census will decide your schools’ funding
Maybe you’ve heard that California is in danger of losing a seat in Congress. Helping ensure an accurate census count is one of the most important things AFT affiliates can do to help their communities get the public services they need. An accurate count will determine how many congressional representatives each state has, as well as the allocation of hundreds of billions of dollars for public education and other public services. Learn how your members can earn extra income as census takers, and let them know they can sign up for free classroom resources about the census by registering with Share My Lesson.
Bargaining rights imminent in Colorado
After decades of heartbreaking misses, Colorado lawmakers appear poised to ensure collective bargaining rights for state employees—a move that would help alleviate a crisis in job turnover for critically important state services. New legislation spearheaded by Colorado WINS, a statewide affiliate of both the AFT and the Service Employees International Union, would allow nearly 28,000 state employees to come to the bargaining table and make their voices heard by negotiating a higher standard of living through safer working conditions, family-sustaining compensation, and innovations for the common good.
Oregon nurses have a tentative deal
Registered nurses at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis, Ore., reached a tentative agreement with hospital administrators on a three-year contract. The Oregon Nurses Association represents the 500 nurses at the facility. They have been working without a contract for six months and were in prolonged federal mediation with the hospital to achieve a fair contract that improves patient care and addresses chronic staffing and safety concerns. “This agreement is a big win for our community,” says bargaining team member and registered nurse Christina Terkildsen. “People from every part of Corvallis stood with nurses to make sure our hospital put patients first.”
AFT Votes: Time to engage!
Our members are at their most powerful when they take part in elections—whether it’s volunteering to get out the vote, running for office, talking with members or serving as a delegate to a national convention. With the presidential primaries right around the corner, and voter mobilization underway, consider what role you’d like to play in the 2020 elections. Here are some resources to help you get started. Find out more on AFTvotes.org.
Despite desegregation settlement, activists still vigilant
Hartford, Conn., families and education advocates reached a settlement this month with local and state officials in a 30-year-old desegregation lawsuit, Sheff v. O’Neill. While the agreement adds more than 1,000 new slots in public magnet schools across the region, it comes up short on resolving racial isolation in Hartford’s traditional neighborhood schools. Following the resolution, civil rights activists and union leaders warned against complacency in the fight for equity for students struggling with poverty.
January 17, 2020
Florida rises up for public education
The AFT’s Fund Our Future movement has been gaining momentum, with educators turning out by the thousands to win public school funding in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and West Virginia. Now, it’s Florida’s turn: On Jan. 13, the Florida Education Association led 15,000 public school supporters at a powerful and historic rally at the state Capitol, demanding more funds for public schools and amplifying the needs of their students. “This is a ‘which side are you on?’ moment,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said. “It’s time to make public schools the schools our children deserve—and the schools where our educators have the tools and respect they need for our kids to soar.”
Rochester, N.Y. teachers, staff rally in state capital
AFT President Randi Weingarten was in Albany, N.Y. Jan. 14 with the Rochester (N.Y.) Teachers Association, parents and community members to rally against the 100-plus midyear layoffs that will have a devastating effect on education in the city. They’re demanding that the Legislature fully fund the Foundation Aid owed to the Rochester City School District so that the district doesn’t use layoffs as a way to balance the budget on the backs of students and educators.
How we can help Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is suffering from a recent wave of high-magnitude earthquakes that have rattled the island, leaving the people and infrastructure devastated once again. Our union family in Puerto Rico, the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico, is working around the clock to check in with our members and their families, students and communities during these desperate times. AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus is there meeting with Puerto Rico’s secretary of education and helping to provide first-aid kits, Operation Agua water filters, solar-powered lights and other supplies. Members and supporters can help by donating to the AFT Disaster Relief Fund.
House slaps down DeVos policy on student debt
In a significant win for public education, the House of Representatives voted to strike down Betsy DeVos’ rule restricting student debt cancellation. DeVos’ rewrite of the “borrower defense” rule—a rule originally designed to help students who attended scam colleges and were left with mountains of debt—would make it almost impossible for defrauded students to get relief. “The House made it clear that we care more about defending defrauded students than enriching predatory schools,” says Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.).
Tuned in to the helpers: social-emotional and specialized support providers
As educators continue to agitate for more public school funding at strikes and rallies across the nation, the need for more social workers, school psychologists, school nurses and other crucial providers has become a common theme. The AFT is on it: On Jan. 13 and 14 we held a conference of these professionals, along with speech pathologists, community school facilitators, paraprofessionals and others, to understand better how we can support them—whether it’s through the fight for funding, professional development support or building community within their professions. “We’ve got to make [these jobs] as much a part of teaching and learning for children as anything else,” AFT President Randi Weingarten told the group. “If math and English are part of what kids really need on an ongoing basis, so is well being.”
January 10, 2020
Texas judge halts takeover of Houston public schools
On Jan. 8, Travis County (Texas) District Court Judge Catherine Mauzy issued a ruling temporarily blocking the state of Texas from taking control of the Houston Independent School District. “The state wanted to make a very quick and consequential move—which we contend is unwarranted and illegal—that the judge rightly said would cause irreparable harm if made prematurely,” says Zeph Capo, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers and Texas AFT. The decision is “a massive victory for the students, parents and educators in the Houston Independent School District and for the entire Houston community,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.“Judge Mauzy has temporarily stopped this abuse of power in its tracks and made clear that a state takeover isn’t actually putting the needs of Houston’s students and schools first.”
Weingarten says 2019 was about ‘resurgence of public schooling’
In a letter to the editor in the New York Times, AFT President Randi Weingarten points out that a Dec. 28 article titled “Year in Education: Stalled Test Scores, Increased College Costs” "misses what any educator would call the biggest happening in education in 2019: the resurgence of public schooling. From the fights for better teaching and learning conditions, the issues that were at the core of the teacher strikes in Los Angeles and Chicago, to the renewed calls for funding in state capitals from Austin to Indianapolis to Boston, educators—supported by parents, students and others—were on the streets fighting for the public schools our children deserve.”
Repeal the DeVos ‘borrower defense’ rule
Last year, the U.S. Department of Education released a new rule that would further hurt students already defrauded by for-profit colleges. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ rewrite of the “borrower defense” rule eliminates the possibility for group claims—forcing individual borrowers to come forward with evidence, a tactic meant to stop people fighting back together. The rule also imposes a new three-year time limit on claims. The DeVos rule guts protections for students to the benefit of predatory colleges. Congress is working to repeal the rule, and lawmakers need to hear from their constituents. Write to your lawmakers and tell them to repeal the DeVos borrower defense rule.
Washington nurses reach tentative agreement: ‘Solidarity got us here’
Nurses at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Wash., have reached a tentative agreement with hospital management. The nurses and healthcare workers of the Washington State Nurses Association, UFCW 21 and SEIU Healthcare 1199NW were on the verge of announcing an intent to strike when there was a breakthrough in mediation. After marathon negotiating sessions—33 total hours over two days—the sides were able to reach a tentative agreement. The tentative agreement includes key provisions sought by nurses, including enhanced language on staffing levels and workplace violence prevention. “Solidarity got us here,” said Nonie Kingma, a psychiatric nurse. “When we started negotiations, Providence was determined to cut our benefits, and refused to improve workplace conditions. Our members’ courage and resolve in the face of corporate pressure never wavered, and in the end we won a major victory for ourselves and the people who rely on Sacred Heart.”
Members will vote on the proposed tentative agreement on Jan. 16.
Share My Lesson’s top lessons of the decade
The AFT’s Share My Lesson team has put together a decade-spanning collection of resources that highlights some of the lessons that have made us especially proud over the years, as the SML community has continued to evolve to fit the needs of a changing world. See what makes Share My Lesson the place for educators to go to plan for the school year—and to get “Sunday night help.” This collection shows why Share My Lesson is the go-to website where teachers and parents can engage with one another and find solutions not only for teaching traditional subjects but for addressing the sensitive topics that society grapples with daily.
Not going to take it anymore
Longtime New York Times labor and workplace reporter Steven Greenhouse was finishing his latest book on the labor movement when he became riveted, along with the rest of the nation, by the groundswell of teachers and school support staff rising up against years of starvation funding for public schools. Although his book was almost done, he quickly added a chapter to Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor. On AFT Voices, he recounts how union members started a surge to reclaim their voices and demand that state lawmakers fund the future of our children.
December 20, 2019
Forum explores equity, opportunity
Public education took center stage during a forum in Pittsburgh on the 2020 presidential election. The nation heard from candidates Michael Bennet, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer and Elizabeth Warren at “Public Education Forum 2020: Equity and Opportunity for All” on Dec. 14. “What’s happening today flips the script,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “It is a paradigm shift because the candidates have a chance to listen to what we’ve witnessed from the lens of our lived experience. Teachers bear a huge responsibility for the nation, but they don’t have the respect or the resources they need.”
Rochester rallies to 'spare our students'
New York State United Teachers President Andy Pallotta, Executive Vice President Jolene DiBrango and Secretary-Treasurer J. Philippe Abraham, joined by AFT President Randi Weingarten, took to the bracing air in Rochester, N.Y., last night along with community members, parents and educators in a rally to "Spare Our Students" outside the Rochester school district headquarters. The board is expected to vote on the superintendent’s plan to slash staff in schools citywide, including about 150 teachers and 15 paraprofessionals.
Listen to the truth-tellers
AFT President Randi Weingarten’s final column of 2019 is out, and this one is about the importance of listening to those who can tell us things we need to know about our country. In the column, she says, “as the very foundations of America are being undermined, our teachers are also called to be defenders of decency and guardians of democracy. That is why it is so crucial that all working people have voice at work, in our democracy and in our elections.”
American Educator on the climate crisis
As more people experience extreme weather firsthand, we must ensure that students learn how human activity, especially the burning of fossil fuels, is causing climate disasters. In the cover story of the Winter 2019-2020 issue of American Educator, Daniel Shepardson and Andrew Hirsch explain how teachers can educate students about global warming and climate change, helping them understand what all of us—citizens, elected officials and policymakers—can do to save the planet.
Congress passes friendlier funding bill
In what may be a good harbinger, federal appropriations for fiscal 2020 include significant increases for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Title I, community schools, Pell Grants and the Special Olympics. The bill includes a repeal of the excise tax on certain healthcare plans, and language aimed at forcing the Education Department to hold student loan servicers accountable for exploiting borrowers. “In December 2017, Congress was handing out tax cuts to the wealthy. In December 2018, the president in a fit of pique closed the government for five weeks starting at Christmas. These were two years in which working families’ dreams and aspirations came last," says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “This appropriations bill is a sea change."
Texas retirees fight rules that cut benefits
Paula Cooper worked as a chemist in the oil industry before she became a teacher at 34. After working in the Houston public schools as a science teacher for nearly eight years, she learned that the Social Security benefits she had earned as a chemist might be reduced because she also would receive a public pension someday from the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Hers is one of more than a dozen states affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, laws that reduce the Social Security benefits of public employees. The AFT supports the Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act, federal legislation to address the offset of Social Security benefits for public employees receiving pensions, like the retired teachers in Texas.
November 22, 2019
Every American deserves healthcare
Affordable, high-quality healthcare must be accessible to all Americans without exception, says AFT President Randi Weingarten in her monthly column, where she advocates for universal coverage and possible paths to achieve it. Referencing the 34 million people who have lost friends or family members because they could not afford medical care—a heartbreakingly common story—Weingarten sees healthcare as a human right, not the commodity it has become in this country. And she warns against cynical attempts to make Americans believe healthcare is out of reach—even in the wealthiest nation on the planet.
House approves protections for healthcare workers
Nurses and other health professionals are one step closer to federal protection from workplace violence after a vote yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1309) will make healthcare and social service settings safer and more welcoming environments for staff and patients alike. The vote is a victory for the AFT’s health professionals who championed this legislation from the beginning. "Every single worker in this country should have the right to a safe and welcoming workplace," says AFT President Randi Weingarten, "no matter what job they do."
Union leaders ride the bus for funding
Florida Education Association leaders have been crisscrossing the state in a big red bus, meeting with teachers, support staff, students and community members, and inviting them to join the Fund Our Future campaign to increase spending on Florida’s drastically underfunded public schools. “We’ve got to start putting our money where our priorities are, and our priorities have to be our children,” says FEA Secretary-Treasurer Carole Gauronskas.
Lorretta Johnson rallies with teaching assistants
AFT Secretary-Treasurer Lorretta Johnson and Illinois Federation of Teachers President Daniel Montgomery joined teaching assistants in Decatur, Ill., for a rally yesterday ahead of their mediation session with the school district. They are fighting to ensure affordable health insurance for the 250 teaching assistants in the district, who have been without a contract since July.
Tearing down a barrier to teaching
Dozens of members of the Washington Teachers’ Union, threatened with losing their jobs if they do not pass the Praxis teacher certification test, recently attended an AFT-sponsored Praxis Boot Camp to prepare for the notorious hurdle to the teaching profession. The training, which included insider information from people who design and score the test, is one way the AFT is working to make teaching careers more accessible; another is the union’s efforts to address the test’s racial bias and ensure the test is relevant to classroom realities.
Model standards chart a course for family child care
To ensure that even our youngest babies get an equal start in life, the AFT has joined the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, one of the nation’s leading voices on the early childhood education workforce, to update national work standards for early educators working in family child care. These new standards, released Nov. 19 by the center and the AFT, can help child care professionals in home settings provide high-quality early learning under conditions that enable both children and their caregivers to thrive.
AFT Votes: Time to take action
Our members have an illustrious history of engaging in the electoral process—whether it’s volunteering to get out the vote, running for office, talking with members or serving as a delegate to a national convention. With another presidential debate right around the corner, and voter mobilization already underway, consider what role you’d like to play in the 2020 elections. Here are some resources to help you get started. Find out more on AFTvotes.org.
November 15, 2019
AFT sues Trump and rallies to protect DACA
Hundreds of thousands of young immigrants’ lives are on the line this week as the Supreme Court begins arguments on whether Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals—a policy that has protected qualifying young immigrants from deportation—will be allowed to stand. As AFT activists and thousands of other DACA supporters rallied outside the Supreme Court on Nov. 12, the justices inside took up three consolidated cases that will determine whether DACA will continue. The AFT is a plaintiff in one, Trump v. NAACP.
Houston parents and educators demand answers
The AFT has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Texas Education Agency for copies of all communication between TEA Commissioner Mike Morath or Deputy Commissioner A.J. Crabill and several charter operators and pro-charter organizations. The request is part of an effort to get answers about the state takeover of the Houston Independent School District. “To the educators and parents in this community, this looks like a power grab and an attack on self-governance—an attack on this community’s diversity. … This proposed takeover makes no sense if the purpose is helping children. We need answers on what’s really behind this proposed takeover,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “We have doubts whether this is really about student achievement or is this about easy pickings,” says Zeph Capo, president of Texas AFT and the Houston Federation of Teachers. “What we see is privatization instead of education being the driver of this decision.”
Graduate workers protest Trump anti-union rule
Graduate employees took to the streets Thursday in Washington, D.C., Boston and Chicago to reject a proposed Trump administration rule that would strip them of the right to unionize. Under federal law, graduate employees at private colleges are workers entitled to the same protections as others—including the right to join a union and bargain over wages and conditions. But instead of upholding the law, the president wants to overturn it. At a rally in the nation’s capital, grad workers hand-delivered nearly 30,000 comments to the National Labor Relations Board contesting the draft rule. They made the case that they are essential employees who grade the papers, do the research and teach the classes that keep their institutions running. Meanwhile, across town, Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) introduced the Respect Graduate Student Workers Act, which would prohibit the NLRB from enacting the proposed rule and ensure full labor protections for graduate student workers. Hundreds of grads also rallied at a NLRB regional office in Chicago and at Boston’s City Hall to resist any attempt to deny them their rights.
Kamala Harris wants to extend the school day
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) has introduced legislation that would keep public elementary schools open for 10 hours a day, to more closely align school hours with the workday. The Family Friendly Schools Act would create a pilot program to give schools funds to stay open during the entire workday throughout the school year, as well as to invest more than $1 billion to boost summer learning programs. “By investing in before- and after-school programming, summer enrichment and 21st Century Community Learning Centers, this legislation addresses a chronic and long-neglected problem: Too many working parents can’t access affordable care for their kids during the workday,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
As a candidate for president, Harris has also called for the largest investment in teachers in American history by proposing a $13,500 raise for the average teacher to close the teacher pay gap. She is one of 11 candidates who have taken part in an AFT Votes member town hall as part of our 2020 presidential endorsement process.
Chicago strike proves that, together, we can win
During the historic 11-day strike in Chicago last month, AFT members across the country joined with community allies and parents to stand in solidarity with the Chicago Teachers Union. Together, we showed tremendous support for educators and support staff’s demands for a fair contract that would meet the needs of students. We proved that united, through our union, we can win a better future for ourselves and everyone we serve because we’re so much stronger than we would be alone.
November 8, 2019
AFT Votes hosts presidential hopeful Tom Steyer
Democratic presidential candidate and self-made businessman Tom Steyer never intended to run for president, but he believes government is broken and he has a formula to fix it. “The government is working for corporations and not for the people of America,” he said during an AFT Votes town hall at Milwaukee Area Technical College on Nov. 6. “We have to break the corporate stranglehold on government and get the power for ourselves.” The event, hosted by AFT Local 212, which represents faculty at MATC, included AFT members and retirees from Local 212 and the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals. It was the 10th in a series of member events the AFT has been holding with presidential candidates across the country.
Chicago’s Triton College staffers on strike
Key staff at Triton College in Chicago went on strike Nov. 6,demanding the administration give them a fair contract that respects their work. Members of the Triton Mid-Managers Chapter of the Cook County College Teachers Union—who work in student advising, registration, testing services, adult education, financial aid and more—provide crucial support to students but are so underpaid that a third of them have left the college for higher-paying jobs. “The mid-managers at Triton are deeply committed to serving their students,” says Tony Johnston, president of CCCTU. “They are on strike to stand up for the working and learning conditions they know they need to ensure their students succeed, and the entire CCCTU stands with them.”
Elections matter: Union candidates affect policy
After this week’s elections scored important state-level victories for Democrats, including the election of Andy Beshear as governor of Kentucky, it’s worth noting another significant trend: As unions urge their members to become more active in the electoral process, even encouraging them to run for office themselves, the landscape of elected officials is beginning to change. More and more pro-labor candidates are winning, taking office and pressing for policies that reflect AFT values: strong public education, equitable access to health care, livable wages and other policies that support working families. Read more about how AFT members like Illinois state Sen. Laura Fine, above, are using public office to stop the attacks on labor and improve the lives of Americans.
Celebrate Native American Heritage Month
November is National Native American Heritage Month, and the AFT’s Share My Lesson can help your students explore Native American culture and heritage with free lessons, activities and videos on topics like the Code Talkers of World War II, indigenous music and dance, displacement of indigenous people, reservation life, and Native American environmental activism and resilience. Learn about history as well as current issues, including Standing Rock and the Dakota pipeline, threats to national monuments, and the controversy over sports teams’ names.
AFT’s Fund Our Future sweeps the states
In the face of a decade of education cuts, “fund our future” has become a rallying cry in states across the nation. This video shows public school advocates swarming state capitals and other major cities—from Austin to Boston, Richmond, New York and Baltimore, as well as the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.—demanding the funding their students need. “It’s important to get your voice out there,” says Felicia Alvarez, a science teacher in Broward County, Fla. “These elected officials do not know what it’s like to be in a classroom.”
Another affordable housing win for teachers
A newly passed ballot measure in San Francisco will give educators a much-needed boost by making housing more affordable in the notoriously high-cost city. The measure allows the city to build housing projects for teachers on publicly owned land and will likely be funded with a $600 million affordable housing bond. Housing is key to attracting and keeping a strong educator workforce, and it's central to the work the AFT is doing in McDowell County, W.Va., as well. There, union and education leaders recently broke ground on a four-story apartment building they hope will draw educators to the area.
November 1, 2019
Tentative agreement provides path for real change in Chicago
After months of negotiations and 11 days on the picket lines, the Chicago Teachers Union reached a tentative contract agreement with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. They were able to overcome the mayor’s initial refusal to agree to instructional makeup days for the school days lost to the strike—a disagreement that prolonged the strike for another day. Teachers, support staff and students returned to school Nov. 1.
Like so many of their colleagues across the nation, these educators were fighting for better conditions in their public schools—specifically, for smaller class sizes and more school nurses, social workers, school psychologists, counselors and other critical frontline staff.
Washington state nurses vote to authorize a strike
After a year of negotiating without contracts, registered nurses at two hospitals in Washington state have voted to authorize strikes. Nurses at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane held their vote Oct. 24 and 25, and nurses at Kadlec Regional Medical Center, a Providence-affiliated system in Richland, voted on Oct. 29 and 30. The nurses, who are represented by the Washington State Nurses Association, object to Providence’s plan to cut their benefits even though the multistate nonprofit hospital system is collecting record profits and giving extravagant raises to executives. They also want Providence to commit to safe staffing and improved working conditions that will allow them to give the very best care to patients and their families.
Biden releases his campaign’s labor plan
Presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden has released his plan for strengthening public and private sector unions and enabling all workers to bargain for pay, benefits and workplace protections. AFT President Randi Weingarten summed up the plan: "What Biden's plan understands, just like others', is that it's not just rhetorically 'We need more unions' or 'We need people to have more access to unions.' It is creating the structures and the policy that enable that. It understands the power that working people need to actually have an ability to change their economic standing, to bargain for higher wages, for better benefits, for a better standard of living."
DeVos’ response to NAEP scores ignores real issues
Results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation's Report Card, show a growing gap in achievement between the highest- and lowest-achieving students. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos blamed government overreach, school administrators and bureaucracy for American students' lower scores. AFT President Randi Weingarten had this to say about DeVos’ reaction to the test scores released by the National Center for Education Statistics: "Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos ignores the real issues that plague our classrooms and student achievement, presumably because they disrupt her political agenda to siphon public money into private hands and expand private school vouchers and for-profit school ventures.”
AFT members visit Congress, push for College Affordability Act
As members of Congress prepare to vote on a bill packed with policy affecting public college and university access and success, AFT members fanned out across Capitol Hill to talk with legislators about improving equity and funding for higher education. “House Democrats have stepped up with a proposal that meets the needs of the struggling and the striving by creating a genuine pathway to college affordability, revamping loan forgiveness so it is there for people who need it, and increasing the investment in colleges and universities—institutions that have long suffered terrible disinvestment,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “Together, this set of reforms will bring many families closer to the dream of a college degree without the associated crushing debt.”
Florida Education Association hits the road to ‘fund our future’
Last week, Florida Education Association officers and staff kicked off a statewide, five-week bus tour for public education. In coordination with local unions and community allies, the Fund Our Future bus tour will make about 50 stops at events and schools from Pensacola to the Florida Keys. The first stop was Oct. 21 in the Panhandle, and the tour ends in Orlando on Nov. 23.
October 25, 2019
Kitchen table issues fuel fight for democracy
Not since the Great Depression has the connection between “kitchen table” issues and democracy been more pronounced, writes AFT President Randi Weingarten in her latest New York Times column. Declining wages and skyrocketing healthcare, college and living costs are creating deep inequities, as the 400 richest Americans now own more of the country’s wealth than the bottom 60 percent—America’s working class. AFT members, like the educators on strike in Chicago, see those inequities every day and fight to remedy them through their union. “Such extreme inequality is anathema to our values and incompatible with democracy,” Weingarten writes, adding that all Americans must get engaged in the 2020 election to address the problem. “The fact remains that only ‘we the people’ can save our democracy.”
Weeklong Chicago strike continues
Some 30,000 Chicago Teachers Union members, Service Employees International Union school support services members, students, parents and allies flooded downtown Chicago streets during Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s budget address Wednesday, the fifth day of a strike that has shut down public schools in the city. Others prepared to be arrested during civil disobedience trainings on Thursday. They're all demanding that Lightfoot put her promises for student services, like social workers, librarians and smaller class sizes, not just into her budget but into the union contract, where they will be undeniably enforceable. The AFT has been a strong supporter from Day One. Keep up with the action on CTU’s Twitter feed.
New Mexico faculty vote ‘Union, yes!’
After two years of organizing, the faculty at the University of New Mexico have voted overwhelmingly to join the union.United Academics of the University of New Mexico will represent more than 1,600 part-time and full-time faculty across five campuses. The union will give faculty a much-needed seat at the table, so they can ensure increased transparency when it comes to university policy in areas such as equity, job security and stronger student supports, and address bread-and-butter issues like compensation, benefits and grievance procedures through collective bargaining.
Warren education plan a 'game changer'
As the AFT continues to engage members in the presidential election, and as candidates continue to address issues relevant to working families, this week the education plan released by Sen. Elizabeth Warren made a particular impression on AFT educators. The plan would quadruple federal funding for schools serving low-income students and would address desegregation, special education, bilingual programs and mental health services with billions in federal spending. AFT President Randi Weingarten calls the plan “a game changer.” “With a focus on equity and excellence for every child and every school, this transformational plan would … help us fulfill the promise and potential of public education as the foundation of our democracy and the great equalizer of opportunity in our nation.”
AFT civil rights conference inspires action
Surrounded by Montgomery, Alabama’s rich history of civil rights, participants at the AFT Civil, Human and Women’s Rights Conference Oct. 18-20 pledged to persist in the fight for equity, justice and democracy—for everyone, including and especially our must vulnerable populations. “We are on hallowed ground,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten, addressing a crowd of demonstrators at the Alabama state Capitol building. “While we stand on the shoulders of giants, we must not just stand. We must show up, we must fight, we must care and we must vote. … While none of us can do everything, every one of us must do something.”
CUNY faculty reach historic tentative contract
The Professional Staff Congress and the City University of New York reached a tentative agreement on Wednesday that boosts adjunct faculty pay by 71 percent, historic levels for this frequently exploited group of workers. The five-year deal covers nearly 30,000 full- and part-time faculty, adjuncts and professional staff. “The proposed agreement represents a turning point in the history of CUNY’s treatment of contingent faculty,” said PSC President Barbara Bowen. “It is a principled and imaginative contract that constitutes a victory for every member of the union—and for CUNY students.”
October 18, 2019
Chicago educators striking for what kids need
Chicago educators are on strike. Members of the Chicago Teachers Union, unwilling to back down from their fight for the schools that Chicago students deserve, hit the picket lines on Oct. 17. The members were joined by AFT President Randi Weingarten, who said, “Educators in Chicago want the same thing educators who have walked off the job all across this country want: the resources to give their students what they need.” For the last 10 months, CTU members have struggled to carve a path forward to a collective bargaining agreement that meaningfully improves conditions in the city’s public schools. The teachers and school support staff want the city to address student needs, and that starts with Mayor Lori Lightfoot making good on the promises she made during her mayoral campaign. Donate to support our members in Chicago and the community they serve. Write to Mayor Lightfoot to tell her: Put your promises in writing and negotiate a fair contract.
AFT Votes connects members with candidates
Earlier this week Democratic presidential candidates took the stage for a debate in Ohio, where they discussed healthcare, gun violence and strengthening unions, among other issues. Of the 12 candidates in the debate, seven have taken part in AFT Votes town halls. The forums have given AFT members an opportunity to meet candidates in person and hear about their stands on education, working families, healthcare and other top-line issues. More town halls are being scheduled. AFT members can continue to follow the issues and make their voices heard as part of the AFT Votes education and endorsement process. Go to AFTvotes.org to learn more. The more involved our members are, the stronger our collective voice is and the more effective our political role becomes.
Astoria, Ore., nurses reach tentative agreement with hospital
Nurses at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, Ore., successfully reached a tentative contract agreement with hospital administrators on Wednesday. The agreement comes after months of negotiations, an informational picket, a community town hall and a rally supported by the Oregon AFL-CIO. The Oregon Nurses Association represents the 135 registered nurses at CMH. The nurses say it was the strong community support that helped their efforts. “We could not have reached this deal without the overwhelming support of our community,” says Kelsey Betts, a registered nurse at CMH and ONA negotiations chair for the bargaining unit. “This contract is a big step up. It helps ensure CMH will continue to be staffed with skilled nurses, especially as the hospital looks to grow in the coming years.”
Making connections, making noise at the AFT higher ed conference
Faculty and staff unionists from universities and colleges all over the nation convened for the AFT’s Higher Education Leadership Conference Oct. 12-13, sharing ideas and laying out plans to defend not only campus workers’ rights but also the freedom of thought at the heart of academia. At a time when democracy is threatened by divisive leadership in the White House, truth and knowledge must be guarded more than ever, and academic voices amplified. “How does the professoriate organize its voice?” asked Mark Richard, counsel to AFT President Randi Weingarten. “I believe it’s the union.”
DeVos fails public service workers eligible for loan forgiveness
Last week, congressional Democrats released a report detailing how Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has failed public employees and everyone eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. They also sent a letter to DeVos demanding immediate action to address her department’s gross mismanagement of the Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. AFT President Randi Weingarten says that the report and the letter to DeVos make it clear: “Student loan borrowers are paying more than they should for longer than they should because the secretary and her gang have put the interests of student loan servicing companies before the interests of borrowers, protecting her corporate cronies’ ability to make a profit instead of protecting access to debt relief for people who need it. DeVos and her agency must be held accountable for the mess they’ve created and must work with Congress on a solution.”
October 11, 2019
Candidates spotlight top AFT issues
In the past few weeks presidential candidates have captured the nation’s attention with new proposals on issues the AFT’s working families, educators and healthcare workers care most about. Joe Biden’s higher education plan includes free community college and a Title I program for low-income college students. Pete Buttigieg has a plan for lowering prescription drug costs. Julián Castro is plugging a “Unions for All” labor plan to give workers more power in the workplace. And Elizabeth Warren’s labor plan bolsters collective bargaining rights, increases the minimum wage and expands worker safety protection. AFT members can continue to follow the issues as part of the AFT Votes education and endorsement process.
ASAP program doubles graduation rates at CUNY
Sometimes college students need extra help, whether it’s tuition assistance, money for textbooks, a metro card to get to school or a word of encouragement during a particularly challenging moment. That’s exactly what the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs gives students at the City University of New York, and the program has been a game-changer, helping otherwise marginalized students stay on track. CUNY’s faculty-staff union, which includes ASAP student advisers, is pressing for continued funding for the program, which has more than doubled graduation rates among participants.
Educators’ actions inspire striking GM workers
Union members of the United Auto Workers—on strike since Sept. 16—say they’ve been motivated and inspired by educators who went on strike at spots across the nation over the last year. AFT President Randi Weingarten joined some of striking UAW workers at GM’s Parma, Ohio, facility this week along with AFT Local 6570 teachers from a school just down the road. The solidarity is palpable: Not only are teachers there for auto workers, the UAW workers supported the teachers’ strike last February. And there’s another connection: Weingarten sent a letter to GM warning that any dip in GM stock, due to the strike, threatens teacher pension plans with holdings in GM.
Elizabeth Warren: Pregnancy discrimination is real
At age 22, Sen. Elizabeth Warren lost her teaching job because she got pregnant. “By June I was visibly pregnant,” she wrote on Twitter, “and the principal told me the job I’d already been promised for the next year would go to someone else.” Although right-wing newspapers and Trump supporters claim Warren’s account is a lie, their attacks have been debunked by several news outlets and decried by AFT President Randi Weingarten and others. Warren’s experience was not only real but is familiar to millions of women—especially teachers—who had similar experiences before pregnancy discrimination was outlawed. “This happened to women allthe time,” says Weingarten.
Graduate workers fight new anti-labor rule
Graduate workers are rallying on campuses across the country to fight a new Trump administration proposal that would strip them of the right to join a union. They are flooding the National Labor Relations Board with written comments and urging their colleagues and allies to do the same, showing that their work—teaching classes, grading exams, doing crucial research and more—makes them not just students but workers who deserve workers’ rights. “Graduate workers deserve respect for the work they do and the right to join a union, just like any other employee,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Paraprofessionals bring books and joy to students
It truly was an OMG moment—first, when the Springfield (Mass.) Federation of Paraprofessionals won a $30,000 OMG (Offering More Great) books grant from AFT partner First Book, and next, when thousands of kindergartners attended a read-aloud party held at schools across the city—and also got to take home free books. The Books for Kindergarten Joy program, a labor-management partnership by the paraprofessionals and the Springfield Public Schools, is just one way the AFT supports programs that help students and educators in all schools thrive. Above, AFT Secretary-Treasurer Lorretta Johnson reads the story of a Korean immigrant girl, My Name Is Yoon, to children at Boland Elementary School—many of whom come from immigrant families themselves.
Supreme Court considers LGBTQ workers' rights
On Oct. 8 a crowd of LGBTQ advocates and allies, including AFT members and leaders, rallied near the steps of the US. Supreme Court while justices considered whether it is legal to fire a worker for being gay or transgender. “As the first union to publicly support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, the AFT’s educators, healthcare professionals and public employees have fought for and cheered the civil rights victories over time that have enabled marriage equality, first based on race and then on sexuality, as well as many of the other protections now enshrined in law,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten, who added her voice to those fighting such discrimination. “We continue to stand against injustice and are proud that we have filed an amicus brief with the court in support of workers’ rights.”
AFT Votes: Healthcare, retirement dominate member forum with candidate Castro
A secure, decent life from generation to generation was the theme of questions put to presidential candidate Julián Castro during an AFT Votes town hall meeting on Wednesday with union members and retirees in Las Vegas. It was the ninth candidate town hall with AFT members. Castro spent most of the time conversing with members of the Alliance for Retired Americans about healthcare, not just for themselves but for their children and grandchildren. With AFT President Randi Weingarten serving as moderator, Castro talked about Medicare, the Affordable Care Act and retirement security.
Chicago educators announce Oct. 17 strike date
If there is no agreement between the Chicago Teachers Union and its school district by Oct. 17, there will be a strike in Chicago. CTU members overwhelmingly voted last week to strike, and they announced this Wednesday their unanimous decision to set Oct. 17 as the strike date. CTU members have been pressing the city to address students’ needs—in addition to issues of wages, benefits, evaluation, and preparation time. Current law prevents them from striking over issues like class sizes and staffing levels, but there is room to change the law, and these issues are so urgent they have become a big part of the conversation.
AFT President Weingarten responds to DeVos’ attack on teachers
Earlier this week, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos lashed out against unions in a speech at a right-wing think tank conference, saying she encountered “bullying” during her back-to-school tour, which she used to promote school choice. AFT President Randi Weingarten issued a statement hitting back against the accusation, saying, “Only a billionaire would fail to grasp that teachers want what kids need—and it’s through the vehicle of a union that teachers have the power to fight for them. Meanwhile, millions of borrowers drowning in student loan debt have been abandoned as Betsy sides with servicers rather than the people she’s sworn to represent. When you put privatizers over public schools, and lenders over students, we’re going to call you out.”
Fighting for faculty voice in New Mexico
Faculty at the University of New Mexico are fighting for a voice in their workplace, spreading the word that a union makes all the difference. As they prepare to vote on Oct. 16 and 17, they are unwavering in their conviction that an officially recognized labor union will allow them to better address crucial issues such as shared governance and transparency, fair and equitable workplace policies, faculty recruitment and retention, job security, stronger student supports, and a collective bargaining process that will give them a voice at the table when it comes to fair compensation, benefits and grievance procedures.
Check out the Fall 2019 issue of American Educator
The new Fall 2019 issue of American Educator focuses on the issues of race, ethnicity and identity, and on how we can combat bias in our schools. Whether they’re confronting intolerance or encouraging inclusion, teachers and the role they play in schools are more critical than ever. Given the rise in racist, anti-immigrant and hateful rhetoric infecting the public discourse, classroom conversations on responding to prejudice and protecting our democracy are of the utmost importance.
October is Bullying Prevention Month
For Bullying Prevention Month, the AFT’s Share My Lesson is highlighting resources designed to support teachers and paraprofessionals in addressing all types of bullying. In particular, these resources focus on how to create a classroom environment where we can address racism and stereotyping—topics at the forefront of our national dialogue. Spread the word about these featured preK-12 activities and articles, which also include ways to prevent bullying before it starts.
Win a Rosetta Stone subscription
The AFT's Share My Lesson is offering 20 free Rosetta Stone yearlong subscriptions, each valued at $99. Whether you want to learn Spanish, French, Arabic or another of the 24 languages offered, learn it on your own schedule and when it’s convenient for you. Entering for a chance to win is simple: Rate and leave a comment on a Share My Lesson resource from Oct. 1-15. You can rate more than one resource to get additional entries. Share My Lesson members want to learn from you, too, so your feedback will help improve the content on the site. Winners will be notified on or before Oct. 23 and must activate their subscription by Oct. 30 to receive the free yearlong Rosetta Stone subscription. View terms and conditions.
Sept. 27, 2019
Chicago Teachers Union authorizes strike
Last night, the Chicago Teachers Union announced that its strike authorization passed with 94 percent of the vote. Members could walk off the job and onto picket lines as soon as Oct. 7. They have been lifting up student needs for months, pressing for desperately needed services: smaller class sizes and more school nurses, social workers, psychologists, counselors and other support staff. “This vote represents a true mandate for change,” says CTU President Jesse Sharkey.
The false choice over ‘Medicare for All’
Ask any voter in the country and they’ll tell you that healthcare is top of mind, AFT President Randi Weingarten writes in Politico. Other developed countries treat healthcare as a basic human right, but in the United States, it’s a commodity—a highly profitable one for the health insurance industry. In the second quarter of last year alone, the top 85 publicly traded health insurance companies raked in a record $47 billion in profits. At the same time, the number of Americans covered by insurance is actually falling. It shouldn’t be this way.
AFT activists dive into endorsement process
As the presidential election inches closer and the field of candidates gets more competitive, AFT members are engaging, parsing campaign platforms, asking questions and voicing their priorities as educators, healthcare practitioners and public employees. Thus far, the AFT has hosted eight AFT Votes town halls in eight locations across the country, giving members the opportunity to meet candidates in person and hear about their stands on education, working families, healthcare and other top-line issues. Also part of the AFT’s robust endorsement process: surveys, debate parties and tons of information on AFTvotes.org.
Climate strikes push the world toward action
Starting on Sept. 20 and continuing today, cities and towns across the globe swelled with an estimated 4 million activists demanding their governments address the climate crisis. Led by students and supported by hundreds of groups including the AFT, these “Fridays for Future” uprisings, held in conjunction with the Sept. 23 United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York, are thought to be the largest demonstrations for climate action in history, and they underscore young people’s passionate commitment to saving the planet.
Grad workers hit back for right to unionize
Graduate workers are slapping back at a Trump administration plan that would deny them the right to unionize, calling it out as a blatant attempt to devalue their labor and muzzle their voice. The proposed rule, released Sept. 20, would eviscerate the National Labor Relations Board’s landmark 2016 Columbia Universitydecision, which found graduate employees at private schools and colleges were workers entitled to join a union. The proposal asserts that grad workers—who grade papers, do research and teach classes—are merely students. It would permit universities to profit from grads’ work while claiming they aren’t even workers.
Our union fights to save lunch for 500,000 kids
AFT President Randi Weingarten is strongly opposing a Trump administration rule change that would slash 3 million Americans from food assistance programs, including half a million children in the school lunch program. The proposal, Weingarten said in a Sept. 23 letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is “unjust, immoral and cruel.” AFT members include teachers and paraprofessionals who keep snacks for kids who come to school hungry, she wrote, adding that our members include “the cafeteria workers who make sure that every child has something to eat regardless of their meal plan status, and the school bus drivers who know which households might need an extra bag of groceries from the school food pantry. AFT members are on the frontlines of the fight against hunger in our schools and communities.”
Keeping pressure on Congress to curb gun violence
This past Wednesday, Sept. 25, marked the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims. Gun violence prevention activists gathered in Washington, D.C., to observe the day—including victims and survivors who have suffered the effects gun violence, those who provide support and counseling, and activists from groups like the AFT who are deeply troubled by the rising tide of shootings in our country. Watch video of their National Rally to End Gun Violence. Together with demonstrations and other activism nationwide, our members are pressuring members of Congress to quit stalling and pass commonsense gun safety laws.
Sept. 20, 2019
Hillary Clinton warns that democracy is in peril
Hillary Clinton headlined an all-day conference, In Defense of Democracy, co-organized by the Albert Shanker Institute, the American Federation of Teachers and Onward Together, Sept. 17 at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Her strong warning that democracy is under threat reverberated through her keynote speech as well as panel discussions and presentations with prominent activists, politicians and intellectuals. “The norms and institutions that provide the foundation of our democracy are under assault, and that includes the single most important fight of our times, ... the fight to protect the right to vote,” said Clinton.
Reviving rural America: Weingarten's latest column
AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times column focuses on rural and small towns that too often are abandoned when they struggle. She lifts up the AFT’s work in St. Lawrence County, N.Y., and in McDowell County, W.Va., where this month the AFT and its partners in Reconnecting McDowell broke ground on Renaissance Village, an apartment building intended to help attract and retain teachers. Weingarten reminds readers that the rural way of life is worth fighting for: “Our path in McDowell shows that communities that have been left behind can move beyond despair to hope. Reconnecting McDowell is about the path to a better life.”
Standing up to student debt: Teacher sues Betsy DeVos
Kelly Finlaw is exactly the kind of person who deserves public service loan forgiveness. She could not afford her teaching degree without student loans. She’s taught middle school for 14 years in New York City public schools. She’s made regular loan payments, filled out every form, made every phone call and jumped through every hoop. Yet her loan servicer denied her loan forgiveness. She and thousands of other borrowers have been misled and lied to by loan servicers, and that is why she has joined the AFT in suing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education. Read her story on AFT Voices.
AFT Votes townhall hosts presidential candidate Steve Bullock
Presidential candidate, Steve Bullock, the governor of Montana, met with members of the Washington Teachers Union in Washington, D.C., for an AFT Votes town hall on Sept. 19. The event was the eighth in a series of town halls that the union is holding across the country as part of our AFT Votes 2020 presidential endorsement process. Bullock, a strong supporter of public education, joined the presidential race just four months ago, making his announcement in a classroom at his high school alma mater. “I did it because of the public education that I received,” he said. “If done right, public education is one of the great equalizers. It gives every one of us a chance to climb the ladder of success.”
A personal plea to combat gun violence
Ray McMurrey, a teacher in Texas public schools for 18 years, has seen firsthand the impact gun violence has on students and educators. They’ve seen their schools turned into violent crime scenes in terrifying and unacceptable ways, he says in a new post on AFT Voices. During a Washington, D.C., forum, McMurrey, above center, advocated for universal background checks and urged Congress to act. “Congress can help, or it can continue to do nothing and allow children across this country to live in fear of, and die from, gun violence,” he says.
AFT members defend students and tribal culture
In exchange for taking land belonging to Native Americans, the federal government promised to care for them. But early this year, hundreds of AFT members who are both federal workers and Native Americans were caught in President Trump’s government shutdown. They are among more than 6,000 AFT members who belong to the Federation of Indian Service Employees and work in public services like education, natural resources and public safety, in places with names like Turtle Mountain. Now the prospect of a shutdown looms again.
Sept. 13, 2019
Public education should be an Election 2020 issue
The AFT is part of a new coalition working to make public education a core issue for 2020. The coalition, called Education 2020, targets “the need for a comprehensive system focusing on birth through career; equity; access to quality and affordable early childhood education; a strong K-12 system; access to postsecondary education; and investments in the educator workforce.” The coalition has released policy recommendations for candidates that outline ways to create equitable opportunities for every child.
West Virginia teacher housing hits a milestone
It began eight years ago with a heartfelt commitment to help get a rural American community back on its feet. On Sept. 9, the AFT and our partners met in McDowell County, W.Va., to celebrate the official groundbreaking of a four-story apartment building to house educators—the first new multistory structure in Welch in more than 50 years. “This is about more than just a new building. It’s about something even more important: hope,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said at the ceremony.
Join us for ‘In Defense of American Democracy’ conference featuring Hillary Clinton
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will deliver an opening keynote on the future of democracy at an all-day conference Tuesday, Sept. 17, in Washington, D.C. The event is co-organized by the Albert Shanker Institute, the AFT and Onward Together. Following Clinton’s address, a lineup of prominent activists, politicians and intellectuals, led by AFT President Randi Weingarten, will discuss how democratic norms and institutions are under assault, with a particular focus on civic engagement. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) will address the lunch session and former Attorney General Eric Holder will anchor the afternoon panel on voter rights and voter suppression. The event will be livestreamed.
Teachers and students call for action on gun safety
The AFT, Brady and March for Our Lives are calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to stop blocking gun violence prevention legislation with a full-page ad. The groups, representing America’s educators and students—two constituencies overwhelmingly affected by gun violence—are using the ad as part of a national campaign to demand federal action on gun safety legislation. The campaign also includes grass-roots mobilization efforts nationwide; regulatory, legislative and legal work to hold accountable those complicit in perpetuating a broken gun-safety system in America; and a massive effort to reform corporate and retail behavior on gun and ammunition sales.
After unfair hospital discipline, nurses refuse to be silenced
The University of Cincinnati Medical Center fired a union vice president for recording a union video on her break. The Ohio Nurses Association says the discipline was unlawful and an attempt to silence the union’s voice. Union members have been actively fighting for changes at the hospital, such as critical staffing, nurse retention, and rest and meal breaks for nurses. The nurses say the medical center’s actions to stop their momentum is alarming because their advocacy is focused on positive changes to the hospital. The illegal tactics employed by the hospital have only added fuel to the fight.
AFT supports educators at CBCF legislative conference
Black educators are crucial to the success of students across the nation, and the AFT is committed to ensuring they are able to thrive—by advocating for more accessible pathways to teaching and through professional development series like the one we organized during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., Sept. 11 and 12. The series, connected to one of the most influential progressive Washington events of the year, included workshops, a panel discussion and a political luncheon with members of Congress.
Uninsured rate rose in 2018 despite strong economy, Census says
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that more Americans are going without health insurance despite the strong economy. According to the report, 27.5 million people did not have health insurance in 2018, an increase from 2017 when 25.6 million people were uninsured. This marks the first year-to-year increase in the percent of uninsured since 2008-09. “This data makes real the lived experience of far too many people in President Trump’s America,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten in response to the data. “Despite our best efforts to fight for more investment in programs that help working people, this White House does the opposite, such as cutting Medicaid and taking money out of food assistance programs that help kids get lunch at school. At the same time, Trump furthers the social, ethnic and racial divides that haunt our communities. Our government should make it easier, not harder, for people to get ahead.”
Sept. 6, 2019
Together, we fight for a better life
Americans want a better future for our families and communities and a better life for ourselves, writes AFT President Randi Weingarten in AFT Voices. To be specific, she says: good jobs, high-quality and affordable healthcare, a secure retirement, affordable college, great public schools, a healthy democracy and justice for all. These are the bedrock values of the American dream, and now is a good time to reflect on our progress toward that future. Unfortunately, these aspirations remain out of reach for too many families. Read Weingarten's Labor Day message in AFT Voices.
Boston leaders speak out to Fund Our Future
Our union's back-to-school tour took AFT President Randi Weingarten to Boston yesterday, and as is true everywhere, a key topic was how local leaders are advocating for ways to fund our future through education and other public services. Among the stops was Snowden International School. Says Boston Teachers Union member Kiki McCarthy, a 12th-grade history teacher and proud Snowden alum: “We’re always doing what’s best for our students. We want to prepare them for the future. We need to invest in them—we need more funding for our public schools. They’re going to be the next change-makers.”
Activists made Walmart do the right thing
As our nation grapples with mass shootings, AFT President Randi Weingarten sent a letter to Walmart’s CEO, asking him to take action to keep our communities safe. Now, Walmart says it will stop selling ammunition that can be used in military-style assault rifles, discourage customers from openly carrying guns in its stores, and call on Congress to increase background checks and consider a new assault rifle ban. While our members’ efforts to end gun violence are far from over, Walmart’s action is a huge step that wouldn’t have happened without AFT members speaking out through rallies, petitions and other actions. "It's a big deal," Weingarten told NPR. "That's an important step, and it sends a message that something has to change."
AFT defends public service loan forgiveness
Yesterday, the Government Accountability Office released a report showing that the Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness program approved a mere 1 percent of applicants during the program's first year." Once again, Betsy DeVos has refused to do her job when it comes to the millions of American teachers, nurses, firefighters and public employees promised loan forgiveness," AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "It’s because of loan forgiveness debacles like this that we’re suing DeVos for her refusal to side with borrowers." Congress deliberately required simple TEPSLF processes, Weingarten notes, adding that DeVos "is throwing up roadblocks at every turn.” Hundreds of thousands of AFT members are eligible for loan forgiveness but are yet to receive it. Our union won't stand still for this outrage. And NPR delves into the whole mess right here.
Unions will play a huge role in 2020
In a national radio show, AFT President Randi Weingarten joins Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, in discussing the resurgence of unions and the role of labor in the 2020 election. Presidential candidates hoping to win the Democratic nomination have made rebuilding the middle class the central tenet of their campaigns. That means a central role for AFT members in the coming months.
Help students cope with natural disasters
In a sensitive time of recovery from hurricanes and other natural disasters, consider employing these free, simple and valuable preK-12 resources and lesson plans from Share My Lesson. The AFT’s curated collection of resources will help your members as well as their students, schools and communities cope with natural disasters and their traumatic aftermath.
August 30, 2019
This Labor Day, new highs for union approval
A new Gallup Poll shows approval of labor unions has reached a 16-year high, with 64 percent of Americans indicating that they approve of unions like the AFT. That’s a strong majority, up 16 percentage points since the beginning of the recession. And the approval rating is higher than it’s been in nearly 50 years. The upward trend is a testament to the AFT's efforts in building membership and the crucial work our members do in schools, hospitals, other public workplaces and communities throughout the country.
AFT invites members to the endorsement process
As the presidential campaign gains momentum and the field of candidates begins to narrow, the AFT is continuing to engage members in an endorsement process that relies more than ever on their input and feedback. From town hall encounters with candidates to debate-watch parties to online surveys of what issues are most important to you, the AFT has worked hard to keep members informed so you can help make the call on who the AFT should endorse during the 2020 elections. Together, the AFT, our affiliates and the members will help elect a candidate who shares our vision and aspirations for our nation.
Chicago teachers may strike over student needs
The Chicago Teachers Union is ready to go on strike. Like their colleagues across the nation, these educators are standing up and fighting for better conditions in their public schools—in this case, smaller class sizes and more school nurses, social workers, school psychologists, counselors and other critical frontline staff. They need more teachers and paraprofessionals and better services for students—especially students of color—who face high levels of trauma. “If we don’t make more progress,” says CTU President Jesse Sharkey, “This is a union that is prepared to strike.”
AFT condemns Trump’s policy to deport sick children
This week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it will be ending a policy that allows migrants to defer deportation while they or their family members receive lifesaving medical treatments for conditions such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, leukemia and muscular dystrophy. “First, he separated families. Then he threw children in cages without food, water or showers,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten, in a joint statement with AFT nurses and other AFT leaders. “Now, in his cruelest move yet, Donald Trump is signing death sentences by deporting children with cancer and other illnesses, and in some cases deporting the parents of their sick and dying kids, leaving children alone in their most vulnerable hour.”
Weingarten to Congress: Enact better gun legislation
AFT President Randi Weingarten is calling for the enactment of legislative proposals, including a ban on assault weapons, improved background checks and so-called red flag gun legislation, to reduce gun violence. “Tragically, too many of our nation’s schools and communities are being terrorized by the effects of gun violence,” she writes in a letter sent this week to Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who lead the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “We must work to pursue and implement commonsense solutions to reduce these acts of violence.”
California gets charter school reform
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced an agreement on legislation that would place new restrictions on charter schools, a significant step toward ensuring charter schools are held accountable to our local communities and all our students. “Since their introduction we have seen millions of dollars stolen from the public, we have seen a rise in segregated schools, and we have seen school district budgets decimated by the opening of charter schools,” says California Federation of Teachers President Jeff Freitas.
August 16, 2019
From Texas border to Mississippi chicken plants, AFT defends immigrants
The AFT is deeply involved in immigrant advocacy this summer: AFT President Randi Weingarten and Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus, along with educators and nurses from several states, traveled to McAllen, Texas, Aug. 14 to check on the condition of children in immigrant detention centers. Although they were turned away by border patrol agents, the activists distributed donations to a relief center. AFT volunteers also are helping reunite families and distribute food and supplies to people detained after the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Mississippi. “At the end of the day, compassion and dignity and decency should be the watchwords of the United States of America. That is who we are, and that is what we demand of our government,” Weingarten said.
Weingarten shares why #WalmartMustAct
CNN Newsroom and MSNBC both welcomed AFT President Randi Weingarten this week to highlight her letter to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon calling on Walmart to make communities safer. “Teachers care about kids. Eighty percent of teenagers are more fearful about gun violence than anything else in this country. We’re asking Walmart to care about kids more than guns,” Weingarten told CNN. The megastore itself estimates that it sells one of every 50 guns sold in America, and one of every five bullets. Meanwhile, AFT members nationwide plan to join Guns Down America rallies in their communities this weekend as momentum builds for commonsense gun laws.
AFT Voices: Kids need protein at breakfast
As we head back to school, Julie Holbrook wants to tell you what’s top of mind for her. A school food service professional and an AFT member, Holbrook works hard to make sure only the freshest food goes into her school meals—preferably, straight from the school garden and local farms. What is most important for our students, she says in her back-to-school post on AFT Voices, is for all of them to have protein at breakfast. A bit of lean protein—eggs, yogurt or cheese—powers kids for the whole day. It gives them slow, steady fuel and helps them learn.
Faculty sue to take back college presidency
Members of the Miami Dade College faculty are suing the board of trustees, accusing them of hijacking the process for selecting a new college president. The lawsuit is part of an angry campus reaction among those who feel the board wants to place a political appointee—one who may have little or no academic experience—at the helm of the largest public college in the nation. United Faculty of Miami Dade College won’t stand for it, says UFMDC President Elizabeth Ramsay. “We’ll fight back against the politicization of the search process and fight like hell to protect our students’ access to high-quality public higher ed.”
AFT Votes: Meet the candidates
The 2020 presidential campaign is already going like gangbusters, and our members are attending AFT Votes town halls to meet the candidates. Watch the third in a series of AFT Votes videos in which members describe their issues to the Democratic contenders. “We support the candidates who support us,” says member Cindy Lopez, a library media technician at El Camino College in California. “Real people like you and me.” The candidates, in turn, share their plans to reinvest in community programs and pay educators what they’re worth.
August 9, 2019
Leaders speak out after mass shootings
After mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, last week, AFT President Randi Weingarten, Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper, Ohio Nurses Association Interim CEO Kelly Trautner, and Texas AFT President Zeph Capo joined El Paso AFT President Ross Moore and Socorro AFT President Veronica Hernandez in releasing a joint statement. Weingarten said, “We are at a tipping point in America. In a country that has represented tolerance and hope for so many, the 250 shootings this year, on top of so many more in recent memory, have shown that no place—not schools, houses of faith, recreational centers, or locations where we shop and meet—is safe from hate in the form of a bullet from a gun.”
Taking a stand against white supremacy, gun violence
In light of the rise of domestic terrorism and violence, the AFT joined civil rights and community groups on Aug. 6, to denounce white supremacist hate and to demand that the Senate pass gun reform legislation already approved by the House. Activists gathered near the White House to take part in a rally hosted by the AFT, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, MoveOn, the Service Employees International Union and Voto Latino to call out hate and demand an end to white supremacist violence and gun violence. The rally may be over, but members can still take action. Just a few months ago, the House overwhelmingly passed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is blocking its consideration in the Senate. Write to your senators right now.Tell them to pass the House gun safety bill immediately.
2019 PDK Poll reflects trends seen nationwide
For the first time in nearly 20 years, the PDK (Phi Delta Kappan) Poll—a survey that measures public opinion about America’s public schools—has included teachers in its responses. As the AFT has been emphasizing for years, the survey shows that although parents support educators, teachers feel undervalued (half of them have seriously considered leaving the profession) and they long for more voice in the education decisions that impact their classrooms. “Parents and educators agree public schools need far more investment to meet the needs of kids,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten in response to the poll results.
AFT calls on Walmart CEO to act on guns
AFT President Randi Weingarten sent a letter to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon on Aug. 7, calling on the retail chain to act now to keep our students safe from gun violence. In the letter, Weingarten says, “given our nation’s incredibly loose and permissive gun laws (and the proven inadequacy of the existing background check system), we are asking you to do everything you can to ensure the safety of your customers, employees and the communities you serve every day.”
The power of collective action
In a recent “Ctrl Alt Right Delet” newsletter, AFT President Randi Weingarten has a column about the power of protests. She discusses how the protests in Puerto Rico, the walkouts in West Virginia and other states, and the strike in Los Angeles show the power of collective action. And a column by Jeff Bryant, writing fellow and chief correspondent for Our Schools, a project of the Independent Media Institute, looks at how teachers in Puerto Rico laid some of the groundwork for the recent protests during their fight against charter schools and school closures over the last few years. Our union sisters and brothers in Puerto Rico have consistently fought against privatization, corruption and the misuse of funds that were many of the underlying issues leading to Gov. Ricardo Rosselló’s resignation.
New England Patriots support #FundOurFuture
On July 26, New England Patriots players Duron Harmon, Devin McCourty and Jason McCourty wore red shirts that read “Fund Our Future” under their uniforms, showing their support for the Education PROMISE Act. In a statement for the Players Coalition, these athletes wrote: "We like winning. Some might say we love it. As much as we love winning in football, we also love to see our children winning in life. It is for this reason that this off-season we have made a dedicated effort to bring awareness to the ongoing push for equitable education in Massachusetts.”
August 2, 2019
Student debt puts a teaching career on hold
Part of the AFT's work to ease the student debt burden crushing so many members is to amplify exactly how this crisis is affecting individuals like Jorge Brito, who wanted to be a teacher—but couldn’t afford it. After earning the master’s degree he needed for certification, Brito had so much student debt that his teacher’s paycheck wouldn’t have begun to cover it, so he left the profession before he even got started. Read Brito’s story, just one of tens of thousands of tales about how student debt is crippling a generation of borrowers.
AFT Votes: Diving down beyond the debates
AFT members are tuning in to the presidential campaign season in myriad ways, from hosting debate watch parties to attending a series of candidate townhalls where members can hear directly from the candidates, ask them questions and share their views with them as well as hear directly from the people running for president of the United States. Check out the second of three videos we’re sharing through Inside AFT: You’ll see footage from our AFT Votes townhalls and hear direct messages from the candidates. This video features Cory Booker, Steve Bullock, Pete Buttigieg, Julián Castro, Amy Klobuchar and Beto O'Rourke.
Five things we’re doing to address the student debt crisis
Student debt has hit $1.6 trillion, not only restricting the lives of borrowers—preventing them from moving forward and, in many cases, from continuing their education—but also dragging down our economy. Easing student debt is one of the AFT’s major priorities, and we are attacking it in multiple ways, including online student debt relief programs, partnerships with presidential candidates to advocate for radical policy change, and lawsuits against Betsy DeVos and the Education Department for allowing predatory loan servicers to abuse borrowers.
AFT members demand justice during ‘Tax the Rich’ tour
As everyday Americans struggle to pay their bills and educators in particular wind up working second and third jobs to stay afloat, it’s especially galling that the super-wealthy enjoy huge tax cuts and corporations rake in more money than ever. That’s why the AFT backed the “Tax the Rich” bus tour this summer and members participated in this traveling rally for change. From the first presidential primary debates on June 26 through the most recent on July 31, the bus traveled across the country with the words “Tax the Rich” emblazoned on its side and the message, “When we tax the rich, we all do better.”
Trump’s racism turns off white working-class women
New research shows that many white working-class voters are reversing their support for President Trump: White women in particular are repelled by his racism and offensive comments, including his attack on people of color in Baltimore and on women of color in Congress. The research, sponsored by an AFT partnership with Democracy Corps, shows that while Trump’s intent may be to rally his base with such hateful rhetoric, it’s actually thinning their ranks. The Atlantic describes how the trend will influence the 2020 elections. “Women are not making excuses for him,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
A half-million children could lose access to school lunch
Educators are rallying against President Trump's proposal to change the rules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a change that would take away access to SNAP benefits—food stamps—from millions of people and cause 500,000 children to lose access to their free school lunches. Advocates, including the AFT, the Food Research and Action Center, and supportive elected officials, are fighting the move, submitting comments against the proposal and pressing for the support all children need to thrive.
July 26, 2019
A defining moment for democracy
Teachers have always had a huge responsibility for the next generation: to teach and nurture students so they have the opportunity to live fulfilling lives; to make our classrooms and schools safe and affirming; and to help young people develop the skills, confidence and sense of responsibility to be engaged citizens. At this moment, AFT President Randi Weingarten writes in the New York Times, the role of America’s teachers is even bigger—they are called on to be defenders of decency and guardians of democracy. That’s because, while our democracy has never been perfect, today its very existence is threatened.
Educators worldwide condemn racist tweets
Delegates to Education International’s 2019 World Congress in Bangkok unanimously passed a resolution brought by AFT President Randi Weingarten and seconded by National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen Garcia that condemns President Trump’s racist comments directed at women of color in Congress, telling them to “go back” to other countries. Unions representing 32 million educators voted to support Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). Only Omar was born outside the United States and they are all U.S. citizens. “Donald Trump fires off racist tweets and sickening insults without a second thought,” Weingarten said. “In so doing, he not only tears at the fabric of American democracy, but also foments and legitimizes a cruelty that is heard around the world.”
New contract raises bar for Ohio State nurses
Long before registered nurses at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus began negotiating a new contract, members of the Ohio State University Nurses Organization laid the groundwork for a landmark agreement. On July 11, the nearly 4,000-member OSUNO, a local unit of the Ohio Nurses Association, ratified a three-year contract that includes raises of up to 18 percent for most members, safe nurse-to-patient ratios and a phase-out of mandatory overtime. “Our nurses pushed the medical center to join us in raising the bar for our patients, and through months of collective action among our members, we were able to secure a monumental contract that benefits everyone,” says OSUNO President Rick Lucas.
Public school finances are showing signs of life
Since last year, when the AFT released a groundbreaking state-by-state report card on education funding, “A Decade of Neglect: Public Education Funding in the Aftermath of the Great Recession,” there’s been some good news: The badly eroded finances of our nation’s public schools are improving. In 2016, 25 states spent less on public K-12 education on a per-pupil basis, adjusted for inflation, than before the 2008 recession. Today’s analysis shows that in 2017, the number of states severely shortchanging kids had dropped to 21.
Faculty brace for cuts at University of Alaska
Faculty, staff and students at the University of Alaska are bracing for thousands of layoffs, and possible campus closures and program eliminations, as the governor forces an unnecessary 41 percent cut in funding that will change the landscape of higher education in the state. The faculty union is fighting to save what it can, but UA’s accreditor has warned it could lose accreditation if the cuts move forward, and the board of regents has declared financial exigency, which allows for broader cuts.
AFT and affiliates win big First Book grants
Students at Title I schools across the nation have cool and delicious treats in store for them over the next few months—and no, these treats are not coming from an ice cream truck or the local bodega. Rather, the AFT and upward of a dozen AFT affiliates from Connecticut to Utah have won hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of grants for free new children’s books from First Book, which announced the awards July 15.
Elizabeth Warren announces student debt relief bill
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) announced legislation July 23 to forgive student loan debt for tens of thousands of borrowers and, at the same time, help close the racial wealth gap. The new measure would eliminate up to $50,000 in student loan debt for individuals who earn less than $100,000 a year, providing relief to 95 percent of student loan borrowers and canceling student debt entirely for 75 percent of borrowers.
Our union hails Puerto Rico governor’s resignation
On July 25, AFT President Randi Weingarten welcomed the resignation of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello and called for a new era of reform for public services that puts the needs of the people first by rebuilding the economy and investing in public schools. “Gov. Rossello’s resignation is welcome and long overdue,” she said. “His tenure as governor has been marked by corruption, failure and an appalling lack of judgment. It’s time to move beyond the rancor and division that his administration created and heal the economic, political and social wounds he has left behind.”
June 28, 2019
Unity Center nurses in Oregon vote to unionize
Registered nurses at the Unity Center for Behavioral Health in Portland, Ore., voted overwhelmingly on June 19 to join the Oregon Nurses Association. Unity Center is a 24-hour psychiatric emergency room and behavioral health center that is run by Legacy Health. The 200 nurses at Unity Center have been working to organize with the ONA to improve community healthcare, create a safe environment for patients and staff, gain a real voice in decision-making, and ensure fair representation for workers and compassionate treatment for patients.
One year after Janus: Why we need public sector unions
It’s been a year since the Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court decision to restrict membership in public sector unions. On June 26, the anniversary of the decision, AFT member Tina Whitaker told members of Congress her very personal story about a very public issue: why public sector unions like the AFT are essential to maintaining high-quality education systems and building the middle class. Her experience in a nonunion state left her jobless and frustrated; her more-recent experience as a member of the United Teachers of Dade in Florida has made her a strong advocate for public sector unions. Belonging to a union has provided her with opportunities for career advancement and job security.
Reset retirement with a guaranteed pension plan for America
Running out of money in retirement is the top concern for Americans. It’s not surprising, when you consider that nearly 70 percent of people ages 55 to 64 have less than a year’s salary in retirement savings, an amount far below what they’ll need to maintain their standard of living in retirement. The increasing lack of retirement security and finding ways to solve the ongoing retirement crisis were the focus of a panel earlier this month in Washington, D.C.
Sanders proposes canceling all student debt
Sen. Bernie Sanders has announced a “revolutionary” proposal to cancel all student debt and make college tuition-free and debt-free moving forward. It’s the latest plan from a presidential candidate addressing an issue the AFT has pushed for decades—college affordability—and AFT President Randi Weingarten was on hand during the announcement, along with Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and several individuals who told their personal stories of student debt burden. “We have a crisis here of immense proportions,” said Weingarten. A tax on Wall Street transactions would pay for the plan.
June 14, 2019
Workplace violence bill passes House committee
Violence is a daily threat for 15 million nurses, healthcare techs, social service workers and other care providers, and there’s currently no federal legislation to protect them. This week the House Committee on Education and Labor approved H.R. 1309, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act. The bill is a historic first for federal legislation aimed at protecting healthcare and social service workers from extremely high rates of workplace violence. “Workplace violence is an epidemic in these industries,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “The people caring for the sick, injured and mentally ill are more than five times more likely to experience workplace violence than other workers, leaving them with injuries that can end their careers, or even worse. With this bill, we tell them that they are as entitled as any other worker in this country to be safe on the job—and prevention is possible. Safer providers mean safer patients—and better care for everyone.”
Alaskans brace for impact of severe budget cuts
Public employees in Alaska are bracing themselves for a wave of pink slips, and the University of Alaska is beginning to plan for at least a $5 million cut in funding as the state moves through the final stages of a drawn-out budget battle. Weeks after the state legislative session was scheduled to end, lawmakers finally passed a budget bill June 10, recommending $190 million in cuts—better than the governor’s proposal to cut $1.6 billion, but still gouging essential public services like education, healthcare and transportation. The governor has yet to sign the bill and could veto parts of it; the AFT and our affiliates continue to fight to preserve what we can.
NYSUT members push for school safety bills
School support staff from across New York descended on their state capital last week to support a package of laws that would make schools safer. With just a few days left in the legislative session, activists from New York State United Teachers are unleashing passionate arguments for student safety, meeting one-on-one with their lawmakers, writing newspaper op-eds and sharing their solidarity across social media. The four-part legislation aims to curb workplace violence in schools, place an attendant on every K-6 school bus, install stop-arm cameras on buses, and establish due process and fair labor protections.
Fighting a "sham" education bill in West Virginia
On Wednesday, AFT President Randi Weingarten went to West Virginia to fight an education bill that prohibits teachers from striking and creates a pathway to allow the state’s first charter schools. This measure is widely seen as retaliation against West Virginia educators who went on strike twice during the past year, fighting for more resources for their classrooms and better investment in public schools. Weingarten, speaking to Senate Republicans, called the bill “a mockery” and “a sham,” accused legislators of ignoring the wishes of the public and described the bill as “destabilizing public education, siphoning off money to charters that no one wants here and retaliating against teachers who fought for the investment for their children.”
Public employees score wins on privatization
That old wolf in sheep’s clothing, privatization, is still menacing public services. Leaders from across the nation representing members of AFT Public Employees swapped strategies on overcoming privatization at their program and policy council meeting in May. Discussion topics included fending off attempts to privatize public services and restraining public pension funds that try to invest in anti-union private prison corporations. Listen in on these conversations.
Remembering Anne Frank on Her 90th Birthday
Anne Frank has brought home the impact of the Holocaust for countless students, and her birthday, June 12, presents another opportunity to bring that lesson to the next generation. Share My Lesson’s Holocaust remembrance collection features a rich array of resources, from lessons on the early rise of fascism to the persistence of anti-Semitism today. And there are guides to teaching about the individuals who bring this period to life, including Anne Frank, Oskar Schindler (of Schindler’s List) and others.
New Educator addresses trauma-exposed students
The new Summer 2019 issue of American Educator highlights the need to support students with adverse childhood experiences and explores how educators and schools can help. Seven articles in the issue provide an overview of this complex topic and suggest ways teachers can build caring relationships with trauma-exposed students. Also in this issue: the importance of understanding the basic science of how children learn and how oral language competence relates to classroom behavior.
June 7, 2019
Chicago graduate employees hit the picket line
University of Chicago graduate workers have held walkouts and work-ins, petitioned university administrators and appealed to alumni, pressing resistant university administrators to recognize their union. On June 5 the grads escalated to a third day on the picket line, demanding that, nearly two years after they officially formed Graduate Students United, the university stop ignoring them and grant them status for collective bargaining, grievances and all the other rights of union workers.
House passes the Dream and Promise Act
On June 4 all Democrats and seven Republicans in the House of Representatives passed the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which would grant “Dreamers”—some young immigrants living in the United States who were brought here as children—10 years of legal residence status if they meet certain requirements. They would then receive permanent green cards after completing at least two years of higher education or military service, or after working for three years. The AFT has been a strong supporter of this important legislation to help protect immigrants with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status or temporary protected status, or who have been granted deferred enforced departure. Many of these people are AFT members working in public schools or are among the families and communities we serve.
Trump administration to cancel critical resources for minors in migrant shelters
This week the Trump administration announced it would be canceling English classes, recreational programs and legal aid for unaccompanied minors staying in federal migrant shelters nationwide. This decision violates the settlement in Flores v. Reno, which provided that detained children must have access to things like education services, English language training, recreation time and social work staff. AFT President Randi Weingarten says, “This is a cruel, craven and illegal move. Kids who have been separated from their parents, caged and dehumanized, did not cause their circumstances—yet this administration insists on treating them with blatant and inhuman disregard.”
W.Va. educators could lose their right to strike
In West Virginia, the state Senate recently approved Senate Bill 1039, an omnibus education bill that forbids teachers from striking and creates a pathway to allow the state’s first charter schools. This measure is seen by many as retaliation against West Virginia educators who went on strike twice during the past year, fighting for more resources for their classrooms and better investment in public schools. “This smells really, really bad, and you can see that this is completely a power play,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “They could not get this done in sunlight, so they are doing everything in their power to hurt the people who have kids’ best interests in mind.”
Disaster relief is on the way
Despite earlier objections from Republicans, the House of Representatives approved a $19.1 billion disaster aid package on June 4, and the president signed the bill into law on June 6. Last month, AFT member Alexis Underwood was one of many people who came to Washington, D.C., to call on Congress to pass this legislation. Underwood’s Florida community was hit hard by Hurricane Michael last October. “As a classroom teacher,” she explained, “I see my students and their families with ongoing housing, nutrition and mental health needs as a result of this disaster. As we continue to struggle to repair our property and our lives, we desperately need financial help from the federal government to do so.”
Fed up with unsafe staffing, nurses are organizing for change
The battle over nurse staffing has heated up in several states in the last year. In Toledo, Ohio, nurses fed up with short staffing at their hospital are on strike. And in New York, more than 10,000 nurses threatened to strike over staffing at three of the state’s biggest hospital systems. Those nurses won a groundbreaking contract in May that includes the initial hiring of 1,500 new nurses to fill current vacancies and an additional $100 million to hire nurses for newly added full-time positions. Nurses are organizing and taking a stand to demand safe staffing because they know that limiting the number of patients they care for at one time makes a difference in their ability to do their jobs effectively.
Pride Month LGBTQ lesson plans
June is Pride Month, and it’s a good time to make sure classrooms are safe and welcoming places for all students. Explore Share My Lesson’s collection of preK-12 free lessons, activities and resources to make a difference for LGBTQ families in your school and community.
May 31, 2019
Weingarten, Biden hold town hall with members
AFT President Randi Weingarten brought former Vice President Joe Biden to Houston this week for a town hall with AFT members, where Biden announced his new education platform. He promised to triple federal spending on high-poverty districts, double the number of school psychologists and health professionals, boost teacher pay and provide universal preschool. Hundreds of members asked about his policies, ranging from support for paraprofessionals to healthcare access. Biden also is the latest candidate to take on for-profit charter schools, saying he wants to ensure charters are open to all and don’t siphon money from public schools. His plan is “the kind of muscular investment we urgently need to meet the needs of America’s kids,” Weingarten says. This was the sixth #AFTvotes town hall in our 2020 endorsement process. It can be watched online.
Teacher skips White House, stands up for kids
Minnesota Teacher of the Year Kelly Holstine was invited to the White House with the rest of the nation’s award-winning teachers, but she declined: She couldn’t, in good conscience, enter the home of a president and visit with members of an administration, including Vice President Mike Pence and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, whose policies and words have done so much damage to people like the marginalized students she teaches at an alternative school in Shakopee, Minn. Holstine’s boycott has drawn enraged emails and even death threats. But she stood her ground. She explains on AFT Voices why it’s important to stand up for students.
Behavior techs launch groundbreaking union
Thirty behavior technicians and administrative staff at the Portland-East Center for Autism and Related Disorders in Oregon have voted decisively to form a union with the AFT-affiliated Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals. The Center for Autism and Related Disorders has more than 230 locations nationwide and claims to be the largest provider of autism services in the world. With last week’s vote, workers at the Portland-East location are breaking new ground with their successful union election.
Educators amplify their activism on Capitol Hill
Yesterday, educators brought the story of their resistance—the strikes, marches, rallies and election activism—to the halls of Congress, as teachers described their successes on a panel hosted by the Congressional Progressive Caucus. They spoke about the dramatic strides they’ve made by speaking out about poorly funded schools and unacceptable learning conditions, and by electing leaders who value public education. “If I can use my voice to carry our message, then I am more than happy to do it,” said Georgia Flowers Lee, a special education teacher and United Teachers Los Angeles board member. “Our voices matter.”
Make their only ‘summer slide’ a waterslide
Keep your school district’s K-12 students reading all summer long with this best-of reading collection from Share My Lesson. From book lists to engaging literacy activities for all ages, abilities and backgrounds, this curated collection is one your members can use to help students avoid the “summer slide” and re-energize their interest in reading. For related resources, follow SML partner Storyline Online and SML member IMKessel.
Illinois puts fair taxes on 2020 ballot
The Illinois House of Representatives has approved a constitutional amendment that will ask voters if the state’s flat tax structure for income taxes should be abolished. Monday’s action will let Illinois voters decide in November 2020 whether to reject the current flat tax, setting the stage to adopt progressive tax rates for taxpayers making at least $250,000 a year. If passed, the fair tax structure is expected to raise about $3 billion for public services. This legislation is a cornerstone of the Illinois Federation of Teachers’ Fund Our Future campaign.
May 24, 2019
Investing in the schools our children deserve
Although the thousands of educators who went on strike this year have put down their picket signs, they are continuing the fight for sustainable investments in public schools by advocating for long-term legislation and pushing for better funding policy, writes AFT President Randi Weingarten in her latest New York Times op-ed. Now they have public support in their fight for bills and initiatives such as Measure EE, which would generate $500 million every year for Los Angeles schools, to lower class sizes and hire more psychologists, social workers and other necessary staff.
AFT executive council passes human rights resolutions
The AFT executive council passed three resolutions related to human rights at its May meeting. One resolution, titled “Stop Bans on Abortion and Support Women’s Healthcare and Rights,” recognizes that Alabama’s law is just one of several highly restrictive abortion bills passed in recent weeks; the AFT resolves to oppose these laws and encourage members to support grass-roots organizations fighting laws like these. In another resolution, opposing anti-Muslim bigotry, discrimination and violence, the AFT commits to standing up to the climate of intolerance and affirms our solidarity with Muslims in our ranks, and with the Muslim students, patients and citizens we serve. A third resolution addresses the political crisis in Venezuela, opposing any military intervention and calling for the urgent humanitarian needs of Venezuelans to be met as quickly as possible, without regard to politics.
Chicago teachers rally for a fair contract
AFT President Randi Weingarten joined members of the Chicago Teachers Union, parents, students and community members for a rally in Chicago on May 22, to demand that the city make the promise for educational equity real. With a new mayor, Lori Lightfoot, in office, CTU members rallied to send a message that they expect the school board to address their need for a new contract this year before going back to school. The CTU is also pushing to have a democratically elected school board.
AFT volunteers return to help in hurricane-ravaged US Virgin Islands
It’s been a year since volunteers from AFT Nurses and Health Professionals traveled to St. Croix and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands to conduct hearing and vision screenings for public school students there. This month, 40 nurses and other health professionals—including respiratory therapists, radiology techs, and speech and language pathologists—returned to the islands and completed more than 8,000 student screenings. The effort is part of the relief assistance the AFT has provided there since two hurricanes hit the islands in 2017.
Why school staff fight for immigration justice
As the fight for fair immigration policy continues in the halls of Congress and statehouses across the country, and reports of children dying at the border continue to roll in, AFT members are experiencing injustice in personal ways, witnessing it not only among the immigrant families they interact with every day but also in their personal lives. Some have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status; others live in fear that their undocumented family members may be deported. They came together at the PSRP conference April 26-28 to share those stories and find ways to support their immigrant students and communities.
AFT webinar: 'Making words come alive in your classroom'
Word consciousness, a necessary component of vocabulary development, is the way we engage with, think about and get excited about words. Join the AFT’s webinar, “Making Words Come Alive in Your Classroom,” on May 28, and learn how to create a word-rich environment that will help your students deepen their understanding and develop a vast vocabulary. This webinar is appropriate for teachers at all grade levels and includes specific connections for content-area educators.
May 17, 2019
Marking 65 years since Brown v. Board
Sixty-five years ago today, the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision changed public education, ruling that “separate but equal” schools failed to create equitable schooling for all Americans, regardless of race. Although Brown has been partially thwarted by new patterns of housing and funding, it was a huge step toward justice. Share My Lesson has six new resources exploring aspects of Brown, plus a curated collection of K-12 lessons. You and your members can watch this short AFT history video on the landmark decision.
AFT Votes town hall hosts Elizabeth Warren
Presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) took questions from AFT members at an AFT Votes town hall in Philadelphia on Monday, describing her plans to lift up working families, make college affordable, cancel existing student debt, provide universal child care and preschool, raise the wages of preschool teachers and child care workers, and create a wealth tax to pay for it all. AFT President Randi Weingarten introduced Warren, praising her record as a former public school teacher, attorney and professor, and calling her a longtime “friend of students and educators and nurses” who is “on the side of the vulnerable and ... those who don’t have power.”
D.C. charter school educators say ‘Union yes!’
Educators at Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School, Washington, D.C.’s first “green” public charter school, voted to unionize on May 15 by a 3-to-1 margin. The vote ensures that teachers and staff will have a voice in shaping school policy, and it heralds a growing movement to unionize charter schools. “It’s so fitting the educators at Mundo Verde voted overwhelmingly for a union during National Charter Schools Week,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “Charters were supposed to be incubators [of innovation], enabling parents and educators to have more of a role in students’ education. And that’s what the educators at Mundo Verde want—an active role in the decision-making process at this school.”
Support staff are the backbone of our schools
In a new blog on AFT Voices, PSRP leader and Michigan paraprofessional Jeff Whittle describes how, in covering nationwide “teacher” strikes for smaller class sizes, sound infrastructure and adequate resources for schools, the news media rarely mention school support staff, who are also walking the picket lines. School support personnel are just as important as teachers and make just as much of a difference on strike day—and every day.
Activism pays off for Rutgers part-time lecturers
After more than a year of tenacious bargaining, part-time lecturers (including adjunct faculty) at Rutgers University in New Jersey have finally won a tentative agreement reflecting their hard work. Once approved by Rutgers AAUP-AFT members, their new contract will provide meaningful pay increases, the affiliate says, along with career advancement opportunities, multi-semester appointments, protection against discrimination, a stronger grievance procedure and other gains—all exciting steps forward for the most vulnerable, underpaid faculty in higher education.
Big thanks as Infrastructure Week winds up
This week, the seventh annual Infrastructure Week, our union joined more than 500 groups leading the fight to rebuild America’s infrastructure. The AFT advocates for safe and welcoming environments so that our public employees can literally hold up the nation and keep it running—on highways, across bridges, at schools and in hospitals. We thank members for speaking out on a variety of issues—for example, pushing to remove asbestos and lead from school drinking water, and winning campaigns like the one supporting a referendum to keep Baltimore’s public water system from falling into the hands of privatizers.
May 10, 2019
Highlighting the important work of teachers, nurses and public employees
The AFT is wrapping up a weeklong celebration of our teachers, nurses and public employees. The intersection of National Teacher Appreciation Week, National Nurses Week and Public Service Recognition Week highlights professions that have a tremendous impact on the quality of life of all Americans. Although this week provides a unique opportunity to elevate the work of these professionals, we celebrate them every day and will continue to advocate for the resources they need to do their jobs and care for their families.
The AFT hosts presidential candidates
This week AFT President Randi Weingarten joined presidential candidates Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) at events where the candidates had a chance to hear from AFT members. The events are part of AFT Votes, the union's endorsement process for the 2020 elections. Harris took part in a town hall meeting in Detroit May 6, where she met with teachers and described her pro-public education agenda. She called for a 23 percent average pay hike for teachers, criticized inequitable school funding, praised social-emotional learning, and pledged to address “the predatory practices” of institutions that put profits ahead of students. Today, Klobuchar will meet with members of the Yonkers (N.Y.) Federation of Teachers during two school visits and will discuss the ongoing need for federal, state and local investment in public education. She will also take part in an AFT Votes town hall with members.
House Democrats press for education funding boost
Education spending would increase significantly if the wide-ranging budget proposal released by the House Appropriations Committee this week passes through Congress. The proposal, supported by the AFT in a formal letter from President Randi Weingarten, would boost funding for Title I, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, teacher professional development grants, student support and academic enrichment grants, and more. The proposal also expresses concern over the Education Department’s irresponsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars spent on charter schools, and opposes spending instructional funds to arm teachers.
Chicago charter teachers win major improvements for students
Teachers and support staff from two charter schools in Chicago run by Instituto del Progreso Latino—Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy and Instituto Justice and Leadership Academy—ended their three-day strike this week after reaching a tentative agreement. The agreement would reduce class sizes, provide more wraparound student services, establish sanctuary protections for immigrant students, better serve special education students and English language learners, and improve their own wages and benefits.
Safe staffing measure introduced in Congress
Legislation to set safe staffing limits for nurses, sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), was reintroduced in Congress on May 8. The lawmakers listened to health professionals like Rick Lucas, a critical care nurse and member of the Ohio Nurses Association, who have been calling for safe staffing for years. Lucas and other AFT nurses and healthcare professionals are working to pass the Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act, which sets minimum nurse-to-patient staffing requirements, studies best practices for nurse staffing, and gives whistleblower protections to nurses who speak up for the safety of their patients.
Betsy DeVos targets AFT President Randi Weingarten
At the Education Writers Association conference earlier this week, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos commented on AFT President Weingarten’s salary while suggesting teachers should make more money. Weingarten immediately responded in a statement: “I’d be delighted if Betsy wants to get all teachers close to $200,000—they deserve that, and so much more,” Weingarten said, recalling that she helped win $100,000 salaries for experienced teachers when she was president of the United Federation of Teachers in New York City. “We could [raise teacher pay] if Betsy worked with us to revoke tax cuts for rich people. She won’t even have to give up the summer homes and the yachts.”
May 3, 2019
Chicago charters strike for students’ futures
On May 1, International Workers’ Day, AFT President Randi Weingarten rallied with teachers and support staff from five Chicago charter schools, demanding fair wages, a fair contract and resources for their students, including mental health services and after-school programs. Educators from three of the schools went on strike the following day; two of the charters that were set to strike reached last-minute agreements. “If the charter school industry was concerned about attracting and keeping teachers, they would have equal pay with the other teachers in Chicago Public Schools,” Weingarten told the crowd. “If the industry was concerned about the support that kids need, then we would have books and supplies. So there’s something wrong with the charter industry model in Chicago.” She vowed, “If it takes us walking the streets and going on strike in the great tradition of the Chicago labor movement, we will be doing that. Our 1.7 million members are in total solidarity with each one of these teachers in charter schools.”
Fund Our Future rockets across the nation
The uprising that began last year in West Virginia continues as educators, students, parents and communities in 18 states are coming together to demand funding for public schools and higher education. AFT members have engaged in more than 100 events nationwide and are taking to the streets in this movement, using our union’s Fund Our Future campaign (#FundOurFuture) to pressure lawmakers at all levels to prioritize public education.
PSRPs: Sticking with the union
This year’s AFT PSRP conference was a time for solidarity, and everyone there—from hundreds of first-time attendees all the way to our union’s top officers—showed how tightly they’re sticking with the union. AFT President Randi Weingarten and PSRP Chair Shelvy Abrams, who also chairs the United Federation of Teachers’ paraprofessionals chapter in New York City, showered love and respect on the paraprofessionals and school-related personnel, who enable schools and colleges to run smoothly.
Safe care, safe work at healthcare conference
In healthcare, corporatization and consolidation are on the rise, often leaving nurses and health professionals the only ones standing between their communities and a healthcare system that puts profits ahead of patients. That’s why this year’s AFT Nurses and Health Professionals professional issues conference was brimming with ideas and solutions.
Let’s pay preschool educators a worthy wage
May 1 was Worthy Wage Day, the annual celebration of early childhood education when we call for preschool educators to be paid what they’re worth. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) tells us why she is committed to passing the Child Care for Working Families Act, which would invest in early childhood educators’ training and help them earn at least a living wage. And AFT member Amy DuBois shares her story of the huge impact she and other early childhood educators make on our youngest learners, and why they should be paid a decent wage.
Help the AFT sue for student debt forgiveness
The AFT is using every avenue available to fight the student debt burden crippling individuals and the nation’s economy, from student debt clinics to working for policy change. A few months ago, we supported 11 members who filed a class-action lawsuit against Navient—the student loan servicer that has misled borrowers and prevented them from easing their debt. Now we are exploring further legal action on behalf of members denied relief under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. If you are a member whose application for PSLF has been denied, take this survey to see if you can join in and be a part of the student debt solution.
Communities devastated by disasters call for aid
Alexis Underwood was one of many who came to Washington, D.C., on May 1 to call on Congress to provide disaster relief funding. Underwood, president of the Association of Bay County Educators in Florida, spoke for members of the Panama City and Bay County communities hit hard by Hurricane Michael last October. A coalition of advocacy groups, including the AFT, took part in a day of action to give people from states devastated by natural disasters an opportunity to meet with their representatives and ask them to support disaster aid for all communities in need.
April 26, 2019
The AFT calls for freedom to teach
AFT President Randi Weingarten has delivered a major address on the crisis that is hollowing out the teaching profession: massive disinvestment in public education and the undermining of educators' professionalism. In her April 18 speech in Washington, D.C., Weingarten called for reinvestment and the freedom to teach. It was followed by two panels featuring education leaders who laid out pragmatic solutions to the crisis.
New report on teacher shortages
The Economic Policy Institute has released an important new report on teacher shortages. The second in an EPI series on the subject, this report highlights the challenges schools face in hiring and retaining teachers—challenges that are even more difficult in high-poverty schools. It shows the struggles schools have in filling vacancies created by high teacher turnover. And these struggles are made worse by the shrinking pool of applicants and the reduced number of people getting education degrees or completing teacher preparation programs. The teacher shortage hurts teachers, students and the entire public education system.
AFT hosts Bernie Sanders at Ohio town hall
AFT President Randi Weingarten and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders shared the stage on April 14 in Lordstown, Ohio, together condemning the corporate greed—and the Trump administration behind it—that drove General Motors to close its plant there. The town hall-style gathering, including off-stage conversations between Sanders, AFT members and Lordstown students, was the first in a series of AFT Votes events designed to connect presidential candidates to AFT members around the country, to help them learn more about members' lives, hopes and struggles.
Nurses win rest breaks, overtime protection
Legislation guaranteeing rest breaks and ending the abuse of mandatory overtime for nurses in Washington state is on its way to Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk, and he is expected to sign it. The state Legislature approved the bill just hours after members of the Washington State Nurses Association joined other unions—and the governor—to rally at the state Capitol in support of the legislation. “So proud of our members standing together to make this happen!” tweeted WSNA. “It took us 10 years to get this landmark legislation through—we did it together.” There is more to do. See how the nurses are continuing the conversation.
Warren: Cancel student debt, offer free college
Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has announced a bold new proposal that would wipe out student debt for most Americans and offer free tuition to two-year and four-year public colleges. By eliminating up to $50,000 in student loan debt for every person whose income is less than $100,000, the plan would cancel student debt for about 75 percent of borrowers. The AFT supports the plan, which President Randi Weingarten calls “as consequential as the GI Bill” and “a game-changer for millions of Americans.” The plan would be funded by a tax on the superrich.
Demanding R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Corinne Lyons had no plans to become a teacher, much less a teachers union activist. She’d seen the toll teaching took on her mother, an educator who worked late grading papers and writing lesson plans and purchased school supplies and even clothing for some of her needier students. Now that Lyons is finally a teacher herself, she is determined to win the respect members of her profession deserve and to ensure she and her colleagues have the freedom to teach.
April 12, 2019
AFT New Mexico wins major new laws
Members of AFT New Mexico are celebrating important new state laws, signed this month by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, that will strengthen community schools, fund career ladders to remedy the state’s teacher shortage and enhance teacher diversity, and bolster job security for school support staff. Two other new laws will enhance services for kids: One raises wages for classified personnel, and the other provides nearly $33 million to buy and equip district-owned school buses.
New program recognizes school support staff
Thanks to the activism of our members, school support staff—like custodians, cafeteria workers, school bus drivers, secretaries and others—will be recognized through a new federal awards program, the first of its kind designed to uplift the essential work of these bedrock school employees. The Recognizing Inspiring School Employees program will honor one classified employee each year to acknowledge the excellence shown nationwide by paraprofessionals and school-related personnel.
Title I and IDEA: We must fund our future
This week, AFT President Randi Weingarten joined Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) and other allies to champion the Keep Our Promise to America’s Children and Teachers Act. The Keep Our PACT Act would fully fund Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. While the federal government has promised to fund up to 40 percent of these programs, it now funds a mere 12 percent for Title I and 15 percent for IDEA. Teachers like Camille Cranson tell us why these programs are essential: Her school has mice—but no heat, no librarians and no art teacher.
Anti-union bullies don’t scare me
Every day on her way to and from work, school office manager Mary Hofer passes a billboard. “Give yourself a raise!” it says. “Opt out of your union today!” Hofer, a member of the Oregon School Employees Association, asked herself: Who is willing to pay close to a thousand dollars a month just to save me $25? What’s in it for them? Read her insights in AFT Voices about who stands to gain if school employees lose their bargaining power, living wages, healthcare and community influence—all hard-won through their union.
Share these 5 facts on immunization
New York has declared a public health emergency after an outbreak of measles in Brooklyn, underscoring the importance of immunization. Teachers, nurses and other AFT members who work with vulnerable populations understand firsthand how contagious illnesses can sweep through a group of children. But despite the risk, some people remain unvaccinated, and outbreaks are occurring in several states. Here are five facts your members should know about immunization.
April 5, 2019
Strike averted: Philly union wins tentative agreement
After a grueling, dayslong bargaining marathon, on April 3 the Faculty and Staff Federation of Community College of Philadelphia averted a strike and reached a tentative agreement with administrators. Students, community members and union leaders—including AFT President Randi Weingarten, who spoke at a FSFCCP rally last week—boosted the union’s resolve during its contentious fight over workload, health benefits and faculty voice. If ratified, the new contract would close a three-year chapter of negotiations.
Student debt relief denied to thousands
A program designed to relieve student loan debt for borrowers who work in public service is failing miserably: New data show that, under Betsy DeVos' leadership, 99 percent of those who request Public Service Loan Forgiveness are denied. According to information from the U.S. Department of Education—which was requested by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who has helped try to expand PSLF—of the 38,460 people who applied for PSLF, just 262 were approved. Denials are due to restrictive rules and requirements that have strangled debt relief for thousands. “Instead of working with lawmakers to improve the loan forgiveness program that millions of teachers, firefighters and nurses deserve, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos decided to attack it,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “This shameful sabotage of a bipartisan government initiative cannot be allowed to stand.”
Saving healthcare from attack
The AFT is joining Democratic leaders to fight yet another attempt to take away Americans’ healthcare. Advocates gathered in front of the U.S. Supreme Court April 2 to show their support for a congressional resolution condemning the Trump administration’s campaign to strip healthcare from 133 million people with pre-existing conditions. “While most First World countries have managed to offer people basic healthcare as a human right, in the United States—the wealthiest country in the world—many educators, nurses, public employees and graduate assistants live one illness or one pre-existing condition away from bankruptcy,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “Americans expect their elected officials to help solve these problems, not make them worse.”
Misleading DC school budget neglects students
The Washington Teachers' Union launched a Fund Our Future campaign March 29, accusing District of Columbia Public Schools administrators of hiding budget cuts in a budget proposal that starves public schools in the nation’s capital. To counter these losses, the WTU has started a petition drive demanding that students’ needs be put first, with more focus on teachers and resources and less on administration and unfunded mandates.
Report blasts inequities of education spending
The Albert Shanker Institute released a report this week with hard evidence showing that states are not spending enough on education and what they are spending is distributed inequitably. The updated, public database of state school finance systems compiled by researchers at the Shanker Institute and Rutgers Graduate School of Education can be used to show policymakers just how neglected high-poverty schools are—even as wealthier schools are adequately funded—and to make the case that the formula of underinvestment must change.
AFT supports legislation for immigrant safety
Three key pieces of legislation that could change the lives of thousands of immigrant young people are currently moving through Congress. The AFT is supporting these bills—the Dream and Promise Act, the Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and in Emergency (SECURE) Act, and the Dream Act—with a petition, to help protect immigrants with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status or temporary protected status, or who have been granted deferred enforced departure. Many of these people are AFT members working in public schools, like Karen Reyes, who is finishing her fifth year teaching children who are deaf and hard of hearing in Austin, Texas. And many more are among the families and communities we serve.
March 29, 2019
Philly launches Fund Our Facilities campaign
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, together with a coalition of union and community leaders, is proposing an immediate investment of $170 million to make critical repairs to Philadelphia’s public school buildings. The cash infusion would triage dangerous health and safety conditions in the city’s schools, separate from the billions of dollars needed to bring every building to the standards found in nearby, wealthier schools.
Texans rally to fund public schools
Watch and listen with your members as thousands of Texas educators, along with parents and allies, rally for a level of public school funding that will allow teachers and school support staff to fully prepare students for college and careers. Texas’ Fund Our Future campaign demands that elected officials invest in public schools and the services students need to succeed—particularly children of color, children with special needs and children who live in poverty.
Rutgers faculty authorize a strike
Faculty and graduate employee members of Rutgers AAUP-AFT in New Jersey have voted to authorize a strike if contract negotiations continue to flounder. Their demands for fair pay for women and part-time faculty, raises for teaching assistants, and more full-time faculty positions to improve faculty-to-student ratios signify the high value union members place on academics—even as the university spends freely on administrative salaries and athletics.
Munson nurses score a big contract victory
Registered nurses at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, Mich., represented by the Michigan Nurses Association, voted overwhelmingly on March 24 to ratify their first contract, putting patients first. The three-year agreement, which covers more than a thousand nurses, will limit forced overtime, provide nurses a formal structure to address staffing levels, and set up new workplace safety procedures to protect patients.
Maryland teachers call for pay equity
Teachers at the Maryland School for the Deaf are demanding that state lawmakers correct their inequitable pay and precarious employment. Although they hold graduate degrees and are devoted to students who rely on their skills and experience, educators like Jackie Guers, who tells her story on AFT Voices, work under one-year contracts that could end for little or no reason, and their pay falls far short of what other teachers in the state earn. Guers’ union is pushing for legislation to fix that and fund the future for these teachers and their students.
AFT to Betsy: No tax grab for student debt
Did you know that under Secretary Betsy DeVos, the U.S. Department of Education can take your tax refund if you’ve missed too many payments on your student loans? A system that results in 3,000 people defaulting on their loans every day is deeply flawed—and we’re working to fix it rather than punish folks who already are struggling to pay for their educations. Meanwhile, we have some advice about how to hang on to your tax refund, even if you are in default.
March 22, 2019
Join the AFT 2020 endorsement process
The 2020 presidential election is underway, and our members’ voices need to be heard. That is why the AFT executive council approved a presidential endorsement process designed to ensure unprecedented member input and engagement in deciding who will receive the union’s support. On March 19, AFT President Randi Weingarten joined 30,000 AFT members and local leaders to announce the launch of AFTvotes.org, a new website that will help AFT members actively participate throughout the endorsement process. As we look ahead to Election Day, we are committed to engaging our members at every step of the way.
Standing with GM workers in Ohio
AFT President Randi Weingarten stood with workers on March 20 at the Ohio Democratic Party’s rally in support of union workers in the wake of General Motors' decision to close its auto plant in Lordstown, Ohio. Weingarten penned an op-ed with AFT-Michigan President David Hecker calling on GM to reinvest in the communities they are abandoning. As hundreds of GM workers are preparing to lose their jobs, Wall Street hedge fund managers were able to squeeze GM for every available dollar, according to a new Hedge Clippers report developed in partnership with the AFT.
Public Schools Week, March 25-29
The AFT and our partners in the Learning First Alliance will host Public Schools Week—March 25-29—to highlight the great things happening every day in public schools and to show the potential for even greater things. We want your help in spotlighting the joys and challenges of teaching and learning in public schools. We’re asking AFT leaders and members to write op-eds, engage your local business leaders, and share the array of Public Schools Week graphics and posts on social media.
Expanding the AFT family in Ohio
Congratulations to teachers, intervention specialists and instructional assistants at Summit Academy Community School in Painesville, Ohio, who voted overwhelmingly to join the AFT this week. They are the seventh charter school in northeast Ohio, and the second school operated by Summit Academy Management, to join the Cleveland Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff. The Painesville educators announced their intention to form a union last month, while their colleagues at Summit Academy's nearby Parma school were out on strike fighting for their first contract.
Preventing workplace violence in healthcare
People who work in frontline healthcare jobs are much more likely to be assaulted at work than the rest of the labor force. It's time to change that. In a new op-ed, AFT President Randi Weingarten shares why healthcare workers and their unions are asking Congress to pass the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, which would put in place enforceable federal protection measures and safety standards for healthcare workers at their facilities.
March 15, 2019
Trump budget proposal abandons children and families
President Trump's proposed budget is Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' dream come true. It slashes public education funding, eliminates public service loan forgiveness and diverts public dollars to privatization schemes. With this budget, Trump and DeVos are making a choice: They are choosing to abandon what children and families need in order to help the rich get richer. Of course, the Trump budget proposal doesn't stop at slashing public education funding. It also includes $845 billion in Medicare cuts and $1.5 trillion in Medicaid cuts over the next 10 years. These staggering cuts directly contradict Trump's campaign promises and will make seniors and families sicker and poorer.
Funding the future in Texas
AFT President Randi Weingarten this week joined Texas AFT members and leaders, as well as students, parents and community members from across Texas, to call on the state's leaders to fully fund public education. "This is not a Republican issue or a Democratic issue. This is a future issue. This is a children's issue," said Weingarten at the rally. The crowd of more than a thousand sent a clear message: Fund our children's future by investing in public schools, or prepare to be voted out of office.
Hot off the presses: American Educator's spring issue
The new Spring 2019 issue of American Educator is live online. Check it out to learn more about how the AFT Teacher Leaders Program connects classroom practice to education policy. Also in this issue: the importance of making elementary school classrooms LGBTQ-inclusive, introducing works of art in school to foster students’ skills of observation, the healing power of art in Puerto Rico, the fight for Dyett High School in Chicago, and making technology a tool for student success—not a distraction.
$5 million settlement reached for DC teachers wronged by Michelle Rhee
The Washington Teachers' Union has reached a landmark $5 million settlement with the District of Columbia Public Schools over teachers who were unfairly terminated by former Chancellor Michelle Rhee. This settlement, which will be distributed among the affected teachers, doesn’t take away the hurt and shame Rhee inflicted on so many great D.C. teachers—but after a long fight, it is a small step toward vindication for those she wronged.
It's time to pass 'Medicare for All'
With 71 million people in America uninsured or underinsured, there's no question that our healthcare system is broken. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Medicare for All is a way to guarantee access to healthcare with comprehensive benefits, without premiums, copays or deductibles. The AFT is proud to support Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s Medicare for All Act of 2019, which will reorient American healthcare around the needs of patients, not profits. Be sure to sign on as a grass-roots cosponsor for Medicare for All, and encourage your members to do the same.
March 8, 2018
Fund Our Future: The national campaign to fund public education
The AFT’s longtime advocacy for public schools has just been turbocharged, with a sweeping, multipronged campaign to fund the future of American public education. Amid the continuing wave of teacher activism shining a spotlight on massive shortfalls in education investment, the Fund Our Future initiative aims to take the teachers’ megaphone into Congress, statehouses and communities nationwide. To launch Fund Our Future, AFT locals have planned more than 90 actions across the country during the month of March, including lobby days, rallies and community engagement activities to demand investment in K-12 and higher education. Explore the tools to help you get started.
Victory in Ohio!
When educators at Summit Academy Parma in Ohio organized their union, management reinstated a bonus. When they got press attention, management fixed the holes in the walls. When they went on strike and held strong with support from parents and the community, they won their first union contract. The contract includes gains for student learning conditions, including language on class size and staffing. And union members’ voice will be strengthened through a Labor-Management Committee and a binding grievance and arbitration process.
Don't miss activist keynotes at SML's virtual conference
Don't miss the lineup of noteworthy activists headlining the AFT's annual Share My Lesson Virtual Conference next week. On Tuesday, Facing History and Ourselves hosts a conversation with Mary Beth Tinker, of Tinker v. Des Moines, on how your students can become the change-makers of tomorrow. On Wednesday, join AFT President Randi Weingarten for a closer look at the state of public education today. And on Thursday, hear directly from Sarah Lerner, a teacher from Parkland, Fla., and author of Parkland Speaks: Survivors from Marjory Stoneman Douglas Share Their Stories.
Attacking educators for exercising their legal right to organize
The AFT has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board charging the leadership of Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy in Washington, D.C., with violating federal labor law by retaliating against its own workers for unionizing and then closing its doors without warning. "Chavez Schools has become Exhibit A in how unregulated charters routinely ignore the transparency and accountability that public schools are bound to uphold,” AFT President Randi Weingarten says. “We are asking that management respect both the law and the educators who have worked so hard to give their kids a shot at a better life.”
The chance to honor school support staff
The U.S. House of Representatives just overwhelmingly passed a bill to honor paraprofessionals and school-related personnel. AFT members even came to Washington, D.C., to lobby members of Congress to support the Recognizing Achievement in Classified School Employees Act. If the bill passes in the Senate, it will establish an award program within the U.S. Department of Education to recognize the outstanding work of classified school employees who support students in prekindergarten through high school. Write your senators and ask them to support the bill.
Register for the 2019 AFT Collective Bargaining Conference
This past year has demonstrated the power of collective bargaining as an agent of progress. When we put community issues front and center—smaller class sizes, less testing, safe staffing, more investment in public services—and empower members to drive change, we build power for working people. That is why developing the collective bargaining muscle is so important. Join us for the 2019 AFT Collective Bargaining Conference to strengthen the skills and knowledge that help create power. Registration is open. Secure your spot today.
March 1, 2019
Enough is enough.
For far too long, our public schools, colleges and children have been shortchanged. The growing frustration of educators, parents and our students has served as a catalyst for activism that is sweeping the nation. And parents and communities are standing with educators. Now is our moment to supercharge this movement. It’s time to make students and public education and public higher education a priority at the local, state and national levels. It’s time to Fund Our Future. By building on the work that’s already been done and that’s being planned nationwide—through collective bargaining, legislative and political campaigns—AFT leaders around the country will launch the union’s Fund Our Future campaign with actions on the local, state and national levels. Explore the tools to help you get started.
Healthcare must be a right for everyone
AFT President Randi Weingarten joined members of Congress and health experts to introduce a bill that would provide Medicare for all Americans without premiums, co-pays, deductibles or other charges. “Right now, insurance as the primary mode by which one gets healthcare is very important, but it doesn’t do enough to drive up quality and drive down costs,” she said. “That’s why we think something like ‘Medicare-for-all’ with a thoughtful transition period of time will actually work in this country.”
Make workplace violence a thing of the past
Healthcare and social service workers are five times more likely to be assaulted at work than the rest of our workforce. Fortunately, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) has introduced H.R. 1309, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act. This bill will require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to develop protection measures and enforceable safety standards for healthcare and social service workers. The legislation is moving quickly, and we need your help by getting co-sponsors to sign on, and members to share their stories. Check out our new toolkit to get started.
Training a new generation of diverse educators
The road to a more robust and diverse teacher workforce just became stronger since the AFT, in partnership with Montclair State University and the Newark Public Schools, launched a new Teacher Education Academy. “Today, we take an important step in Newark with the broader education community in New Jersey to grow the educator workforce and diversify the pipeline of people entering the profession through a new grow-our-own program,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten during this week's launch event.
Save the date
Invite your members to join 10,000+ educators from around the world at AFT Share My Lesson’s annual Virtual Conference March 12-14. Educators will discover more than 30 free, for-credit sessions filled with "use-right-now" strategies and tools for teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel, parents and community members. Our live webinars will feature the best-of-the-best content on a variety of topics, including current events, social and emotional learning, core subject areas, and much more.
Give them mirrors and windows
It’s widely understood that having more teachers of color improves the education experience for all students—and that we have too few of these educators. What are we going to do about that? A new report from the Council of Chief State School Officers, created in partnership with the AFT and other advocacy organizations, has some specific ideas about policy we can push to support the growth of a more diverse education workforce.
Public Schools Week kicks off on March 25
The AFT and our partners in the Learning First Alliance will host Public Schools Week—March 25-29—to highlight the great things happening every day in public schools and to show the potential for even greater things. We want your help in spotlighting the joys and challenges of teaching and learning in public schools. We’re asking AFT leaders and members to write op-eds, engage your local business leaders, use the array of Public Schools Week sharables on social media and more.
Feb. 22, 2019
Victory in West Virginia!
Educators in West Virginia are back in their classrooms after the state’s House of Delegates killed a bill that would have drained critical resources from public education. “Let West Virginia serve as a lesson to those who feign devotion to our students but do the opposite,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “We’ve dealt with these shenanigans for a while; but what has changed is that we are willing to engage in direct action as a last resort.”
Mentoring in Early Childhood Education
Mentor-mentee relationships are essential for supporting early childhood educators in developing their careers and skills. Mastering the ability to effectively structure your mentoring partnership is key, regardless of your role. This webinar explores and expands upon AFT’s proven strategies. Participants are eligible for one hour of professional development credit for viewing these webinars if they complete all the poll questions, survey, and actively watch the sessions. Join us on Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. EST and take your mentoring relationship to the next level.
No one should fear for their safety on the job
A workplace violence prevention bill just introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would develop protections and enforceable safety standards for people employed in frontline healthcare jobs. “Incidents of workplace violence continue to rise, with 69 percent of reported cases occurring in healthcare settings,” AFT President Randi Weingarten says. “Thankfully, this bill addresses this increasing trend head-on, and it provides long-needed protections and specific and enforceable safety standards.”
(Re)Invest in Our Colleges
Community college can turn a life around, providing the only affordable, accessible pathway to higher education and economic mobility for many students who would otherwise be shut out of college. That's why AFT Washington has launched (Re)Invest in Our Colleges, an initiative to fund our future that seeks $500 million from the state for community and technical colleges. Currently, these institutions serve the most students in the state but get just 40 percent of higher ed funding.
Student debt relief is union work
AFT leaders know that supporting our members goes beyond what happens in the classroom, or the schoolhouse, or even the statehouse. That’s why, when the AFT started offering student debt clinics to help members struggling with student loan debt, AFT Massachusetts leaders decided to make it a statewide initiative. They’ve held student debt clinics for members across the state, designed to help them learn how to access public service loan forgiveness and enroll in income-driven student loan repayment programs.
Feb. 15, 2019
Since Parkland, 365 days of grief and action
We’re looking back on a year when AFT members and leaders proudly joined with students and gun violence survivors to work to end this country’s gun violence epidemic. “Over the past year, I’ve gotten to know so many of the educators, students and parents of the Stoneman Douglas community,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “We’ve wept, we’ve mourned, we’ve marched, we’ve lobbied, and we’ve made it clear that we will never stop fighting for the proven interventions that can make our schools safe from gun violence.” Read more about our year of grief and action.
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Tell your followers on Twitter and Facebook that AFT members will work today, and every day, to ensure our schools are safe sanctuaries, not armed fortresses.
Crumbling schools and shortchanged students
AFT President Randi Weingarten testified before the House Education and Labor Committee Tuesday on the urgent need to fund our public schools. She stressed how badly a new investment in schools was needed and provided examples of unacceptable conditions in our school buildings. She also emphasized the AFT’s support for the Rebuild America’s Schools Act, a $100 billion proposal to address the chronic underinvestment in school buildings nationwide.
Upcoming webinar on learning & effective school leadership
Research shows that teachers are the most important school-based factor in student achievement, and that supportive leadership is just as important. “The Science of Learning and Effective School Building Leadership,” a webinar scheduled for Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. ET, will share the latest thinking on the science of adolescent learning and the crucial role school leaders play in providing the necessary conditions and instructional support to put science into practice.
Invest in Kansas
AFT-Kansas members and leaders have launched a campaign to demand lawmakers provide the public services that all Kansans deserve. They’ve outlined their priorities, gathered member stories and created an interactive map so that visitors can see detailed reports on funding down to the county level. Check out their new campaign.
Learning to walk before you run
When Raphael Bonhomme started teaching, everything was new, including his entire grade-level cohort of teachers, and he felt like he was on his own. He describes the experience as "crawling like a baby" when he was expected to "run a 40-yard dash." He needed more support. A few years later, he's an accomplished teacher, but looking back, he shares the pitfalls of his first year, and how his union helped.
A smart plan for school safety and security
Since the Parkland, Fla., school shootings last year, gun violence has claimed the lives of 1,200 children in America, and arming teachers would make schools less safe. New York State United Teachers member and school security professional Gary Rose explains why he would never carry a firearm at school, and how local unions, working closely with schools and law enforcement, can reduce gun violence.
Feb. 8, 2019
It’s time to divest from private prisons
The United States incarcerates more people than any country in the world, and private prison corporations like Geo Group and CoreCivic make billions, leaving no incentive to stem recidivism. Communities of color overwhelmingly bear the brunt of this crisis. For many AFT members, our pensions are tied to these private corporations. In our new report, “Private Prisons and Investment Risks, Part Two: How Private Prison Companies Fuel Mass Incarceration—and How Public Pension Funds Are at Risk,” we reveal how public pension funds play a powerful role in holding these companies accountable. Use our social media toolkit to promote this report so we can make sure our pension dollars don’t go to companies that profit on the backs of inmates.
News from the AFT executive council
Workers’ voices were at the top of the agenda during the AFT executive council meeting this week, guiding rich dialogue about union priorities. Leaders shared their dramatic successes engaging members and winning favorable contracts, showcasing the vibrant growth within the union movement—despite, or perhaps because of, the Supreme Court’s Janus decision. The group discussed how to build on that momentum to secure reliable investment in public education for all, even as policymakers defund public services across the board. The executive council also learned about the AFT’s online course on combating the opioid crisis, and passed resolutions supporting democracy in Saudi Arabia and Brazil.
Tap into 21st-century skills
Many teachers recognize that digital literacy and computer science skills are fundamental 21st-century skills that need to be taught to our students, but they don’t know where to start. We have a new collection of lessons and class activities from Google’s Applied Digital Skills to help students bridge the digital divide and become global digital citizens.
Union power is rising
Schemes to undercut public sector unions have stalled, according to new data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Working people have seen straight through these right-wing groups’ brazen attempts to destroy our union and other public sector unions,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “In fact, our union is growing. Since the Janus decision, we’ve had 11 organizing wins. Union members have sent a clear message: We are sticking with the union.”
Everyone deserves a secure retirement
The retirement system that was built for the 20th century is not working for young people today. AFT President Randi Weingarten and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, director of retirement security at the Economic Policy Institute, lay out a plan so that all Americans can have the security they deserve in their twilight years by saving through guaranteed retirement accounts. With young people mired in student debt or working in the gig economy, it’s unrealistic to expect them to save for the future using the same methods as their grandparents.
Member spotlight
Meet Jack McAndrew, an AFT member from the North Syracuse (N.Y.) Education Association, who explains how teachers work with their unions to fill the gap left by underfunding our schools. As a trainer in the AFT Teacher Leaders Program, he helps other educators change education policy from the ground up. “The AFT Teacher Leaders Program is a great example of how our profession adapts and compensates for shortfalls,” McAndrew says. “The AFT has designed a program that provides a platform for teachers to identify and address issues that affect their schools and districts. Remarkable work is being done nationwide by teachers in part because schools and districts don’t have the resources to either identify or address these issues.”
Feb. 1, 2019
Exciting new funding opportunity with First Book
The AFT and First Book have worked together to bring more than 5 million books to students and families to foster a love of reading and learning in our communities. Hundreds of locals have used First Book to show that union members care, fight and show up for our students and communities in need. And it’s not just books: You can create “care closets” with basic-need items like toothbrushes and winter hats, purchase classroom supplies at 50 to 90 percent off retail rates, and much more. And now, First Book has a new funding opportunity through a program called Offering More Great Books (or OMG Books), which will disperse more than $4.5 million in grant funding in 33 states to purchase books on the First Book Marketplace. Review and download the request for proposals to submit your proposal.
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For more information contact Leslie Getzinger at lgetzing@aft.org. Funding will be distributed in three cycles. The rolling deadlines for applications are Feb. 15, May 15 and Aug. 15. This is just another way to help our children and communities thrive.
Build schools not walls!
Millions of students and educators across the country attend schools that put their health and safety at risk. AFT members have seen everything from black toxic mold on floors, to classrooms without heat, to schools with contaminated water. In fact, more than half of public school buildings are in dire need of repair. A new bill introduced in Congress could change that. House Democrats recently unveiled the Rebuild America’s Schools Act, a plan to invest $100 billion in our nation’s public school system, improving both the physical and digital infrastructure of schools nationwide.
A peek inside #AFTCSI
Teachers, principals, union leaders, superintendents and community advocates gathered in New York City last week for the AFT’s Center for School Improvement Leadership Institute. The event focused on how participants could create meaningful and sustainable change for students, educators and families in their districts. They created a plan to launch districtwide professional development, developed a road map for improving adult culture in schools, and were joined by a group of educators who came all the way from Israel to work on creating safe and welcoming schools. It’s an annual event, so keep it in mind and plan to attend next year.
Black History month resources
This February, encourage members to start their Black History Month lesson planning with Share My Lesson’s expanded collection. We have lessons, worksheets and activities to teach your preK-12 students about key events and individuals that continue to influence and inspire us today. The collection includes only a fraction of the total resources available on the Share My Lesson site; if you have a key event, person or idea in mind, use the search feature to find additional resources that might not be included in the collection.
Exploring how to recruit and retain new teachers
New teachers face myriad challenges when they first step into the classroom. To help them better prepare for those challenges, the AFT invited some of our newest members to share their experiences with AFT leaders and education researchers. What services help new teachers thrive? Built-in mentoring programs, more pre-service training, ongoing professional development, regular collaboration with colleagues and more planning time, for starters. The AFT will continue to work on these and other initiatives to support our newest members.
An important week for Los Angeles charter schools
Teachers in Los Angeles’ Accelerated Schools charter school network have come to a tentative agreement with the school administration. These educators, members of the United Teachers Los Angeles, are the first charter school employees to strike in California. The city’s school board also passed a resolution this week that calls for a moratorium on the opening of new charter schools for the next year until a study can be conducted on the effects of charter schools on neighborhood public schools.
January 25, 2019
Victory in Los Angeles!
The Los Angeles teachers reached a tentative agreement with the school district to end their weeklong strike. “The agreement is a paradigm shift for the city and nation, as it makes a clear commitment to the resources and conditions necessary for teachers to teach and kids to learn in L.A.’s public schools,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “This strike and the community support of the teacher strikers flipped the debate over public education in L.A. on its head. And the result is nothing short of a sea change for public schools and for educators in L.A. and in the country.” The win includes caps for class sizes, nurses in every school, concessions on testing, a cap on charter schools and more.
Building community beyond the bedside
Members of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals didn’t let the rain stop them from community outreach in Portland and, through First Book, distributing hundreds of books over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. “It’s important that people see unions as a part of the community and to connect with people and help them understand what unions stand for,” says OFNHP member Rhea Hindemit. If you'd like to launch your own community and member engagement partnership through First Book register here.
We want to hear from you
Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, states and districts have created education plans, which include programs and plans for Title II, Part A funding. Under ESSA, this funding currently provides $2.4 billion for professional development, class-size reduction and other uses. President Trump, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and Republicans in Congress have attempted to remove all funding for Title II, Part A programs. We expect this funding to remain under attack. We need to hear from you about how these programs help you and your students; take our short survey.
Summer Educator Academy applications are now open
The AFT’s Summer Educator Academy is designed to help local unions build their capacity to deliver high-quality professional development services to all educators—teachers, paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel. Participants learn how to provide research-based information to educators to build their pedagogy and content knowledge and to help them develop strategies to engage students for academic success. Local leaders who are interested in sending educators to become professional development trainers should fill out this brief application. The 2019 Summer Educator Academy will be held July 17-24 at the Maritime Conference Center in Linthicum Heights, Md.
Virginia AFT members join #RedForEd
The school funding movement is spreading—now to Virginia, where the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, the Norfolk Federation of Teachers and others have formed a grass-roots coalition that has planned a Jan. 28 march on the state Capitol in Richmond to demand full funding of public education. AFT President Randi Weingarten will march with the educators and deliver remarks.
Fighting for the issues that matter to our members
Rolling up their sleeves with a range of powerful and diverse partners, the AFT Civil and Human Rights Committee is strategizing the best way forward for progressive policies, in what promises to be a challenging election in 2020. Here's how we’re working to create a cohort of political leaders that support issues that matter to AFT members in the next election.
January 18, 2019
Here’s how you can help striking educators
L.A. educators have seen an incredible outpouring of support from parents and community members who recognize the issues facing the city’s public schools: overcrowded classrooms, onerous standardized testing and a per-pupil funding rate that ranks California 43rd in the nation. Teachers are fighting for the building blocks of a healthy school that every child deserves. Call Superintendent Beutner's office 213-241-6389 and tell him to meet their demands.
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Ask your followers on Twitter to stand with L.A. teachers.
E-learning course for members fighting the opioid crisis
The AFT has partnered with Harvard Medical School to develop an online continuing education course for members on combating the opioid crisis. Any AFT member—from librarians to correctional officers to school nurses—can use this course to learn how to recognize the signs of addiction, what do when someone is overdosing, and more. The AFT also has a new digital resource guide equipped with tools to help our members identify the signs of addiction, seek treatment, and help fight the stigma that prevents many individuals and families from getting help.
Urge your union family, or actual family, to apply
The AFT’s Robert G. Porter Scholars Program is open for applications until March 31. This program offers four 4-year $8,000 postsecondary scholarships to students who are dependents of AFT members, as well as 10 one-time $1,000 grants to AFT members. Grants can be used for continuing education, or for implementing programs or introducing tools in the classroom, workplace and/or community.
We bet you’ve got questions for the kids of today
There’s been a surge in youth activism across the country on a variety of issues, from gun safety to immigrant rights. This doesn’t just happen out of the blue. Why now? We’re gathering a group of youth activists next week at the AFT’s Center for School Improvement Leadership Institute to discuss the conditions that have led students into meaningful social activism. Send us your questions ahead of time. Then tune in to the AFT Facebook page on Jan. 24 at 2:30 p.m. to find out what they have to say. You can submit questions to the panel by leaving a comment or tweeting using the hashtag #AFTCSI.
Welcome our new musical members
Teachers from Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music announced that, by an overwhelming majority vote, they have elected to form a union, joining the Illinois Federation of Teachers. “It’s so exciting to see truth in action. Through this vote to unite, we can strengthen the school as one collective body,” says Lindsay Weinberg, who teaches piano, guitar and voice at the school.
January 4, 2019
LA educators ready for Jan. 10 strike
Our union family in Los Angeles is ready to take a stand to point public education in a different direction. Members of United Teachers Los Angeles want to stop the administration from starving public schools and pushing the system into private charters. They will keep trying to engage district officials before the planned Jan. 10 strike, but the district must be prepared to tap into its record-breaking $1.9 billion “rainy day fund” to improve schools. Enough is enough. LA students and educators deserve better.
Workers don’t support the shutdown
It’s the second week of the government shutdown and a quarter of federal workers are either on furlough or working without pay. AFT President Randi Weingarten said: “The Trump shutdown has plunged thousands of Americans into economic uncertainty and put critical services at risk—from corrections workers to food safety inspectors to those living on tribal lands. People who live paycheck to paycheck do not know when or if they will be able to afford their rent, food and medicine. It’s time to end the Trump shutdown and the pain it is inflicting on our families.”
Watch for a ‘walk-in’ next week
Last year, educators in West Virginia sent a clear message when they walked out of their classrooms: Our students deserve better. They fought back against dwindling paychecks and under-resourced classrooms, and they won. But last year was just a down payment. West Virginia educators will hold a “walk-in” rally on Jan. 9 before the school day starts, to draw attention to the continued inadequate funding for their state’s schools.
NYC contract zeroes in on daily issues
Educators shouldn’t be held back from providing students the best education possible because of a lack of basic supplies, unreasonable workloads or space issues. That’s why the new contract between the New York City Department of Education and the United Federation of Teachers takes into account those everyday challenges. While the contract has a strong grievance process, it also offers ways for members to raise and resolve issues at the school level through a flexible process that’s determined by members within local chapters.
Read the new issue of American Educator
The Winter 2018-2019 issue of American Educator is available online for free. It explores what’s needed to support literacy in early childhood education, which is the foundation for all future learning. Also in this issue: tips for connecting science learning at home and in school, encouraging spatial thinking to teach STEM, developing mathematical mindsets, and the elementary school teacher’s perspective on recess.
December 14, 2018
I joined the nation’s first charter school strike
Heidi Burrel, a high school special education teacher at an Acero charter school in Chicago, was part of the nation's first charter school strike—and she has a message for other charter educators. In a new blog post for AFT Voices, Heidi reflects on her experience on the picket line and shares her gratitude for her colleagues, for the Chicago Teachers Union, and for the power of solidarity—which helped them get the resources their students deserve.
We Are LA: Solidarity for UTLA
United Teachers Los Angeles members have been bargaining for more than 18 months. They’re fighting for the building blocks of healthy schools, so that every child in Los Angeles has a safe and welcoming place to learn. UTLA’s demands are simple; they are what every parent wants for his or her kids: smaller classes; an end to unnecessary standardized testing; fair pay; no racist random searches of students; increased charter school accountability; and more nurses, librarians and counselors. UTLA members need our support.
Historic raise for educators in Miami-Dade
Members of the United Teachers of Dade in Florida got some amazing news this week when they learned that their bargaining team had struck a tentative agreement with Miami-Dade County Public Schools for the largest raise in their history. It also includes more planning time for teachers and additional funding for instructional personnel and paraprofessionals. The agreement still needs to be ratified by members and approved by the school board.
TEACH Grants failed 1 in 3 recipients
The federal TEACH program was meant to help promising teachers avoid debt and to ensure low-income communities have the educators they need. But the program has failed many of its participants; thousands of teachers have discovered that their grants were converted to loans, mostly because of mistakes by the companies hired to manage the process. More than 12,000 educators had their grants switched to loans—that’s 1 in 3 participants. Have any of your members had their grants converted to loans? Email Communicator@AFT.org to tell us.
Faculty fight for funding
Leaders of the Professional Staff Congress, the faculty-staff union at the City University of New York, were arrested during a lively protest this week as they blocked the doors to Baruch College, surrounded by hundreds of supporters demanding full funding for New York City’s public university system. They urged the CUNY board of trustees, which was meeting inside, to “stop defending austerity” and submit a budget for state funding that supports high-quality education for CUNY students, competitive faculty salaries, and raises for adjunct faculty who are paid at a poverty level.
Stop the burnout
AFT members who work as correctional officers in Kansas prisons are burning out from short-staffing, low pay and insufficient training. Like their fellow professionals in healthcare, these members are forced to work mandatory overtime, raising risks for their charges and the surrounding communities. Read an inside account by J. Ruth Beck, a member of AFT-Kansas and retired corrections officer, who hopes that Kansas will finally get serious about fixing these issues.
AFT union family welcomes new Texas local
There are 562 new AFT members in Texas' Rio Grande Valley now that the educators of the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District have voted to affiliate with the AFT. Teachers and paraprofessionals overwhelmingly made the choice, recognizing the union as an important vehicle for them to achieve a voice on the job. The local represents all employees of Pharr-San Juan-Alamo’s 42 campuses, which have 4,500 employees and 32,000 students.
December 7, 2018
Show your solidarity with educators in Chicago
More than 500 of our union brothers and sisters are on the picket lines in the freezing Chicago cold, committed to striking until students and educators get the resources they deserve. This is the nation’s first strike of charter school educators. These teachers, paraprofessionals and support staff, who are members of the Chicago Teachers Union, are demanding the resources and autonomy needed to provide their students with the schools they deserve. We are asking leaders like you to write to the Acero board now and tell them to negotiate a fair contract.
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Urge our members and allies on Twitter and Facebook to write the Acero board NOW and tell them to negotiate a fair contract with the Chicago Teachers Union!
Charting a way forward
AFT President Randi Weingarten and U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi addressed AFT leaders at the union’s legislative conference this week. Both outlined their plans for the years to come. “We should be building infrastructure,” Pelosi said, “not building walls, but building schools.” Weingarten said AFT leaders and activists across the country must engage our members and communities around our shared values and aspirations. We must prove day in and day out that the union is the vehicle for a better life, a voice at work and a stronger democracy.
Call for proposals: TEACH 2019
Our biennial AFT TEACH (Together Educating America’s Children) conference will be held July 11-13, in Washington, D.C. We know that educators want in-depth, hands-on experiences that provide them with concrete strategies, tools and materials they can use in the classroom to meet students’ needs. Attendees can participate in a variety of sessions that will provide them with tools, resources and strategies to use back home. We’re also inviting members to submit a proposal for a conference session or to partner with us to develop one. We are accepting session proposals for TEACH 2019 until Monday, Jan. 14.
Don’t shush the librarians
When librarians at the University of California discovered that academic freedom was not written into their contract, they thought it would be an easy add—but they were wrong. Now they're fighting for one of the most basic rights on any university campus: the right to express their opinions and delve into sometimes controversial research without fear of discipline or retribution. Read why this matters and sign their petition.
AFT’s identity theft benefit has members covered
The Marriott hotel chain recently had a data breach of 500 million records related to customers who stayed at Starwood hotels and resorts going as far back as 2014. It’s a powerful reminder that we live in a world where securing your data has never been more important. Rest assured that the AFT has our members covered. Every member of the AFT is eligible for free identity theft protection.
December 1, 2018
We are L.A.
Together, the AFT, NEA and the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools are supporting the United Teachers Los Angeles as the union bargains with the school district for a fair contract. UTLA is fighting for smaller class sizes, less testing and more teaching time, improved school safety, support for community schools, salaries that keep up with inflation, and increased funding for schools. To show the Los Angeles school district that UTLA has support from unions and our members around the country, the AFT is collecting signatures for our statement of support.
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Add your name to our petition.
From blue wave to union wave
Leading up to the midterm elections, AFT members cared, fought, showed up, voted, and ran for office—and we won big on Election Day. But we didn’t stop there. In three separate union elections this month, workers voted “union yes”: Georgetown University graduate employees in Washington, D.C., healthcare professionals at Rockville General Hospital in Vernon, Conn., and graduate employees at Brown University in Providence, R.I. The Brown vote was the culmination of a campaign stretching back to 2002, when the university stripped students of their collective bargaining rights—a precedent that has now been overturned once and for all.
Calling all F-1 graduate workers
We’re currently looking for any graduate workers on F-1 visas willing to be profiled anonymously about their experience with the Trump administration’s draconian new rules for students on F-1 visas. Additionally, we want to hear from any AFT members who are facing major delays or problems with visa renewals from travel-ban countries. Contact Chris Hicks: CHicks@aft.org.
Unacceptable and un-American
The AFT has rallied a coalition of partners to tell the new Congress that the treatment of asylum-seekers at the U.S. border is cruel, inhumane and illegal. Federal law grants the right to seek asylum, yet that hasn’t stopped the Trump administration from ripping infants and toddlers from their mothers’ arms, putting children in cages, and now tear-gassing innocent children and migrants seeking refuge in the United States. What the Trump administration is doing is unconscionable. In an ad that ran in The Hill, we demand the new Congress, as soon as it is sworn in, hold hearings on these and other crimes against humanity.
Faculty, stripped of union, face new employer
Faculty at the New Jersey-based Kean University’s campus in China will soon lose their union representation and face threats to their academic freedom when their official employer becomes the Chinese government. Kean officials say the school will continue to oversee academic programming and faculty hiring, but there is no guarantee that the arrangement will continue, and faculty are concerned their work will ultimately be governed by Chinese officials. “There should be a monitor,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “There should be protections for American citizens and for people who are employees of Kean on the Wenzhou campus. And if those protections cannot happen, then the question is, why is Kean in China?" The AFT is calling for an investigation.
This is my lane
Helping people, easing suffering, preventing pain, healing the sick—that is the responsibility of healthcare professionals. The National Rifle Association called this duty into question when the organization challenged physicians to #StayInYourLane, implying that healthcare professionals have no grounds to take a stand and speak out on gun legislation. AFT member Morteza Rabii, a registered nurse and president of the Kansas University Nurses Association, explains why healthcare professionals fought back on social media with the hashtag #ThisIsMyLane.
A Conversation with Steven Spielberg
As the United States experiences an increase in anti-Semitism, hate speech and hate-driven violence, the Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg joined the AFT to discuss teaching these difficult subjects. In a conversation with AFT President Randi Weingarten and Laura Tavares with Facing History and Ourselves and the National Council for the Social Studies, the director discussed the legacy of his landmark film “Schindler’s List,” and ways to incorporate its lessons given the uptick in anti-Semitic violence plaguing American communities. Interested in hearing the full webinar? You can listen to a recording of the event.
Your district can be next
Erin Covell, president of the Massena (N.Y.) Federation of Teachers, says attending the 2018 Center for School Improvement Leadership Institute transformed her district, because it forced district and union leaders to walk in each other's shoes. "CSI has reframed the way we operate as a labor-management team. I’m just sorry it took us this long to get there," she writes on AFT Voices. CSI 2019 is taking place in New York City, Jan. 24-26, and registration is open until Dec. 17. Click here to register your team today. Your district can be next!
Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness learns about unions
Everyone's favorite member of the fab five wants the world to know about the assault on the labor movement. Listen to him in conversation with AFT member Rebecca Givan, a professor of labor studies and employment relations at Rutgers University, and treasurer of Rutgers-AAUP-AFT.
Nov. 9, 2018
Americans vote for check and balance
“The American people sent two very important messages,” AFT President Randi Weingarten says. “First, on a federal level, they voted for a check and balance on President Trump. Second, on a state level, people voted for problem solvers as governors and in their statehouses—governors committed to finding solutions that make life better for children and families, and who believe in public education, good healthcare and rebuilding infrastructure. When public education was on the ballot, voters overwhelmingly chose to invest in public schools and stand with teachers, even electing AFT members as governors in Michigan and Minnesota.” Last night, Americans voted for leaders who will find solutions to make life better for people.
AFT members win in races across the country
In the months leading up to the midterm elections, AFT members knocked on doors, manned phone banks and persuaded would-be voters to support the issues and candidates they cared about. And 300 members even ran for office. AFT member Gretchen Whitmer and former AFT member Tim Walz won governor seats in Michigan and Minnesota, respectively. And our members won state and local elections across the country, in Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Utah, Wisconsin and more. We cared. We fought. We showed up. We voted. And we ran. Watch our video featuring Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer.
Community schools program expands with AFT’s help
The Rome City School District in Rome, N.Y., will grow its community schools program thanks to a new grant from the AFT. The program was piloted in one school last fall and was so successful that the district has expanded it to two more schools, with the AFT’s support. Kids and parents receive help with everything from food to homework to mental health counseling. These wraparound services ensure that kids are healthy, safe and ready to learn; that families get the support they need; and that schools become the heart of the communities they serve.
No desks, overcrowded classrooms, no funding
Every year, Congress denies billions in funding for Title I, a program designed to provide additional support for schools serving students living in poverty. This is the story of the teachers, kids and families in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles who suffer under the repercussions. In L.A. alone, this failure denies students more than $900 million a year in additional supports. "A Rose in L.A.," a new video by the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, an initiative funded by the AFT and our partners, shows the systemic underfunding of public schools—and the communities coming together to fight it. It's a must-watch.
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Tell your followers that kids, teachers and families deserve better. Share the video on Twitter and Facebook.
Speak out against the ‘public charge’ rule
The Trump administration is accepting public comments on the “public charge” rule, which would enable the Department of Homeland Security to deny green cards to immigrant families that have accessed social services like Medicaid or food assistance programs. “Immigrants come to the United States seeking the opportunity to build a better life,” AFT President Randi Weingarten says, “and when we punish them for accessing the tools they need to succeed, we pull the ladder of opportunity right out from underneath them.”
2018 Election Edition
Remember in November
Teachers like Jamie Gibbons who walked out this spring to demand more education funding are taking their fight from the statehouse to the ballot box. Their rallying cry: Remember in November. Jamie, an AFT member in Oklahoma City, says it's not just about what party a politician belongs to, or what they say they support during the campaign; once they’re elected, she and her union brothers and sisters will be holding their representatives' feet to the fire when it comes to education funding.
The rotten truth
Jim Crow laws may be a thing of the past, but those on the far right have found new ways to keep people from voting, so they can hang onto power. Over the past decade, 24 states — nearly half — passed laws making it harder for people to register and vote. Here are five things you need to know about voter suppression.
AFT members defend democracy
Members of the AFT and the New York State Public Employees Federation with legal expertise are heading to Georgia to put their skills to good use at the polls. Voter suppression has been a major campaign issue in the state. The Republican candidate for governor is currently Georgia’s secretary of state, and he is guilty of blatant acts to disenfranchise black voters. “Not that long ago, people were taking to the streets and being beaten by nightsticks for the right to vote,” says PEF volunteer Estelle Davis. “So if I can show up with a clipboard and try to make sure that still happens, I am happy to do that.”
This election, we wrote postcards
From Baltimore to Minnesota to California, AFT school and college support staff have written thousands of postcards to fellow members with a reminder to show up at the polls on Nov. 6. “The ramifications of losing what we’ve gained could be terrible,” says David Case, a special education paraprofessional from Connecticut, “Let’s get reinvigorated. This is the time!”
The good kind of peer pressure
We know that AFT members vote, but do your friends, family and colleagues vote too? Our well-being as a nation is on the line this time around. Here are five reasons you can use to persuade your reticent friends and family to show up and support progressive candidates and issues in this election.
October 26, 2018
Which side are you on?
AFT President Randi Weingarten writes in her latest New York Times column. “The midterm elections provide voters an opportunity to declare which side they are on.” Republicans have already declared that if they win the midterms they’ll go after Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, which together kept 44 million people out of poverty last year, to pay for the Trump tax cuts. And they’ll gut the Affordable Care Act and eliminate protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions. If Democrats win, they’ll provide the checks and balances this country so desperately needs. Every vote counts.
Weingarten on Time's cover
Featured among the activists, parents, kids, hunters, police and more depicted on the latest cover of Time magazine you'll find AFT President Randi Weingarten. “What binds AFT members,” she tells Time, “is that every single day they make a difference in the lives of others. We care passionately about making sure that our schools are safe and welcoming, our kids have the resources they need to live their lives, and we see the issue of gun violence from many different perspectives.”
Students stand up to gun violence
Students and AFT members from all around the nation convened at the Student Gun Violence Summit to create and ratify a Students’ Bill of Rights that addresses gun violence and ensuring safer schools and communities. Students engaged in meaningful conversations on topics such as the faces of gun violence, the evolution of the Second Amendment, and the need for mental health supports.
AFT members defend water supply from privatization
Ballot initiatives are usually the last thing voters think about, after deciding on their candidates for national, state and local offices. But this fall, there’s a ballot initiative that’s vitally important to everyone who lives in and around Baltimore—it would amend the city charter to ensure that the public water supply remains public. Read why AFT member and city water chemist Sadi Caldarazzo urges citizens to protect their water by voting YES on Question E.
Chicago public charter educators prepare for strike vote
The public charter educators of the Chicago Teachers Union have simple demands, writes Jesse Sharkey, CTU president: “Return resources to classrooms, fund student needs, give educators a long-deserved raise, and provide parents and all Chicago residents with the transparency we deserve. … When our students are starved of the opportunities we know they so richly deserve, we educators will redouble our sacrifice by forgoing our paychecks and shutting down schools until we win justice.”
Teach the election with Share My Lesson
From fostering civil discourse to fighting fake news to protecting voting rights and more, Share My Lesson has everything you need to keep your students informed and participating as Election Day approaches.
Listen to Weingarten on radio show ‘1A’
On WAMU’s “1A” program, AFT President Randi Weingarten discusses collective bargaining legislation at the state level, how the Janus v. AFSCME ruling has affected public sector unions, and how this year’s teacher uprisings may play out in the midterm elections.
October 19, 2018
It’s not a question of whether you’ll vote
We know that you’ll vote, but will your members, friends and family? This fall’s elections have taken on an urgency the nation hasn’t experienced in generations. Instead of being a voice for working people, our president has pushed an agenda for the rich—from ripping away healthcare from millions of people to signing a tax scam that gives 83 percent of the benefits to the top 1 percent. But unions are built for times like these. And we have tools to help you advocate for the candidates and issues you care about. It’s not too late to rally your community.
AFT poll finds Trump tax cuts increasingly unpopular
People want more spending on healthcare, education and infrastructure, not cuts to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare to pay for the tax cuts the American people opposed. “There is now a 12-point gap in support for the GOP tax law, according to a pre-election poll conducted by Greenberg Research and Democracy Corps for the American Federation of Teachers. … It's another alarm bell that Republicans may not be able to win the midterm elections on what they hoped would be their signature legislation of this Congress.” Working people don't see themselves as beneficiaries of the Trump economy, instead they see their wages stagnating while the rich get richer.
Share the news on Twitter and Facebook.
AFT and partners sue Department of Education
The Department of Education is violating federal law by not releasing records, requested by the AFT and others under the Freedom of Information Act, related to its decision to allow schools to purchase firearms using federal funds. We’ve partnered with the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence to force the department’s hand.
Donate to AFT members affected by Hurricane Michael
By now you’ve seen the devastation that Hurricane Michael left in its wake. Many communities still stranded without power, while others were totally wiped out. We’ve reached out to members in the area to make sure everyone is safe, and are in contact with local union leaders and staff to organize relief efforts in our schools. You can help support your union sisters and brothers by donating to our Hurricane Michael Relief Fund.
Fight continues for grads in Chicago
Graduate employees at Brown University and Georgetown University are on their way to historic union elections. Rejecting the Trump-dominated National Labor Relations Board, they have convinced their universities to recognize union elections supervised by the American Arbitration Association. University of Chicago grads are also eager to unionize, but as one Ph.D. candidate explains, their administration is employing union-busting techniques to prevent them from winning recognition.
Stand with the University of Chicago grads on Twitter and Facebook.
Voters could unlock $2 billion in education funding
This November, education is on the ballot in a big way. A new report from the Center for American Progress finds that voters have the power to usher in significant funding for public education. “In 15 states across the country, there are 20 confirmed ballot measures that could generate more than $2 billion in revenue for public education and represent public referendums on important education policy issues, such as private school vouchers.”
Chipping Away at Voting Rights
In the last decade, nearly half of states have put in place regulations that make it harder for Americans to exercise their constitutional rights. This episode of NPR’s “On Point” goes deep into the issue.
October 12, 2018
Are you engaging members through professional development?
Our new guide offers recommendations and advice for states and locals interested in building and sustaining a successful professional development program. One of the most important services a union can provide is high-quality professional development to its members.
We must reform our disaster relief system
As Florida begins recovery efforts after Hurricane Michael, and residents of North Carolina are still coping with the effects of Hurricane Florence, Rosa Soto-Thomas and Carol Callwood reflect on rebuilding the U.S. Virgin Islands after two devastating hurricanes turned their paradise into a nightmare one year ago. They celebrate how so many of our union brothers and sisters across the country have donated, volunteered and demanded that recovery efforts for these islands not be forgotten. But more needs to be done to fight disasters yet to come. Soto-Thomas and Callwood call on Congress to establish a disaster relief system that has less red tape and prioritizes recovery efforts that can bring communities a sense of normalcy.
Save the date
On Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 8 p.m. Eastern time, we’re offering a virtual student debt mini-clinic. You and other members of your local may be eligible to have your monthly student debt bill reduced or even forgiven entirely. Some student loan holders who work in public service are eligible for a program called Public Service Loan Forgiveness, which allows public sector employees to have all direct federal student loans forgiven. Experts from the AFT will walk callers through the basics of income-driven repayment plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
Lightbulb moments
From naptime to parent-teacher conferences to the bargaining table—early childhood educator and United Teachers Los Angeles union activist Teri Harnik does it all. With more than 40 years as an educator under her belt, Harnik says working with her local union's early childhood education committee has been a crucial way to strengthen her profession: “The opportunity to advocate for myself and my colleagues means more to me than I can say. I’m so grateful to be a part of a union that feels like a family.”
AFT condemns Trump’s “public charge” rule
The Trump administration is expected to formally issue a rule that enables the Department of Homeland Security to deny green cards to immigrant families that have accessed social services like Medicaid or food assistance programs. “The Trump administration continues to use hate and fear to promote a brand of nationalism that rejects the very values on which our country was built,” AFT President Randi Weingarten says. “Immigrants come to the United States seeking the opportunity to build a better life, and when we punish them for accessing the tools they need to succeed, we pull the ladder of opportunity right out from underneath them.”
October 5, 2018
Student debt is a huge stressor for AFT members. If we’re not experiencing it ourselves, or worrying over our kids’ student debt, we see it among overextended friends and family. This special edition is devoted to showing how and why the AFT is fighting to make higher education more accessible—without the “debt sentence.”
AFT members are taking Navient to court
A class-action suit filed in federal court by nine members of the AFT in four states, on behalf of themselves and all other similarly situated public servants, alleges that student loan servicer Navient has misled borrowers in public service professions, keeping them from accessing a public loan forgiveness program to boost its own profits. Instead, Navient recommended less effective remedies so it could earn millions in service fees. AFT President Randi Weingarten said, “Navient, rather than fulfill its responsibilities, has instead deceived America’s public servants and public servants-to-be, under the eye of Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education. But what goes around comes around—and it’s well past time that Navient faced up to its lies.”
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Learn more about the suit.
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Ask your followers on Twitter and Facebook to share their student loan story with Betsy DeVos.
Devastation by debt: AFT members speak out
This summer, the AFT conducted a survey to determine the effects of student debt on AFT members who struggle financially. The results were overwhelming. Nearly every person surveyed — 97 percent — said student debt has increased stress in their lives. The vast majority — 80 percent — say they’ve lost sleep over it. Nearly three-quarters — 72 percent — said it has strained family and household relationships. Dozens described having suicidal thoughts. The survey shows us that student loans, originally designed to help low-income people access higher education, can be an unmanageable and life-altering burden.
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Read about the results.
Sometimes it feels like an endless cycle
When Todd Ratica was 18, he knew he wanted to play college baseball and get a great education. He never considered how student debt would hang like a shadow over his adult life. Today, he’s an AFT member and social studies teacher in Cleveland doing what he loves: teaching kids. But he’s not just a teacher. He also works security at a bar in Cleveland and, in the spring, picks up a third job as a high school baseball coach. “It seems backward that teachers make so little money but this job is so important,” Todd said in frustration. “Kids are our future. They’re the people who are going to be running our country someday. By putting great teachers in classrooms and paying them competitive wages, it will help the kids and make our country successful.”
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See what Todd wishes he had told his younger self.
Paying off student loans until she's 87
Susan Vincent was an award-winning environmental education teacher who went the extra mile, traveling with her urban students so they could paddle their way through marshes and wetlands to learn about sampling water and testing its quality in a lab. When she retired, she thought she could count on loan forgiveness programs to pay off her student debt, but she was wrong. The system is so broken, she’s afraid her Social Security will be garnished to pay off her student debt. Even if it’s not, she’ll be making monthly loan payments until she’s 87.
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Learn why Susan feels cheated.
Public service debt relief is broken
Eleven years ago, Congress created the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program to forgive the education debts of borrowers who dedicate a decade of their lives to jobs in the public sector. But the program is a myth. Only 96 of the 28,000 applicants to the program have had their loans forgiven. “Educators and other school personnel have walked out to demand a living wage in exchange for the jobs they love,” AFT President Randi Weingarten writes in an op-ed. “Teachers are working in fast food restaurants or selling plasma to pay their bills. By failing to ensure that public service loan forgiveness operates as intended, the Education Department is condemning them to a lifetime sentence in debt.”
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Read Weingarten's op-ed.
September 27, 2018
Public service debt relief is broken
Eleven years ago, Congress created the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program to forgive the education debts of borrowers who dedicate a decade of their lives to jobs in the public sector. But the program is a myth. Only 96 of the 28,000 applicants to the program have had their loans forgiven. “Educators and other school personnel have walked out to demand a living wage in exchange for the jobs they love,” AFT President Randi Weingarten writes in an op-ed. “Teachers are working in fast food restaurants or selling plasma to pay their bills. By failing to ensure that public service loan forgiveness operates as intended, the Education Department is condemning them to a lifetime sentence in debt.”
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Read Weingarten's op-ed.
Attend or host a screening of ‘Intelligent Lives’
Join the movement to rethink assumptions about intelligence: Statistically, people with intellectual disabilities are the most segregated group in America. Filmmaker Dan Habib wants to change that. In his new film, “Intelligent Lives,” he introduces viewers to three pioneering young adults with intellectual disabilities who challenge perceptions of intellect as they navigate high school, college and the workforce. The AFT is a proud partner on this film, and we’re calling on members to join the movement to rethink intelligence.
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You can attend a screening or host your own.
Encourage young activists to rise up
Working with teachers and students all over the country, students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are holding a national student-led forum on gun safety and safe schools. The event will take place in Washington, D.C., Oct. 20 and 21, to create a national agenda to address gun violence and show the world that young people have the power to make change.
Worth a listen
Three teachers discuss their life-changing experiences surviving school shootings and what it was like to return to the classroom.
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Listen and learn.
Fighting to keep kids safe
This story is a bright reminder that if you have something worth fighting for, then you must fight for it. Social worker Stephanie McLean-Beathley, a member of the New York State Public Employees Federation, found out in 2013 that the state planned to close her workplace, a psychiatric center for traumatized children in a peaceful, rural setting in Western New York. The state wanted to merge the children’s center with an adult facility. PEF members, led by McLean-Beathley, decided to fight.
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Read her story.
September 21,2018
The high cost of defunding public education
In her monthly column in the New York Times, AFT President Randi Weingarten writes that disinvestment in public schools is hurting kids and educators. The average teacher salary in the United States is lower in 2018 than it was in 2009. The recent school walkouts across the country exposed the breadth of this disinvestment and showed that the American public stands behind our teachers. There is hope, Weingarten writes: “We have become a rallying nation, and increasingly, those rallying cries are being led by the nation’s educators and young people. That is the promise of America and the promise of public education.”
Help our brothers and sisters in Massachusetts
Residents have just returned to their homes after a series of gas explosions and fires shook their three Massachusetts communities—Lawrence, Andover and North Andover. Many AFT Massachusetts members volunteered at Lawrence schools that served as shelters, to help distribute donated items to area residents. “It’s been tough. There is a lot of hurt going on in the community, but we are resilient. We are going to recover,” says Lawrence Teachers’ Union President Frank McLaughlin. Read the full story and donate to our fund for victims.
Weingarten explains Puerto Crisis on NowThis
Following Hurricane Maria, the Trump administration implemented a plan to close public schools and privatize the Puerto Rico school system—more than one-third of schools on the island were closed. Protests by parents and teachers were ignored, while Betsy DeVos’ policies were foisted onto Puerto Rico under the cloak of affordability. The remaining schools that did open welcomed children and teachers with overcrowded classrooms, no power and inadequate school supplies—80 percent of these schools were still damaged from the storm. On the 1-year anniversary of the hurricane, public education is under threat in Puerto Rico. Watch AFT President Randi Weingarten explain the crisis.
Worth a listen
On Start Making Sense, a podcast from The Nation, AFT President Randi Weingarten talks about why unions are more popular than ever.
The girls who will be tomorrow’s scientists
We’re celebrating our outstanding members from Washington Teachers’ Union who work at Excel Academy, the very first public all-girls school in Washington, D.C. They focus on STEM education and the arts to provide an enriching and exciting environment for students and educators. Teachers collaborate with the union and district to form strong partnerships.
It’s back to school for paraprofessionals
The paraprofessionals and school-related personnel who belong to the AFT know they’re in this line of work for their students, for each other and for their communities. They are devoted to their students, always fighting for more resources. They have each other’s backs. And they’re sticking with their union, which provides supports like professional development, bargaining tools, free lesson plans, and sources for books and supplies. Check out the stories of three PSRPs in Oregon who share why they love what they do.
September 14, 2018
Welcome to our special back-to-school edition of Inside AFT, see what our officers and members have been up to in this critical season.
An important civics lesson is on the horizon
AFT President Randi Weingarten just returned from a string of school visits across the country, and “it’s no wonder that teachers are angry,” she writes in The Guardian. “Betsy DeVos’ big back-to-school idea this year was to divert funding for guidance counselors, mental health services and enrichment programs for poor kids to arm educators.” Teachers often dig into their own pockets to ensure their students get what they need. But a civics lesson is on the horizon: Hundreds of AFT members are running for office, thousands more are campaigning for candidates committed to funding public education, and the students we serve are leading the fight for gun safety. Enduring change is possible—if we vote.
Teaching the whole child
Watch a new video of AFT Secretary-Treasurer Lorretta Johnson's back-to-school visit in St. Tammany Parish, LA., where educators with the Louisiana Federation of Teachers not only teach academics but also focus on their students social and emotional learning. These teachers are preparing their students to change to the world.
Back to school and the school supplies aisle
For many teachers, “back to school” means back to the school supplies aisle. Our member Kim Ochs from the West Warwick (R.I.) Teachers Alliance reflects on all things back to school: from spending her own money on school supplies to that rewarding feeling when she sees the smiling face of a child who has just solved a math problem.
We owe billions to low-income students
The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, a partnership between the AFT and other education and civil rights groups, released a report detailing the systemic underfunding of public schools, focusing specifically on black, Latino and low-income students. AFT President Randi Weingarten says, “Awareness of the impact of austerity is one thing, doing something about it is quite another. That’s why the 2018 elections are so important. We must commit to electing people who will reverse this undermining of our students’ future and instead prioritize sustainable, equitable investment in our public schools.”
Unfinished business: Michelle’s Story
As she heads back to school, a teacher nearing the end of her tenure reflects on the role of professional development in her career. Over the years, AFT-sponsored professional development helped Michelle grow her own skills. And later, she became a trainer to help new teachers advocate for themselves, their schools and, most importantly, their students.
Meet tomorrow’s teachers today
Burnsville High School in Minnesota hosts an amazing program for students who want to become professional educators. The school has the foresight to see that public education is the foundation of our democracy and the center of the community. Watch the AFT’s new video about Burnsville’s work to encourage young people to become educators.
September 7, 2018
Kavanaugh protests draw national attention
During this week's confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, protests have taken center stage as activists shouted objections and Democratic senators expressed outrage over missing documents from Kavanaugh’s years as a lawyer for the Bush administration. Multiple protesters were escorted out, a phalanx of women wore “Handmaid’s Tale”-style robes to illustrate fear for women’s rights, and Twitter lit up with video of Kavanaugh refusing to acknowledge the father of a Parkland school shooting victim. Kavanaugh’s abysmal record on labor, public education and healthcare is just part of the reason the AFT is vigorously opposing the nomination.
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Write to your senators now to tell them to stand firm. Kavanaugh cannot serve on the Supreme Court.
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Take action to #StopKavanaugh on Twitter and on Facebook.
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Check out classroom resources about the Supreme Court on Share My Lesson.
AFT rushes in with clean water for Detroit kids
The AFT and our Detroit locals have joined the response to the Detroit schools’ water crisis. Precipitated by test results showing lead and copper in the water, the Detroit school system has shut off drinking water to all schools for the foreseeable future. Members are organizing to make sure that their students and colleagues have access to safe drinking water for the duration of the crisis.
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Tweet about the Detroit school water crisis and spread the word on Facebook.
‘Teacher takeover’ highlights classroom reality
Today through Sept. 7, The Guardian is featuring a “teacher takeover,” with teachers guest-editing the U.S. edition to highlight the crisis in American classrooms and rising teacher activism. Editors met with more than a dozen teachers at the AFT convention this summer to develop themes for the project. It includes original reporting as well as an opportunity for educators to contribute to an ongoing forum where they can describe what they need to help improve America’s schools.
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Share these firsthand teacher stories on Twitter and on Facebook.
Worth a listen
On this week's edition of Start Making Sense, a podcast from The Nation, Randi Weingarten talks about why unions are more popular than ever.
Trump canceled DACA—what’s next for me?
One year after Trump canceled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Karen Reyes, an AFT member who teaches deaf and hard-of-hearing preschoolers, recalls the uncertainty of her life as a teacher with DACA status, describes the fear among her students and their undocumented families, and wonders what will happen next for her and her students. Her story lays bare what’s at stake and displays her heartfelt determination that she and her allies will overcome this cruel immigration policy with hope and compassion.
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Share Karen's story on Twitter and on Facebook.
Pittsburgh is a union town!
“Labor unions give not only their members strength, but to me as a teacher, that strength goes to our children, our families, our communities.” That’s just one spot-on sentiment from members caught on a new video of Labor Day celebrations with the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers. Rallying with a crowd of union brothers and sisters, including one running for state legislature, they were also joined by Sen. Bob Casey, Rep. Conor Lamb, Gov. Tom Wolf and AFT President Randi Weingarten to celebrate all things union. As one member put it, “We’re sticking together. We’re going to be stronger than ever.”
August 31, 2018
Learning the union advantage the hard way
This Labor Day, we are counting the ways the union makes a difference—especially as we consider what it’s like to be without one. When Polly Gerber Zimmermann, a registered nurse who taught nursing at a unionized campus, started a new job at a nonunion campus, the reality of the advantages and protections she had had through her union hit home. “I never appreciated the asset the union was for my teaching when I was blessed with its benefits,” Zimmermann says.
Americans reject defunding of public schools
The recently released 2018 PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools finds that most Americans think teachers are underpaid, support teacher strikes for higher pay and want to strengthen public education. AFT President Randi Weingarten says the results confirm that “The tide is turning. In a year of great turbulence, from the tragic school shootings to the teacher walkouts due to the effects of a decade of disinvestment, the American people overwhelmingly reject the approach Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has promoted to defund, destabilize and destroy public schools and further undermine teachers.”
Teacher revolts reverberating in this year’s elections
Gubernatorial candidates in Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, among others, are hyper-focused on education in their races this fall, following years of neglect of public education in these and other states. Teachers have been transformed politically, and more educators than ever are running for office or helping to get out the vote for their chosen candidates. The 2018 elections have taken on an urgency we haven’t experienced in recent memory. This is truly a “which side are you on?” moment—a chance to swing back toward the democratic norms the Trump administration has sought to undermine.
New sexual assault rules would protect accused
The Department of Education will announce a new draft rule on campus sexual misconduct that would offer additional protections to students accused of assault, harassment or rape, and limit the liability of the institutions where the incidents take place. AFT President Randi Weingarten says: “Of course due process is important, but the evidence of the last several decades demonstrates that we need stronger protections for survivors, not for the accused perpetrators or the institutions that may be complicit in shielding them.” Read this haunting story from one of our members on why rolling back any element of Title IX will hurt victims.
August 24, 2018
Devos considers buying guns for teachers
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is considering a proposal to use federal funding to purchase guns for educators. AFT President Randi Weingarten says we knew “DeVos would try to do the bidding of the National Rifle Association and the gun manufacturers, but to even consider diverting resources used to support poor kids to flood schools with more guns is beyond the recklessness we believed she was willing to pursue. Instead of after-school programs or counselors, programs that are critical for creating safe and welcoming schools and addressing the mental health needs of kids, DeVos wants to turn schools into armed fortresses and make kids and educators less safe.”
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Sign our petition against arming teachers.
Working people are still struggling
In her monthly New York Times column, AFT President Randi Weingarten highlights the massive gap between President Trump’s rhetoric and reality. Wages are stagnant, healthcare costs are rising, student debt is surging and the rate of elderly Americans filing for bankruptcy has tripled. Rather than addressing this economic pain, Trump and his allies are making things even worse. “They’re trying to bust unions. They’ve made it harder for defrauded borrowers to seek student debt relief. They’ve tried to gut the Affordable Care Act, and to slash federal support for summer school and after-school programs,” Weingarten writes.
Tell your senators to #StopKavanaugh
The AFT and other labor activists are getting ready for an Aug. 26 national day of action opposing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who poses a serious threat to American workers, public education and accessible healthcare. We need your help to #StopKavanaugh.
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Take action: Tell your senators to vote against Kavanaugh
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Ask your followers on Twitter and Facebook to tell their senators.
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Check out our toolkit for more ways to stop Kavanaugh.
AFT helps members climb out of debt
Student debt is a greater burden in this country than auto or credit card debt, with Americans carrying more than $1.5 trillion in education debt. In a recent survey of AFT members, 80 percent said their education debt was either "challenging" or "a major burden.” AFT student debt clinics have already helped more than 10,000 people get clarity on their debt and find the best path to a debt-free life.
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Find out how to sponsor a student debt clinic at your local.
Worth a listen
Randi Weingarten tells Politico this a “which side are you on?” moment.
Money talks, pension funds walk
In the wake of a new AFT report exposing hedge funds and corporations that are profiting from the jailing of immigrant families in private prisons, the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund, by a unanimous vote, added immigration detention and other private incarceration centers to its list of prohibited investments. AFT President Randi Weingarten said: “Private prison operators are officially on notice. Teachers and the trustees of their pension systems will now question whether their retirement savings are invested in morally abhorrent detention centers that are both a stain on our nation and a risky financial bet.”
ICYMI
We launched our new Elections Matter web tools last week. The site shows people where to register to vote, asks them to fill out our election mobilization card and features a map exploring issues in their state.
August 17, 2018
Primary victories highlight labor, veterans, women
Voters in this month’s primaries are sending fresh faces into many races. In the Midwest, AFT member and Army National Guard veteran Tim Walz is the Democratic nominee for governor of Minnesota, where state delegate Ilhan Omar is poised to become the first refugee elected to Congress. She and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan are expected to become the nation’s first two Muslim congresswomen. In Wisconsin, union ironworker and Army veteran Randy Bryce, who spoke at this summer’s AFT convention, will face a carbon copy of departing House Speaker Paul Ryan for that seat. In the Northeast, voters in two states made history: In Vermont’s primary, Christine Hallquist became the nation’s first transgender candidate from a major party to win the Democratic nod for governor, and Connecticut positioned 2016 national teacher of the year Jahana Hayes to become the first African-American woman to represent her state in Congress.
Randi Weingarten: Which side are you on?
In a lengthy interview with Politico, AFT President Randi Weingarten defined the tumultuous moment in which organized labor is living: Union members are coming together as never before, fiercely fighting the Trump administration’s cruelty and false populism. “The combination of an antagonistic administration and hostile high court has driven union members to the barricades,” she says. Noting the urgency of the upcoming 2018 elections, she adds, “We must be a check and balance for our democracy and for a society that is safe, welcoming and sane.”
Civic alliance keeps 10 Houston schools open
On Wednesday, Houston educators were elated to learn that 10 schools slated for possible closure will remain open; six received waivers due to Hurricane Harvey and four raised test scores to meet academic requirements. Had the campuses closed, the state could have taken them over, a move the union strongly opposed. Houston Federation of Teachers President Zeph Capo, in a joint statement with AFT President Randi Weingarten, credits the improvements to a community effort: “Students achieve more when educators, administrators and parents work together to help them succeed. Our teachers are making Houston’s schools a place where kids can learn and thrive.”
AFT joins historic meeting of Latino unionists
The AFT was out in force at last week’s Labor Council for Latin American Advancement convention in Puerto Rico. As Latin American workers continue to trail their white colleagues in pay and promotions, and as appalling immigration policies plague the nation, AFT leaders joined more than 400 delegates from a cross section of the labor movement, working toward a better future by addressing equitable education practices, protections for immigrant workers, the economic impact of anti-union attacks and the power of the Latino vote.
Worth a listen
On the podcast “Working Life,” AFT President Randi Weingarten talks about the determined assault on our public schools by right-wing zealots.
Oregon nurses collect school supplies
With back to school right around the corner, members from the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals recently held a school supply drive with the goal of sending 100 Portland-area children back to class with everything they need to succeed. An unprecedented turnout for the OFNHP’s July membership meeting yielded a truckload of donated supplies.
With no contract, Vermont nurses keep up the fight
Pressure is mounting for the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington to come to an agreement on a new nurses’ contract. Nurse members of the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals have been negotiating for months for safe staffing and competitive wages at the hospital. Their contract expired July 9. Recently, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called on the hospital’s board of trustees “to take a more active role in the contract negotiations between management and the nurses’ union.” The hospital is the largest in Vermont, which ranks 47th in the nation for nurse pay.
Worth a look
August 10, 2018
AFT details investment risks from private prisons
Since the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy took effect in May, more than 2,000 children have been separated from their parents who are lawfully seeking asylum or refugee status in the United States. In the first part of a special report released today, the AFT highlights investment risks to pension funds and other investors whose portfolios contain investments in hedge funds profiting from the private prison industry and contractors who provide services to these detention centers. AFT members and our allies not only demand an end to family separation, but also sound a warning about the roles of private prisons in this crisis.
You helped provide clean water for Puerto Rico
In a most unusual alliance, the AFT and the Christian evangelical group Operation Blessing have joined forces to provide Puerto Rico with drinkable water since back-to-back hurricanes crippled the island almost a year ago. See how our groups came together to create Operation Agua, which is on course to deliver more than 10,000 water filters to families and schools by the end of this month. “We are a family, and caring is an important aspect of being part of a union,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Meanwhile, Weingarten is meeting with leaders in Puerto Rico yesterday and today to address a severe teacher shortage there; the island’s public schools are short 2,700 teachers mere days before opening. Our challenge, she said, is to make sure that kids in Puerto Rico don’t suffer another trauma.
Working people halt ‘right to work’ in Missouri
Unions scored a big win on Tuesday as voters showed strong support for organized labor in a Missouri ballot measure, crushing the state’s so-called right-to-work law by a 2-to-1 margin. Working people rejected Proposition A, saying “no” to an anti-union law adopted by the governor and state Legislature last year. Because of our phone calls and door knocks, it was our votes that had the final say.
Get ready for midterm elections in your state with the AFT’s new Elections Matter web tools. The site includes an interactive map of the United States with links to rich survey results on school funding, legislation and work-life balance.
We need your help to #StopKavanaugh
Following up from our telephone town hall that connected some 37,000 AFT activists earlier this week, we want to make sure every AFT leader has the link to our U.S. Supreme Court toolkit on AFT All In. You can access the full toolkit at go.aft.org/SupremeCourt. Here are four things you can do right now:
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Send a letter: go.aft.org/StopKavanaugh
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Call: 877-377-7932
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Sign up for the Aug. 26 day of action: uniteforjustice2018.com
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Share your story: go.aft.org/kavanaughstories
Activism wins Ohio nurses a strong contract
Nurses at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, represented by the Registered Nurses Association, part of the AFT-affiliated Ohio Nurses Association, began negotiating with the hospital for a new contract last spring and got actively involved in their contract negotiations and worksite actions. Their activism delivered a three-year collective bargaining agreement that addressed their major concerns. Read about three members who share what the contract means to them.
Los Angeles teachers set strike authorization vote
Los Angeles teachers and the nation’s second-largest school district are stuck over contract provisions, leading United Teachers Los Angeles to schedule a strike authorization vote for the end of this month. Members will vote from Aug. 23 through Aug. 30 on whether to give their union authority to call a strike. School starts Aug. 14. UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl, an AFT vice president, says district officials are “trying to disparage UTLA members, saying we are being unreasonable.” The union, which represents about 30,000 teachers, is calling for a 6.5 percent raise retroactive to July 1, 2016, along with smaller class sizes, less testing and more accountability for charter schools.
Worth a look
August 3, 2018
Celebrating a life of joyful resistance
At 100 years and going strong, Bea Lumpkin has given AFT members the gift of her life’s work as a warrior for social justice. Join us in wishing her a very happy 100th birthday. No one exemplifies a life devoted to education, trade unionism and democracy better than this retired member of the Chicago Teachers Union. Learn her amazing story on AFT Voices.
Lawmakers try to protect unions
States across the country are taking steps to protect working people in the wake of Janus v. AFSCME. Legislation has been passed to guarantee public sector unions have access to contact information for new hires, to limit the time period in which people can revoke union membership, and to ensure workers have the right to work on union matters during business hours. Despite concerted attacks from right-wing groups to reduce membership, AFT President Randi Weingarten said, “What we are seeing is an amazing sense from our members that they are sticking with the union.”
Share our survey on gun violence in schools
It’s #TimeToTalk about solutions to the gun violence problem, so we’re launching a nationwide survey to hear from students and educators across the country. Working with students and partners, we'll be releasing some of the results from our nationwide survey once we’ve heard from a diverse group of students, educators, parents and activists. So take a minute to fill out the survey and share it.
8 ways to help teachers as they head back to school
Citing the new AFT report “A Decade of Neglect,” which details the devastating impact austerity agendas have wreaked on American schools, Mashable offers readers some ways to help teachers when kids return to classrooms. Suggestions include supporting a variety of arts and literacy fundraisers on sites like Donors Choose and fighting hunger in school by contacting local food banks.
July 27, 2018
Judge rules in favor of AFT in Project Veritas case
A judge has issued a crucial ruling allowing the AFT to gather information on conservative hit group Project Veritas. The AFT brought the case after Project Veritas dispatched a mole to covertly access documents and record discussions in AFT Michigan offices. AFT President Randi Weingarten said: “The AFT and AFT Michigan are committed to holding Project Veritas accountable for its unlawful misrepresentations, infiltrations, and splicing and dicing of unlawfully obtained material to smear teachers and public schools.”
DeVos sets sights on defrauded students seeking relief
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has proposed rolling back Obama-era regulations that protect students who have been defrauded by colleges. AFT President Randi Weingarten criticized the move: “Her rewrite makes it harder for defrauded students to get the relief they need and easier for predatory for-profits to get away with ripping off students. It presumes a student is guilty and the profit-driven institutions are innocent by raising the evidence standard for students.”
New report: A devastating decade for kids
A new AFT report details the devastating impact on schools, classrooms and students when states choose to pursue an austerity agenda in the false belief that tax cuts will pay for themselves. “A Decade of Neglect” reviews the effects of austerity measures taken in the last 10 years. In 25 states, schools have spent less on education than they did prior to the recession. In the majority of states, the average teacher salary is lower than it was in 2009.
July 20, 2018
Report: A decade of cuts to education has hurt kids
A new AFT report details the devastating impact on schools, classrooms and students when states choose to pursue an austerity agenda in the false belief that tax cuts will pay for themselves. "A Decade of Neglect" reviews the effects of austerity measures taken in the last 10 years:
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When you control for inflation, 25 states spent less on K-12 education in 2016 than they did prior to the recession. Schools in these states have been shortchanged by $19 billion.
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In 38 states, the average teacher salary in 2018 is lower than it was in 2009.
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Forty-one states have shortchanged higher education by a total of $15 billion.
Share the report on Twitter and Facebook.
The AFT opposes Kavanaugh nomination
President Trump’s recent Supreme Court nominee is meeting heavy opposition, with the AFT among the many voices objecting to the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh. His troubling record includes threats to labor and healthcare, support for vouchers and school choice, and a belief that the president is above the law. “Judge Kavanaugh has written that a president should not be subject to subpoena or indictment, writings that, given the current Mueller investigation, should have been disqualifying," says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
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Tell your senators to say "no" to the Kavanaugh appointment.
AFT members running for office in more than 20 states
Newsweek covers the cascade of teacher strikes that have swept the country. Education is one of the most pressing issues in this year’s elections. Stagnant wages, and larger class sizes with fewer resources, have left teachers no option but to fight for a better environment for their students and themselves. Nearly 300 AFT members are jumping into the political arena. “It really is a which-side-are-you-on moment,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “You see on the ground, all over America, teachers taking action and having faith these actions will actually change things. At the same time, it’s pretty clear the powers that be in this country are against unions and worker power. We are in a race.”
Support your summertime professional development
To support your focus on summertime planning, preparation and professional development, Share My Lesson is featuring some of its best lessons, activities and blogs. Join our free webinars Thursday, July 26, and again Aug. 2 and 9, for this free Summer of Learning professional development series.
Worth a listen
Fresh Air’s interview with author Dan Kaufman explains how dark money, gerrymandering and complacency changed Wisconsin.
July 6, 2018
Post-Janus advice: ‘Don’t count us out’
Right-wing groups have been waging war against public sector unions for many years, so last week’s Janus decision came as no surprise. In her monthly column, AFT President Randi Weingarten describes why Janus was such a “prized goal” for the right wing: Without unions in the way, it’s easier for wealthy conservatives to “win elections, maintain economic dominance and disempower workers.” But unions are not going away, she says. Instead, new members are signing up, recognizing that unions, which negotiate everything from manageable class sizes to safety equipment for emergency personnel, are still the best vehicle working people have to make a difference in their lives and workplaces.
Judge says literacy is not a fundamental right
A federal judge in Illinois ruled Friday that children have no right to literacy. The case, filed on behalf of Detroit Public Schools students and supported by the AFT and other child advocacy groups, drew a bright line between crumbling schools and inadequate resources, and an illiteracy rate that has “exacerbated the effects of intergenerational poverty in Detroit,” according to city officials. But the judge said literacy is not a fundamental right. “The message [the decision] sends is that education is not important,” says Ivy Bailey, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers. The case will be appealed.
Trump administration strikes at affirmative action
The Department of Education announced Tuesday it is rescinding guidelines on affirmative action, effectively advising colleges and universities that the consideration of race and ethnicity in admissions decisions is beyond constitutional requirements. By revoking the Obama-era guidelines, which praise the benefits of diverse learning environments not only for students of color but for the entire nation, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration have again signaled a disregard for civil rights. While Supreme Court decisions are the only legally binding guidance on affirmative action—they allow consideration of race if other methods have failed to sufficiently diversify an institution—the presidential guidelines nevertheless make an impact on admissions policymakers.
Racial disparities rule delayed for special ed students
The DeVos administration is delaying regulations designed to address racial disparities in special education. Recognizing that students of color are wrongly placed in special education classes at a higher rate than their white peers and are more frequently suspended or expelled, the delay is being criticized by advocacy organizations like the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. The LDF notes that 1 in 4 black boys with disabilities were suspended in school year 2013-14, compared with 1 in 10 white boys, and calls the postponement “a complete abdication of the Department’s obligation to safeguard student rights.” Some states have declared they will move forward with the regulations despite DeVos’ delay.
Navient sued by California attorney general
Last Friday, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a lawsuit challenging student loan giant Navient for its illegal practices—including misleading borrowers, steering them into more-expensive loan agreements, and failing to adequately inform them about how to remain enrolled in money-saving income-based repayment programs. Becerra also nails Navient for failing to release loans of borrowers who have a “total and permanent” disability. The loan company is responsible for $300 billion in federal and private student loans for 12 million borrowers, including about 1.5 million in California. Navient is calling the allegations “unfounded,” but Becerra has declared his office will hold the company accountable.
Online college regulations delayed
In her drive to loosen regulations on all things education (and consequently provide a clear path for privatization), Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is delaying regulations that would guide the oversight of online colleges. The rules, which online colleges have complained are confusing and burdensome, simply require the schools to tell students whether their academic programs meet state licensing requirements. The department plans to delay the rules for two years, allowing time for a rewrite. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and others have criticized the delay, which, he says, “blocks important transparency requirements and increases uncertainty regarding oversight, all of which is a great disservice to students across the country.”
Inside AFT, an electronic newsletter for leaders and activists, is prepared by the AFT communications department.
June 29, 2018
AFT members sticking with the union after Janus
Although the Supreme Court ruled against working people June 27 in its decision in Janus v. AFSCME, the AFT and its members are standing strong and sticking with the union. This case is widely seen as a blatant political attack to further rig the economy and democracy against everyday Americans, in favor of the wealthy and powerful. Unions remain the most effective vehicle for ensuring working people have the power in numbers they need to secure their rights and freedoms, and for providing a pathway to the middle class. The AFT and its sister unions will remain a strong and vibrant force for working people, and will continue fighting to sustain our families, improve our workplaces and make our communities stronger regardless of the court’s ruling.
"Don’t count us out,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. "While today the thirst for power trumped the aspirations and needs of communities and the people who serve them, workers are sticking with the union because unions are still the best vehicle working people have to get ahead. Strong unions create strong communities. We will continue fighting, caring, showing up and voting, to make possible what is impossible for individuals acting alone."
More than 2,000 new faculty join the AFT
It’s official: The AFT is welcoming 2,400 new faculty members at Oregon State University, where a strong majority signed cards affirming support for union membership. On June 27—the same day the Supreme Court voted against unions in Janus v. AFSCME—the Oregon Employment Relations Board officially certified the United Academics of Oregon State University. The new local, jointly affiliated with the AFT and the American Association of University Professors, flies in the face of naysayers who expected Janus to gut unions from the start. “The Supreme Court and its right-wing backers may have declared war on public sector unions, but the faculty at OSU, alongside millions of higher education workers nationwide, are sending another message: Don’t count us out,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten.
At the border, standing up for immigrant families
Throngs of protesters, including AFT President Randi Weingarten and other union leaders, gathered at the courthouse in El Paso, Texas, June 27 as judges decided the fates of families being detained for crossing the Mexican border. From there, AFT members boarded school buses to transport books and other supplies to the children’s detention facility in Tornillo, Texas. Meanwhile, it’s still unclear whether families already separated at the border will ever be reunited. And, although the official policy now tries to avoid family separation moving forward, children and parents are still put on separate legal tracks during detention.
Increasing diversity in the educator workforce
The AFT held a Teacher Diversity Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., June 21-23, deepening its work to diversify the educator workforce and developing tools for members to expand diversity in their own school communities. Participants, a group of AFT leaders from across the country, discussed the important role teachers of color play—research shows that academic achievement increases among children of color who have teachers who look like them—and explored obstacles to diversification and ways to overcome them. “Grow Your Own” programs are one way to do that, creating pathways for teaching assistants and others to become teachers. The group’s aim is to create supports such as toolkits and tenets for expanding diversity initiatives through the union.
Career and technical education thrives with union support
A Senate committee marked up a reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act this week, making decisions regarding goals and funding for career and technical education. This pathway to graduation and stable employment is crucial to many of the students AFT members serve, and in many places the union has taken the lead in helping CTE thrive. Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers President Nina Esposito-Visgitis writes on AFT Voices about some of the stellar opportunities students have to earn college credits, industry certifications and job-readiness skills, and questions Betsy DeVos’ trip to visit CTE programs in Europe while she ignored those in the United States.
Michigan lecturers win tentative agreement
The Lecturers’ Employee Organization at the University of Michigan reached a tentative agreement June 22 that would raise their pay from currently untenable salaries, increase their retirement income, and improve healthcare access and job security. By the end of the third year of the proposed agreement, the minimum starting salary will increase by $12,700 to $16,500, depending on the campus. The agreement follows a long battle with administrators who argued that the school did not have enough money to pay lecturers fairly; students, alumni and the community rallied to prove otherwise. It also indicates a big win for recognition, as the university inches closer to living up to the campaign hashtag, #RespectTheLecs. A vote on the agreement is scheduled for July.
Community schools help children thrive
Interest in community schools is renewed, as increasing economic inequality and residential segregation challenge educators trying to provide high-quality education to all their students. The summer issue of American Educator unpacks how these schools work to create places where children can learn and thrive, even in under-resourced and underserved neighborhoods. It’s all about integrating academics, health and social services, youth and community development, and community engagement. This issue offers specific approaches for educators to use as they create their own schools—things like expanded learning time, collaborative leadership, and partnerships with social service agencies as well as with families and communities.
Working for safe staffing for nurses
Nurses understand how crucial safe staffing can be—it allows them to avoid the fatigue that can lead to risks for their patients and for themselves. That’s why retired nurse and AFT member Mary Consoli traveled from her home in Connecticut this month to volunteer with the Massachusetts Nurses Association campaign to put safe staffing limits on the state ballot in 2018. The MNA kicked off a signature-gathering effort last September, and nurses like Mary say the campaign is a great opportunity to show solidarity and help nurses in other states in their fights for safe staffing. Although she's retired, she says in a post on AFT Voices, she is still committed to the profession.
Worth reading
June 22, 2018
Family separation abandoned but problems remain
Following universal condemnation of the Trump administration’s policy of ripping immigrant children from their families at the border, the president signed an executive order June 20 ending the family separation policy. The move was a response to a tide of protest, including the formal complaint AFT President Randi Weingarten and numerous human rights organizations delivered the same day at the United Nations. The order is not enough, however, with no plan for reuniting families and continued internment of border crossers who are not criminals but are seeking asylum. “This struggle for basic humanity is not over,” said Weingarten. “Family unification cannot be traded for indefinite family internment or imprisonment.”
Brown University grad workers win right to union vote
The labor union for graduate employees at Brown University, Stand Up for Graduate Student Employees, won the right to vote for official recognition when it signed an agreement with university administrators on June 21. The pact—among the first of its kind—creates formal procedures, voter eligibility guidelines and a dispute resolution mechanism to help guide the election and the collective bargaining process for 1,400 graduate teaching and research assistants on campus. The arrangement operates outside the scope of the Trump National Labor Relations Board and comes after graduate workers at Georgetown University inked a similar agreement in April. If SUGSE wins the election, the union will negotiate one of the first collective bargaining agreements for graduate employees at a private university in the United States.
New York City teachers win paid parental leave
After months of intense negotiations and a public campaign by the United Federation of Teachers, educators in New York City have won paid parental leave. The policy, announced June 20, provides six weeks of time off at full salary for maternity, paternity, adoption and foster care leave. “It’s been a long fight to be treated fairly, and that wrong has finally been righted,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew. UFT teacher Emily James put it this way in her New York Daily News op-ed: “Here is what this really means: [A teacher] can be a teacher, and not go broke, simply for having a child.”
Serving Latino students, educating new teachers
Jaime Grinberg, an AFT faculty member at Montclair State University who teaches education classes, says his Latino students rely on him for more than just class sessions and grading papers. Since he too is Latino, many of them look to him for help with the challenges they face as first-generation college students with cultural traditions that may be different from their white peers. Grinberg writes, on AFT Voices, about the rewards of mentoring Latino students and his hope that, when they become teachers, they will continue to support a clear pathway to higher education and inclusion for Latino families.
Opioid epidemic is taxing public schools
Educators are seeing the devastating effects of the opioid epidemic in their schools and struggling to keep up, due to a shortage of school counselors, psychologists and social workers. According to a recent Politico report, teachers are consoling an increasing number of students whose parents are addicted; there are more deaths by overdose, drug-related incarcerations and instances of neglect, with children coming to school dirty, hungry and sleep-deprived. AFT members are often on the front lines of this crisis: One school nurse found herself saving a parent’s life with an anti-overdose shot of Naloxone in the school parking lot. Other members, who are faculty at universities, have directed their research toward addiction recovery and supported addiction recovery in their larger communities.
Ohio on a path to ban mandatory overtime for nurses
Ohio is poised to ensure safer patient care by becoming the 19th state to ban mandatory overtime for nurses. It would be a huge win for healthcare providers forced to work beyond fatigue, when the danger of making mistakes and putting their patients at risk becomes a serious issue. Ohio legislators have already passed a House bill that gives nurses the right to refuse overtime, without fear of discipline, if they feel too fatigued to provide safe patient care. Members of the Ohio Nurses Association have lobbied and testified in support of the bill. "The needs and safety of the patient and nurse need to be put first, instead of trying to cut initial costs by using mandatory overtime to plug nurse staffing holes," says ONA President Brian Burger. The measure will now be considered by the Ohio Senate. Meanwhile, nurses in Massachusetts are fighting for a ballot measure that would ensure safe staffing at their hospitals; retired nurse Mary Consoli tells why she is pitching in to help them pass it.
Elite, white charter schools raise specter of segregation
A joint investigation from the Hechinger Report and the Investigative Fund shows that hundreds of elite charter schools are disproportionately white, and their services, from a piano “lab” with 25 pianos to multiple AP, art and foreign language classes, far outstrip the public schools around them. In at least one case, charter school admissions favored students from a wealthy gated community, and policies like expensive uniforms and no bus service result in excluding low-income families of color. It’s another reason to question the lack of accountability for charters. Others, like Detroit parent Jonathon Phillip Clark, describe how unregulated charters get away with inferior, unpredictable programming and fail families in lower-income communities.
Worth reading
June 8, 2018
Tackling student debt: Take the survey
The student loan crisis continues as borrowers burdened by debt delay life milestones and work multiple jobs just to stay afloat. Nevertheless, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is still trying to dismantle protections against loan servicers that take advantage of low-income students. We know that student loan debt has soared to an all-time high of $1.4 trillion, but it’s these personal stories that bring it home—stories from people like AFT member Saundra Mobley, above, testifying about how loan servicers increased her debt. They’re also the reason the AFT continues to offer student debt clinics and online tools to help individuals ease their debt burden. The AFT is also urging members to take a student debt survey to better understand the problem.
More and more teachers run for office
Teachers are not only rising up to demand policy change and public school support in places like West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona, they’re also running for office like never before. This Washington Post story describes the movement, fueled by candidates who say their commitment to running for public office is driven by crumbling schools that need more funding, an overemphasis on standardized testing, the call to arm teachers and the reign of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who has zero experience in public schools. Some 170 teachers and other educators, including many AFT members, are running for state legislature seats across the country, and others are reaching for spots in Congress.
Fighting for school resources in DC
If you really want to show teachers how much you appreciate them, give them the resources they need to serve their students. That’s the message from Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools teacher Christian Herr, who was grateful for the recognition he enjoyed during Teacher Appreciation Week but advocates for more concrete action on behalf of educators and schools. His Washington, D.C., school is short on basics like a library budget and enough teachers to avoid classroom crowding, yet manages to find millions to pay an expensive consulting firm called TenSquare. Herr describes a school in upheaval, with four principals and four CEOs in the past five years, and notes that the new AFT-affiliated teachers union there will ensure he and his colleagues have a voice as they work to improve their school.
‘I know from experience: Arming teachers is ludicrous’
Speaking this week at a Federal Commission on School Safety listening session, Abbey Clements, an AFT member who teaches fourth grade in Newtown, Conn., recounted the chaos and horror at Sandy Hook Elementary School when a gunman with an AR-15 shot 154 bullets in five minutes, taking the lives of 20 young students and six of her colleagues and friends. “I would like to make something perfectly clear,” said Clements. “Had school employees been carrying guns at Sandy Hook School, it would NOT have made us or our students any safer. In fact, it may very well have made things even worse.” Her detailed description of the event shows why. Unfortunately, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was not present at the meeting to hear Clements and other educators, students and parents speak, but instead was touring schools in Europe.
Report shows union advantage for adjunct faculty
Calling the unionization of adjunct faculty “among the most important recent developments shaping higher education,” the Chronicle of Higher Education reports that unionized faculty enjoy distinct advantages over nonunionized colleagues. Among them: significantly higher pay, more access to health insurance and increased job security, all of which lead to better outcomes for students. The report is based on an analysis of 35 colleges and universities, including several affiliated with the AFT. Adjunct faculty still need equitable pay and a voice in faculty governance, however, and higher education remains skewed toward a gig economy. AFT organizers will address these issues and others at the Contingent Faculty Symposium in Philadelphia June 16.
June is Pride Month: Share My Lesson has resources
Research shows that students who identify as LGBTQ face bullying at significantly higher rates than their peers, and the consequences are heartbreaking. Dedicated educators have an extraordinary opportunity each day to create a safe and welcoming environment for the children who come through their doors. As we celebrate Pride Month, Share My Lesson, the website of classroom resources for teachers, by teachers, is promoting its collection of free preK-12 lessons, activities and resources to help support LGBTQ students, from reading lists and picture books to advice on creating safe spaces and conversations for teens.
Worth reading
June 1, 2018
Gun Violence Awareness Day: Tossing guns and wearing orange
This weekend, Americans across the country are protesting gun violence by wearing orange at rallies and demonstrations, insisting that legislators and policymakers find real solutions to the rising number of mass shootings as well as neighborhood violence. Inspired by the young people leading the fight against gun violence, SUNY faculty member Fred Kowal, who is president of United University Professions and an AFT vice president, describes his personal commitment to the cause, reviewing appalling gun violence statistics, calling out politicians for their inaction, condemning the “insanity” of arming teachers and urging readers to take action that could make a difference.
Day of Action aims to protect immigrant children
As the number of immigrant children held in government custody without their parents swells, child advocacy organizations, including the AFT, are rising up to protest today, the National Day of Action for Children. Families are being torn apart at an alarming rate: 10,773 immigrant children are in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services, a 21 percent increase since April 29. During protests and demonstrations, advocates are demanding that officials stop separating immigrant children from their families and account for what is happening to them while they are in custody. Meanwhile, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said she thought whether educators should report a child to Immigration and Customs Enforcement was “a school decision,” an erroneous statement that reveals her lack of knowledge as well as a tendency toward over-policing our immigrant families. The AFT is circulating a petition calling on DeVos to immediately make clear, in multiple languages, that all children have a right to public education.
Spending their own money: How teachers cover classroom costs
It’s no secret that teachers frequently spend their own money to make sure their students have the tools they need to learn. This snapshot of what that looks like from a teacher’s eyes brings home the point: Teachers are not just supplying pens and paper, they are providing basics such as food and clothing as well. Camille Anderson and Chris Bergfalk, two Washington (D.C) Teachers Union members, tell the story on this video, making a convincing argument for increasing funding at public schools and for supporting the Democrats’ plan, “A Better Deal,” which would meet those needs.
Supercharging STEM education
A national effort launched this week to prepare and support 100,000 preK-12 STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teachers by 2021, starting with a letter signed by more than 150 individuals and organizations, including the AFT. In the letter, which states the purpose of the initiative, signers agree that, “Teachers are the cornerstone of our democracy, because teachers prepare the citizens and problem-solvers of our future.” But teachers cannot be “engines of equality” if they lack economic security, the letter goes on to say, and it advocates for solutions to stagnant pay and deteriorating schools. If those problems were solved, more people would become educators, addressing the teacher shortages challenging so many communities.
AFT national convention approaches
AFT members across the country are preparing for the biennial AFT national convention, July 13-16, in Pittsburgh. Its theme, “We Care. We Fight. We Show Up,” will frame a schedule of keynote speakers, workshops, resolutions and elections designed to improve worker rights, equity, public education, public services and professional healthcare services. Deadline for resolution proposals is June 1; housing deadline is June 7. Delegate credentials are due June 13 and per capita must be paid, through May 2018, by June 30. For the convention schedule, registration and credentialing, hotel information and a list of fun things to do in Pittsburgh, go to the convention website.
Worth reading
May 25, 2018
DeVos fails public education as Democrats outline ‘better deal’
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos continued to disappoint advocates by dodging questions and displaying either a lack of transparency or remarkable ignorance about education policy during her first-ever visit with the House Education and the Workforce Committee on Tuesday. She failed to explain the mission of her department’s Office for Civil Rights, which she appears to be dismantling; refused to commit to funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; and wouldn’t agree to accelerate the Federal Commission on School Safety’s work in the aftermath of recent school shootings. While DeVos testified, AFT President Randi Weingarten was with congressional Democrats presenting “A Better Deal for Teachers and Students,” a plan to eliminate tax cuts for the wealthy and use those funds for better teacher pay, school infrastructure improvements, and funding for Title I schools and special education. The plan also advocates for strong teachers unions.
Survey shows overwhelming majority of teachers value unions
Preliminary results of a recent survey show that 85 percent of all teachers consider unions essential or important, as do 74 percent of all nonunion teachers. The survey was conducted by Educators for Excellence. Noting that the AFT doesn’t always agree with E4E, AFT President Randi Weingarten says she is nevertheless encouraged by its report. “This poll, conducted by an educator group supported by philanthropists not known to be pro-union, confirms what we have seen nationwide: Educators—union members and nonmembers alike—believe that teachers unions play a vital role in their lives, and they value that voice and that representation.”
Weingarten confronts Navient on loan servicing abuse
When student loan borrowers are harmed by their loan service providers, Navient, the nation’s largest loan servicer, is often to blame. AFT President Randi Weingarten confronted Navient board members at their annual meeting Thursday, holding them accountable for withholding information that would help borrowers pay off their loans faster and, particularly, for pushing borrowers into forbearance when it is not in their best interest. She also spoke in support of a resolution calling on Navient to disclose actions the company has taken to manage the risks associated with the student loan crisis. “Navient epitomizes all that is wrong about the student loan servicing industry,” Weingarten says. “I hope that by asking tough questions, the Navient board may understand they can’t hide, and then will begin to act in a prudent and responsible manner.”
Student loan survey launches
Many AFT members, like so many Americans, are struggling to pay back student debt, and helping them manage student loans has become one of the union’s top priorities. For the last several years, the AFT has held student debt clinics across the country to help borrowers who have been the victims of predatory lending practices gain access to debt relief. Recently, we expanded our clinics to focus on helping members manage medical debt. The response from these debt clinics has been overwhelming—we have helped reduce thousands of members’ monthly payments by hundreds of dollars, and have gotten others on track to have tens of thousands forgiven through public service loan forgiveness. Now, we want to know what else we can do to fight back against the predatory lenders and loan servicers that are hurting working people.
Union power grows across divisions in Montana
Foreshadowing great things ahead, leaders of AFT Public Employees from across the country swapped stories of organizing successes at a meeting May 17-18 in Helena, Mont., starting with the merger of Montana’s two largest public employees unions—the AFT-affiliated Montana Education Association-Montana Federation of Teachers and the independent Montana Public Employees Association. The merged union has adopted a constitution and held its first conference, and it plans to celebrate its first official day as the Montana Federation of Public Employees on Sept. 1. MFPE, together with the AFT-affiliated Montana Nurses Association, will represent about 30,000 members and is expected to become an even more powerful voice for workers in that state.
AFT launches Spanish-language website
The AFT has launched a Spanish-language website for members whose primary language is Spanish—including the 40,000 members of the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico. The site will also serve the many Spanish-speaking members on the U.S. mainland, and it reflects a demographic shift in the nation’s population. According to the U.S. census, 38.3 million U.S. residents spoke Spanish at home in 2012, and the National Center for Education Statistics reports the number of English language learners in public schools grew to 4.6 million students in 2014-2015, or 9.4 percent.
Vermont nurses rally for improved patient care
Nurses at the University of Vermont Medical Center were joined by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on May 12 as they rallied in Burlington for a new union contract giving them more say in how their units are staffed, along with better pay and benefits. The nurses, represented by the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, have been fighting for a new contract since late March. Their emphasis on staffing includes increases in support staff, which will allow the nurses to focus more on patient care. Community members also signed cards of support showing how their lives have been touched by the nurses.
May 18, 2018
NC teachers march for students, rally for respect
Some 15,000 teachers rallied Wednesday in Raleigh, N.C., in another educator uprising aimed at improving public schools. So many left their schools for the action that the state’s five largest districts canceled classes. The teachers are demanding better pay and working conditions, and more funding for public schools struggling with a shortage of teacher assistants and counselors, outdated textbooks and old technology. Many hope to shift the Legislature by electing more pro-public education candidates.
New report shows glaring course inequities
The Journey for Justice Alliance released a report May 14 that reveals deep inequities in public education, based on vastly different course offerings available at different schools and in different communities. “Failing Brown v. Board” shows that in every comparison, majority-white schools offered more academic subjects and arts education than majority-black and/or -brown schools. “In America, inequity is ignored as children in the same city have two completely different educational experiences,” says Journey for Justice Director Jitu Brown, who was joined by AFT President Randi Weingarten and other advocates at an event to mark the release of the report.
Teachers spend hundreds of own funds on supplies
A new National Center for Education Statistics report shows that teachers spend an average of $479 a year on school supplies out of their own pockets. With public schools so underfunded, it’s the only way they can provide their students the supplies they need for a high-quality education. “Educators want to help children; that is why, as long as their students lack the essentials, educators will continue to dig deep, while fighting the defunding and underinvestment that created this crisis in the first place,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
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Watch video of Arizona teacher Zoe Hyde, who had to buy chairs and other supplies for her classroom.
Infrastructure week: Working to build the basics
This week was National Infrastructure Week, a time to remember how crucial the nation’s foundational architecture is to the services we all depend on. From bridges and roads that accommodate school buses and commerce, to broadband networks that reach even the most remote communities, to public water systems that provide safe drinking water, infrastructure is the first step to building a strong community. The AFT proudly represents the public employees who work to maintain and build it.
Growing a locally sourced teacher workforce
Research shows that teachers who share a common life experience with their students often reach those students more readily. That’s why programs like the teaching magnet at Brashear High School in Pittsburgh, which cultivate teachers from among local public school students, are so brilliant. AFT member Hannah McCarthy directs the Brashear program and describes how many of its students return to teach in the very schools where they grew up—and why having teachers from within the community helps diversify the teacher workforce in an effective and inspiring way.
Fighting for SNAP, salvaging free school lunches
Advocates for children and low-income families breathed a sigh of relief today, May 18, as the House of Representatives voted against what would have been a drastic reduction to the nation’s food assistance program. The measure was part of the conservative Farm Bill. If it had passed, it would have affected the eligibility of thousands of school children who currently receive free and reduced lunch and breakfast at school, among other things. Advocates fought hard against it. AFT President Randi Weingarten sent a letter to representatives opposing the bill. And in an AFT-organized letter, 57 organizations that advocate for education, families and students urged legislators to vote “no” on the measure: “In our lives and in our work, we see the benefits of the existing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which acts as a lifeline to support 40 million low-income Americans, who without such assistance would suffer from hunger,” they wrote.
Poor People’s Campaign relaunches
Thousands of people gathered in 35 state capitals across the United States May 14, renewing an effort started by Martin Luther King Jr. to eradicate poverty, fight income inequality and end systemic racism. Led by the Rev. William Barber, the Poor People’s Campaign event kicked off a six-week schedule of nonviolent actions including rallies, organizing, civil disobedience and voter mobilization. As an advocate for equity in public schools and strength in the public sector, the AFT staunchly supports the Poor People’s Campaign: AFT Executive Vice President Mary Cathryn Ricker was arrested for civil disobedience at the rally in Washington, D.C., and many of our members participated in the day’s events.
Worth reading
May 11, 2018
Celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week
From PTA appreciation certificates to discounts at Chipotle to countless cards and small gifts from students, teachers felt the love this week during Teacher Appreciation Week. Their selfless dedication has been in the spotlight this year in places like Arizona, Oklahoma and West Virginia as they’ve put their jobs on the line, insisting on funding for their students and school systems. “The best way to appreciate educators is to hear what they’re saying, understand what they need to succeed, and help them secure the necessary resources and support,” wrote AFT President Randi Weingarten in her teacher appreciation op-ed on the Shondaland website.
Teachers take their activism to Capitol Hill
Several AFT members traveled to Capitol Hill last Friday to share their perspectives on a number of issues at the top of the nation’s news feed. They urged lawmakers to support them as they seek better funding for public schools, safety from gun violence and protection from privatization. Representing members from across the nation, but speaking specifically about their experiences in West Virginia, New Mexico and Puerto Rico, they demonstrated the AFT’s commitment to activism around issues essential to educators, their students and their communities. “Elected officials need to stand with us and for us,” said Donna Chiera, president of AFT New Jersey.
Advocating for healthcare workers during National Nurses Week
Every day, nurses care for other people, going the extra mile to ensure their patients get the best medical treatment and care possible. Sometimes that means facing volatile patients and dealing with challenging schedules that require long hours and difficult work. Reading the nurses’ stories on AFT Voices’ Healthwire is one way to better understand and support nurses. Meanwhile, the AFT continues to work on behalf of its 112,000 members who are nurses and health practitioners, advocating for fair pay and safe and reasonable working conditions.
Members of Congress oppose plan to close hundreds of Puerto Rican schools
More than 30 members of Congress sent a letter to Puerto Rico’s Gov. Ricardo Rosselló voicing their strong opposition to closing more than 280 schools there, opening charter schools and introducing vouchers. In a roundtable discussion in San Juan, AFT President Randi Weingarten, Asociacion de Maestros de Puerto Rico President Aida Diaz and other AFT leaders decried the school closure plan and the disastrous effect it could have on Puerto Rico’s students and public education as a whole.
More faculty help students in distress
Faculty and staff who work in higher education know that many students are one emergency away from leaving college: A car repair or stolen backpack can be the difference between staying in school and on a path to a more stable life, and dropping out. To help, more and more AFT faculty are organizing emergency funds—called FAST, for Faculty and Students Together—that provide quick relief through donation-based grants. AFT members can attend a May 17 webinar to set up a fund at their own schools.
Preserving the public sector during Public Service Recognition Week
This week, Public Service Recognition Week, we salute the many AFT members who are public employees—police officers and judicial system professionals, addiction counselors, water safety regulators, road service workers and government clerks, to name a few. The threat to public sector jobs proposed by the upcoming Supreme Court case, Janus v. AFSCME, and the decline in wages and working conditions for many of them, mean the union must continue to shine a light on their valuable work and to fight for fair pay and safety on the job.
Worth reading
May 4, 2018
Arizona teachers end walkout
Arizona educators are back in school after winning some significant gains in education funding—but not nearly enough to make up for education cuts over the last 10 years.
Yesterday the governor signed a plan that includes raises for teachers and increased education funding but educators will continue to fight for more resources for their students.. “Arizona students are paying the price for lawmakers’ abandonment of the mainstream value of a quality public education,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten in a joint statement with Arizona AFT President Ralph Quintana. “When you shortchange children’s education, you are shortchanging their future opportunities.”
Worthy Wage Day promotes fair pay
May 1 was Worthy Wage Day, a national day of action designed to bring attention to early childhood educators’ abysmally low wages, the impact of the subsequent teacher turnover on young children, and the chronic underfunding of early education. AFT members and policy leaders posted their stories all week on AFT Voices, sharing their experiences and passion for improving compensation and quality in early education. From AFT-West Virginia President Christine Campbell’s description of members standing up for children during their strike, to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s pledge to invest in young children, these posts bring to life the importance of early childhood education.
Adjunct faculty love the work, not the poverty wages
Adjunct faculty at the City University of New York are pressing hard for a livable wage, holding the state accountable for ensuring the budget has enough to fund CUNY and pay them $7,000 per course, instead of the $3,500 they currently earn. For adjunct professor Tom Watters, who teaches English at Brooklyn College, that’s a $25,000 annual salary—and while there is much to love about his work with students, the pay is not enough to survive on in a city like New York. Watters’ union, the Professional Staff Congress, spent a day lobbying the Legislature last month as part of its #7KCUNY campaign and telling stories like his.
Oklahoma teacher explains the deep need for funding
Unless you are in a school every day, you might not see the consequences of underfunding education that led to strikes in Oklahoma, writes teacher Melissa Smith. She describes some of the problems in this blog post: wildly outdated textbooks; classes as large as 80 students; a building designed for 1,200 people that houses 2,000 students and 160 staff members; and teachers without classrooms who must wheel their belongings from room to room on a cart. “Now, think about how much these problems would be exacerbated if some of this year’s proposed cuts to federal funding were to go through,” she writes.
Fighting for civil rights in the Higher Education Act
Standing up against an education administration that has repeatedly threatened civil rights policy, 47 organizations including the AFT have joined together in the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and published 10 civil rights principles that must be included in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The principles include college affordability, access and racial equity. “Any reauthorization of the Higher Education Act must make it easier for every person in this country to pursue higher education successfully, regardless of where they grew up, the color of their skin, their religion or their immigration status,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Worth reading
April 27, 2018
Arizona and Colorado teachers walk out for funding
Thousands of teachers in Arizona and Colorado are rallying today at their state capitols for more education funding. The Arizona American Federation of Teachers has released a realistic plan to restore the more than $1.5 billion in education funding cuts imposed since 2008 and to create a continuous revenue stream for funding public schools and much-needed pay raises for teachers and other school staff. Meanwhile, in Colorado, teachers are using personal days to attend rallies, since the state Senate passed a bill threatening to jail teachers who strike.The public supports these teacher actions, and those in West Virginia, Oklahoma and other places where educators are protesting and going on strike: NPR/Ipsos released a poll on April 26 showing that only 1 in 4 people believe that teachers are fairly paid and that two-thirds approve of national teachers unions.
Nurses take DC
Hundreds of nurses from across the country traveled to Washington, D.C., on April 26 to raise their voices against a long standing problem for nurses: unsafe staffing. Nearly 100 nurses from AFT's affiliate in New Jersey, Health Professionals and Allied Employees came by bus to attend the Nurses Take DC rally. This is the third year Nurses Take DC has gone to Washington. The grassroots movement was started in 2016 by a group of nurses who wanted to take a stand for safer staffing in the hospitals and facilities where nurses work by raising awareness of the issue with the public.
AFT, AMPR and parents fight against closing public schools in Puerto Rico
On April 25, educators, parents, students, community supporters and local mayors encircled the Capitol in San Juan to protest the closing of more than 280 Puerto Rican public schools. They created a human shield to metaphorically protect public education in Puerto Rico, chanting, "¡Basta ya!” (enough already!). Puerto Rico’s governor and education secretary are planning to arbitrarily close schools, accelerate the privatization process and establish numerous charter schools under private management. “We've seen these types of school closings. People like Betsy DeVos have tried this. It didn't work then, it won't work now,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten, who joined Asociacion de Maestros de Puerto Rico members and President Aida Diaz at the rally.
Boston charter school teachers join the union
Teachers and staff at City on a Hill New Bedford (Mass.) public charter school announced this week they are joining the Boston Teachers Union. This is the third City on a Hill charter school to join the BTU. “Our priority is creating exceptional and successful learning experiences for all students,” says BTU President Jessica Tang. “That means improving the working conditions of all educators, including those working at charter schools funded by public taxpayer dollars, to reduce turnover and sustain stable learning environments for students.” Top reasons for organizing include opportunities for teacher leadership, improved retention, increased budget transparency and equitable pay.
DACA wins third court case
A District of Columbia federal judge has ruled against President Trump’s attempt to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the deportation-protection program for undocumented immigrants who moved to the United States as children. The ruling is the third strike for Trump: Federal judges in California and New York have also defended the program, which has given thousands of young people the opportunity to work and attend school while they arrange for permanent residency. The AFT, along with the NAACP and other unions, was among those that brought the case to court and has worked with many teachers and students to protect them from deportation.
Volunteer nurses provide relief in the Virgin Islands
Volunteer nurses from the AFT traveled to the U.S. Virgin Islands this month to provided health screenings for 600 students a day and distribute medical supplies to schools still recovering from last fall’s hurricanes. AFT President Randi Weingarten also visited this week, checking in with members of the St. Croix Federation of Teachers and the St. Thomas-St. John Federation of Teachers. These members are dealing with overflowing classrooms (students from 13 schools have been crowded into just five school sites), continued intermittent power outages, and a persistent gas leak that is endangering their health and the health of their students.
Share My Lesson celebrates Poetry Month
It’s National Poetry Month, and William Shakespeare's birthday was April 23. There’s still time to get creative with verse and let it spill over into the rest of the school year: Share My Lesson has lesson plans, activities, assessments and videos to engage and enchant students with one of the literary world’s greatest gifts.
Worth reading
April 20, 2018
Fighting gun violence, divesting from Wells Fargo
On April 20, the anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings, the AFT participated in a nationwide Day of Action Against Gun Violence, joining thousands of students, educators and advocates in demonstrating for safe schools and cities. The AFT is tackling gun violence in other ways as well, pressing for sensible gun laws and working to sway investors away from gun manufacturers. In a bold move on April 19, the AFT cut ties with Wells Fargo after the bank refused to end relationships with gun manufacturers and the NRA. Wells Fargo stands to lose business from thousands of AFT members who would have mortgaged their homes through a now-canceled Wells Fargo mortgage that had been offered by the AFT’s member benefits program. “It can be the bank for America’s teachers, or it can be the bank for the NRA and gun manufacturers. But … [it] can’t be both.” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. The AFT has also issued a report urging investment fund managers not to put their money into gun manufacturing.
Tax Day brings nationwide protests
As Americans raced to file their taxes April 17, thousands of people across the nation protested tax cuts for the wealthy—cuts that slice into revenue needed for public schools, infrastructure, and essential programs like Medicare, Social Security and food assistance for the neediest among us. Activists are demanding a fairer tax system in which everyone pays their share and also demanding that President Trump release his own tax returns. “Today is Tax Day,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said at the Washington, D.C., rally. “The next important day is a Tuesday in November. We’re going to vote out everyone who stood against working people and with billionaires.”
Oklahoma schools reopen
Oklahoma teachers returned to classrooms April 16 after two weeks spent protesting years of underfunding for public schools. Their efforts won some important gains and fed a powerful movement of educators insisting on support for their schools and a living wage for themselves. “The nation has watched and fallen in love with these everyday heroes who have walked out of schools and bombarded state capitols to demand more for our students and our schools,” writes AFT President Randi Weingarten in USA Today. The effort continues with the Remember in November campaign to elect pro-education candidates, led by Oklahoma City AFT, AFT-Oklahoma and the AFT.
School funding wins, governor loses, in Kentucky
Last Friday, the Kentucky Legislature overrode Gov. Matt Bevin’s veto and increased state funding for public education, a clear response to the thousands of educators who have been protesting for weeks to win support for their schools. Legislators also slammed the governor for his outrageous suggestion that students, home from school during the teacher protests, were sexually assaulted or otherwise harmed while they were home alone. "Is Governor Bevin out of his mind?" commented AFT President Randi Weingarten in BuzzFeed. "Is that what he thinks happens to Kentucky kids at night or on weekends?"
College lecturers driven to brink of strike in Michigan
Lecturers at the University of Michigan came within inches of striking last week as contract negotiations show little progress. Scott Atkinson, who teaches journalism and writing there, explains: He and his colleagues are paid far less to teach the same classes tenure-track faculty teach, with starting salaries as low as $27,300 for a full load. Many work additional jobs to make ends meet and constantly question whether they should walk away from otherwise rewarding work. And while the university claims it cannot afford to pay more, research commissioned by the Lecturers’ Employee Organization shows a budget surplus that would easily allow for raises.
Worth a read
April 13, 2018
Oklahoma teachers vote on returning to school
After nearly two weeks of protests and walkouts, Oklahoma teachers have made critical progress and have won significant gains for their schools. AFT members are voting April 13 on whether or not to return to their classrooms. Their accomplishments so far include more robust funding for public education, a $6,000 raise for teachers and a $1,250 raise for support staff. They will keep fighting for more changes to begin to address years of underfunding and salaries so low many educators work two and three jobs to make ends meet. Union leaders vow to continue working for additional funding and to help elect state Legislature candidates who will support them.
Puerto Rico plans to close nearly 300 schools
Schoolchildren in Puerto Rico were thrown into a state of confusion recently when Gov. Ricardo Rosselló announced that 283 public schools will close in August. The closures are part of Rosselló’s move toward charter schools and private school vouchers. “This is a massacre against Puerto Rico’s education,” says Aida Díaz, president of the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico. “Even more galling,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten, the governor wants to “pay Wall Street hedge funds even more on the island’s debt, against the advice of economists and at the expense of billions in public investment the island needs to recover.”
AFT, rural community leaders tackle poverty
Momentum is building in northern New York, where the AFT and community leaders are strengthening an effort to revitalize an area devastated by job loss and its cascading effects: abandoned businesses and homes, family poverty and opioid abuse. On April 10, more than 100 labor leaders, educators, business owners, students and legislators gathered at the State University of New York at Potsdam to move forward with the People Project, a communitywide effort to strengthen education and economic opportunities in St. Lawrence County. The project is similar to successful efforts in West Virginia. “This is how we make St. Lawrence County a priority for economic development,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
New NAEP results: Achievement gap widening
The National Assessment of Educational Progress results released this week show few changes in student achievement: Eighth-grade reading scores rose only slightly, and the gap between high- and low-achieving students has widened in math and science. “The biggest change we see here is not much change at all—and that’s a problem,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “Twenty-nine states still spend less on education than before the Great Recession. When we under-resource our public schools and divest in high-quality public education, our kids suffer.”
Children harmed by Flint water crisis get relief
A federal court ruled April 9 that Michigan must pay $4.1 million to determine whether children exposed to lead during the Flint water crisis need special education services due to lead poisoning. The funds, which still must be approved by the Michigan Legislature, would help 25,000 to 30,000 school-age children. “Today, the children of Flint have won a measure of justice … that mandates the services and support that both the law and basic decency demand,” says AFT Michigan President David Hecker in a joint statement with AFT President Randi Weingarten. The crisis began four years ago this month.
Worth a look
April 6, 2018
Teacher protests and walkouts continue
Schools across Oklahoma have been closed this week as teachers walked out and swarmed the state Capitol, demanding better funding for schools that are lacking the most basic resources, from textbooks to safe buildings and functioning heating systems. They are part of a growing movement among teachers in West Virginia, Kentucky and Arizona, all of them fed up with wages so low many of their colleagues are leaving the profession, and with a lack of funding so severe that their students are being denied a decent public education. “This fight has always been about more than wages; it’s about the kids,” says Ed Allen, president of the Oklahoma City American Federation of Teachers. “We will continue to fight every day to make sure that Oklahoma students get what they need to be well-prepared for college and career.”
Marking an MLK anniversary with action
AFT officers and members from all over the country marked the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tenn., during AFSCME’s I Am conference, gathering with other union activists to carry King’s work forward. At panel discussions, workshops, activist trainings and rallies, participants dove in to find new ways to address systemic racism and inequity, stitching together the history of the civil rights era with the current movement for social justice. “The labor and civil rights movements are intertwined because they give people power at the bargaining table and the ballot box,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Graduate employees enter historic agreement at Georgetown
Georgetown University and the Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees signed a landmark agreement on Monday allowing graduate student assistants to unionize. The agreement—among the first of its kind—provides for a union election outside the scope of the National Labor Relations Board, creating a new route for graduate employees at private universities to enjoy the benefits of a union. At Georgetown, that means graduate workers will have more say in essential, everyday matters such as ensuring a living wage, a manageable teaching workload, access to meaningful healthcare, policies that promote equity and inclusion, support for international graduate employees, protection against sexual harassment and more.
New stats on hunger epidemic on campus
College campuses, once thought to be havens of wealth and privilege, are home to many students struggling with serious poverty, a new survey shows. The study’s head researcher, AFT member Sara Goldrick-Rab, reports that 36 percent of college students don’t get enough to eat, and many struggle to pay for housing and utilities. Homelessness is not uncommon. The study is an update on earlier work and represents a larger sampling of students to paint a more complete picture of this serious problem. Goldrick-Rab and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin HOPE Lab are researching ways to alleviate poverty on campus. Meanwhile, emergency funds run by AFT faculty affiliates and on-campus food banks are helping fill the gap.
NY budget could ease overcrowding in schools
The New York state budget, passed late last Friday, represents “progress for public education,” says the New York State United Teachers, with a nearly $900 million overall increase to school districts; more state funding for community colleges; and the restoration of a lifeline for State University of New York hospitals. NYSUT worked hard to advocate for this funding, and members hope the increase will help ease overcrowding at places like Westbury High School in Westbury, N.Y. Currently, class sizes there are swelling, and some classes are held in the cafeteria, the band room and offices. The building is deteriorating, and heating and cooling systems are unreliable; short staffing for counselors and other services just adds to the problems.
Share My Lesson nominated for Webby, needs your vote
The AFT’s popular educators’ resource website, Share My Lesson, is a finalist in the 22nd Annual Webby Awards People’s Voice in the category of education. With its rich classroom resources and professional development packages, it is already an essential tool for the 1.3 million educators who use it for lesson plans, project ideas and entire units on essential subjects such as civil rights, STEM fields, writing, creative arts and so much more. Voting continues through April 19.
Worth a look
March 23, 2018
Big win: Congress rejects education cuts
Education advocates are applauding Congress after it rejected an omnibus spending bill reflecting the Trump/DeVos agenda of education budget cuts and privatization schemes. Instead, legislators voted to increase funding for many important federal programs, including $2 billion to fix our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, $3.3 billion to address the opioid and mental health crises, investments in early child care programs, increased Pell Grants, and expanded eligibility for student loan forgiveness programs. “Congress rejected the Trump administration’s efforts to gut public programs and punish everyday working families, and passed a budget that includes funding for key programs that help poor kids, reduce classroom sizes, improve special education and community school programs, and provide educators with professional development to refine their craft,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Why we March for Our Lives: Stories from the shooting
As we prepare for the March for Our Lives tomorrow, March 24, Parkland teacher Stacey Lippel reminds us of why we are fighting so hard for stricter laws that will protect our schools from gun violence. Her wrenching testimony at a forum on school safety, held by Democratic members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, described a Valentine’s Day that began with typically silly reactions from students to an assignment to write love notes, and evolved into a macabre nightmare. Another member, Kathy Latour, praises student activists and AFT member Richard Simak, who is also an NRA member, says guns belong in duck blinds, not in the hands of armed teachers in classrooms.
In Puerto Rico, hurricane followed by threats to public schools
It’s been six months since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, but because of shameful delays in relief efforts, there is still a dire need for safe water on the island. The AFT’s Operation Agua has collected $1.75 million in donations for 54,000 water filters thus far. Meanwhile, the AFT and the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico are working with the Puerto Rico Legislature to keep the governor from closing public schools and replacing them with unregulated charters. A recent bill still fails to make public education and adequately funded public schools the priority; but over the course of 24 hours, the AFT fought for and regained teachers’ rights, including protecting retirements and acquired rights, and introduced some real review and oversight for charters that was absent in the governor and House’s legislation.
Weingarten: This is what democracy looks like
In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times column, published March 18, she writes about the surge of activism that is making her hopeful—the student-led protests against gun violence, the successful strikes in Illinois and West Virginia, Conor Lamb’s once-improbable victory in the House, and more: “From the streets, to schools, to the ballot box, Americans are joining together in the largest surge of collective courage, idealism and condemnation of injustice in my lifetime.”
Free professional development: Share My Lesson virtual conference
Share My Lesson has made 30-plus webinars from last week’s virtual conference available on demand. They include AFT President Randi Weingarten speaking on the state of public education, an exploration of what #MeTooK12 means for schools, and how to foster civil discourse among students. Other topics include student achievement and assessment, creating inclusive classrooms, current events and global issues, and student health and well-being (including how to end school gun violence). Also available are sessions of particular interest to AFT members, paraprofessionals and community members.
Opioids on campus: Addressing addiction recovery at school
The opioid crisis is killing 115 people every day from overdose, and college campuses are hardly immune to the problem. Here is a story of students who struggle with addiction and the university faculty and staff who are dedicated to helping them. Through counseling, alternative programming and specialized housing, AFT members are helping students survive—and thrive. They join another AFT member, who is a school nurse, to recount their firsthand experiences of helping people with addiction disorders.
Ohio charter school educators vote to unionize
The AFT welcomed a new local affiliate to the union after teachers and intervention specialists at Summit Academy Parma Community School near Cleveland voted overwhelmingly to affiliate with the AFT Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff. Despite opposition from administrators, these educators stood fast and won a stronger voice in their workplace. “Our staff is hopeful, optimistic and re-energized as we plan for the future at Summit Academy,” says art teacher Kelly Granda. “This process has given me hope that we will be able to retain high-quality teachers for our students.”
Worth a look
March 16, 2018
Gun safety push gets big boost from student walkouts
In a remarkable show of solidarity, students around the country walked out of school on March 14 for 17 minutes—one minute for each of the 17 victims of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting—to demand that the adults who shape this nation's policy do more to protect them from gun violence. A New York Times wrapup of events describes marches in Washington, D.C., demonstrations at schools where shootings have occurred, and social media storms. Meanwhile, the U.S. House passed the STOP School Violence Act, which focuses on protecting schools but does not address gun control. (Read our statement on the bill.)
DeVos can't answer basic questions about education
Remember when Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos showed how little she actually knew about public schools and education policy during her confirmation hearing? (And who can forget grizzly bears?) More than a year into her tenure as secretary, she continues to show—this time in a widely watched "60 Minutes" interview—why she is unqualified for the job for so many reasons. Remarkably, DeVos has been tapped to head federal efforts to make schools safer. "It's clear the secretary of education knows little if anything about how to ensure safe and welcoming schools, much less an appropriate environment for teaching and learning," AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "How is she possibly equipped to lead a commission on school safety?"
Report takes on asset managers who attack pensions
A new edition of an influential AFT report exposes Wall Street asset managers who earn millions in fees from defined-benefit pension plans while simultaneously taking actions that can undermine their very existence. The report includes a "watch list" of managers who earn fees from investing workers' defined-benefit pensions while also working behind the scenes to diminish or eliminate those plans. AFT President Randi Weingarten says: "Asset managers can't have it both ways. Trustees have a fiduciary duty to ensure workers' capital is invested in a fiscally prudent manner. Managers, who make a living as defined-benefit plan investors, cannot, in the next breath, attack those same plans."
Fighting DeVos—and abusive student loan servicers
A new "notice of interpretation" from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos aims to make it even harder to pay off your student debt—and easier to get overcharged and abused in the process. DeVos has already chipped away at regulations designed to protect borrowers, allowing student loan servicers like Navient and Nelnet to engage in deceptive practices and defraud borrowers, leading them deeper and deeper into debt. The "notice of interpretation" the Department of Education published in the Federal Register, asserting that federal laws regarding student debt collection pre-empt state laws, takes DeVos' campaign a step further by preventing states from regulating lenders when she refuses to do so. Education advocates say that's not good for college access and it's not good for the nation's economy.
Educator makes the case for summer learning
Students from different family-income levels achieve at roughly the same rate when schools are open, yet achievement gaps widen when schools are closed. For middle-class children, summer is full of enrichment opportunities that are often out of reach for disadvantaged students. In the cover story of the Spring 2018 issue of American Educator, Sarah Pitcock explains why it's time to support disadvantaged students and families beyond the school year and into summer. Building on this article are two others that explore why summer learning is vitally important. The first article is a Q&A with a public school teacher in Boston who supports students in a district-run program focused on academics and enrichment. The second article, by researchers from the Rand Corporation, explains what educators and policymakers should know about effective summer programming.
Take a few minutes to complete a privacy survey
The Badass Teachers Association and the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy are creating a teacher privacy toolkit tailored just for educators. With your help, this will be a powerful resource for teachers, administrators and school districts to use in dealing with privacy issues, including ways to protect privacy. The toolkit will include advice for teachers about best practices they can adopt to ensure students' personal information is better protected when using classroom apps and online resources, as well as a section on how teachers can better protect their own data privacy. Complete this survey, which closes on Sunday.
Worth a look
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Victory in Pennsylvania Shows Path to Power Is Through the Labor Movement
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Teachers' Union Officials Join Call for Amnesty for Family Claiming Sanctuary in Philly Church
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Boston Schools Shift to More Play-Based, Kid-Led Curriculum in Early Grades
March 9, 2018
West Virginia teachers make history
After a historic nine-day statewide strike that drew widespread national attention, West Virginia teachers—among the lowest-paid in the nation—won sorely needed salary increases and the promise of more affordable healthcare. In a state with a history of union allegiance, the teachers' solidarity resulted in a 5 percent raise for all state employees. "That victory is a testament to the voice and determination, the resilience and compassion, and the collective power and organizing of the educators of this state," said AFT President Randi Weingarten, who was with the strikers when they settled. Referring to the Janus U.S. Supreme Court case attacking unions, she added that the win has implications beyond West Virginia. "We will rise up."
Illinois grad employees reach agreement with university
Graduate employees at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ended their 11-day strike yesterday after their union, the Graduate Employees' Organization, reached a tentative agreement with the university. Union members will finish voting on the agreement this afternoon. One of the main issues at stake was the university's plan to cut compensation for the 2,700 graduate and teaching assistants the union represents, especially the tuition waivers the grad workers rely on. Although full details have not yet been released, GEO Co-President Gus Wood told the News-Gazette that the union "got our two biggest priorities related to addressing financial stability and guaranteed tuition waivers." AFT President Randi Weingarten was on campus yesterday to rally with the strikers, and the visit turned into a celebration of the union's solidarity in securing a strong agreement.
We have to protect our children from gun violence
AFT member Katrina Kickbush, a special education teacher in Baltimore, testified at a powerful and emotional hearing March 7 on Capitol Hill that included survivors of gun violence and students, who collectively urged Congress to take swift action to strengthen gun laws. "Because of the lack of commonsense gun laws that place the value of a child's life below that of individuals who wish to purchase and carry weapons designed for mass destruction, our children face daily reminders that their lives could come crashing down around them," Kickbush said at the hearing, which was sponsored by Senate Democrats.
Bilingual educators dedicated to serving all students
A large contingent of AFT members attended last week's National Association for Bilingual Education conference in Albuquerque, N.M., an event that mixed aspirational talk with pedagogical advice about teaching English language learners and multilingual students. The conference boldly embraced a mission to stand up for the many students and families whose native language is not English (one in 10 public school students is an ELL) and find the best ways to provide high-quality education to them. "Every child has a right to attend a public school that is safe and welcoming, with the staff and resources to help them thrive," AFT President Randi Weingarten told the more than 2,000 educators in attendance during her keynote presentation. "We want that for every child—yet we know those rights are denied to too many children, and far too many English language learners. Extending those rights to all our children is our common fight."
Union members expand emergency fund for students
Thousands of college students struggle to meet their bills, and many have to drop out of school before reaching graduation. Now many of these students will have more resources to keep them in class, thanks to an expanding emergency fund organized by faculty union members. The FAST Fund started at Milwaukee Area Technical College, where Local 212 has already helped nearly 100 students by providing small amounts of money to students in need. Those infusions of cash can make all the difference, sometimes saving students from eviction and other times ensuring they have enough food to eat. Now a matching donation from Sara Goldrick-Rab, a researcher who initiated the project when she was a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin, is allowing the fund to expand to other schools. The gift comes in the form of a challenge grant taken from the $100,000 Grawemeyer Award Goldrick-Rab won last fall.
Worth a look
March 2, 2018
Supreme Court hears arguments in Janus v. AFSCME
As the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Monday in the Janus v. AFSCME case, hundreds of activists rallied on the steps outside to show their support for unions and their opposition to a case designed to strip working people of their power to speak up for their students, patients and communities. In fact, the chants outside were so loud that they could be heard inside the court, notes AFT President Randi Weingarten, who attended the hearing. If the case were decided on its merits, our side would win hands down, she says. Unfortunately, it's more about ideology: "It's a ruse funded by the Kochs, the Bradleys, the DeVoses and other anti-union oligarchs to deny working folks the opportunity for a better life," Weingarten says. "They're attacking us because they see a strong labor movement as a threat to their wealth and power."
AFT to Trump: Talk with us about making schools safe
President Trump is willing to meet with representatives of the National Rifle Association and video game manufacturers, among others, but so far, he has ignored an invitation from the AFT to meet with our leaders to discuss ways to ensure that schools are safe sanctuaries and to listen to our concerns about arming teachers. "I hope that together we can find common ground on effective, meaningful solutions to protect our children, educators and schools," AFT President Randi Weingarten says in the open letter to Trump. "But that means listening to and learning from those who know our schools best."
Cutting education won't help rebuild Puerto Rico
In a major conference about the "road to recovery and reconstruction" in Puerto Rico, advocates for the island and its people discussed what's needed to rebuild the economy and the education system—and what won't work, including privatizing and closing public schools. "The government is looking for a quick fix for transformation of the school system, but they don't see schools as an investment for the future of Puerto Rico," Aida Diaz, president of the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico, said during the event in Washington, D.C. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) criticized the governor's plans, as well. The conference was sponsored by the AFT, the Albert Shanker Institute and the Hispanic Federation.
W.Va. educators press Senate to approve pay raise
Striking West Virginia teachers and school service personnel are gathered at the state Capitol in large numbers again today, pressing the state Senate to pass a bill that funds salary increases and addresses needed changes to the state public employee healthcare system, so that schools can reopen. It looked like the strike might end after the House of Delegates overwhelmingly passed a bill earlier in the week that provided for raises up to 5 percent and created a task force to look at the healthcare system, but the Senate has failed to follow through with similar legislation to address the issues that prompted the historic walkout. AFT President Randi Weingarten has praised the striking educators—who have gotten nationwide coverage—for standing strong and unified for basic dignity for themselves and their students. "It's been awe-inspiring seeing thousands swarm the state Capitol and stand out on the picket lines fighting for a better life and a better West Virginia," she says.
U of Illinois grad workers fight for fair compensation
Meanwhile, graduate workers at the University of Illinois today are entering the fifth day of a strike that's part of a long contract dispute. It's the longest strike in university history—and it's been 200 days since the union's contract expired. The AFT-affiliated Graduate Employees' Organization represents graduate and teaching assistants on the Urbana-Champaign campus. "We're striking for one simple reason," says local Co-president Gus Wood. "The administration wants to be able to hire TAs and GAs without having to fully compensate them. Proposals, actions and mediation have all failed because our administration does not value supporting high-quality teaching and research."
Activists discuss bargaining for the common good
Hundreds of union activists, including a large contingent from the AFT, gathered last week at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., for a conference on bargaining for the common good in higher education. The participants at the filled-to-capacity gathering were eager to dive deep into finding ways their work can serve not just their members but other people in their communities and the public good at large. AFT Executive Vice President Mary Cathryn Ricker talked about one early success from her former local, the Saint Paul (Minn.) Federation of Teachers, which asked its neighbors what the community needed most in its public schools, and then folded those demands into its 2013 and 2015 contracts. The result was reduced class sizes; more school nurses, counselors, social workers and librarians; expanded family engagement programs; and mechanisms to address institutional racism.
Worth a look
AFT Voices is one of the various places where we highlight the great work of our members—on their jobs, in their unions and in the community. Here are some recent stories, in case you missed them:
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"Now, More than Ever, We Need Strong Unions!" by Rich Ognibene
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"We Stand Together to Ensure a Good Future for Our Students," by Holly Kimpon
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"Our Communities Lose When Our Teachers Don't Have a Voice," by Sean Belveal
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"In New York's North Country, Union Solidarity Brings the Community Together," by Erin Covell
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"Together, Our Voices Are Much More Powerful," by Rachel Jimenez
Feb. 23, 2018
AFT passes wide-ranging resolution on gun violence
On the same day that students around the country staged walkouts to demand that lawmakers address gun violence in schools, the AFT executive council this week passed a wide-ranging resolution condemning gun violence and calls to arm teachers, while urging action to protect children and educators from gun violence. "It's time for politicians to value children over the gun lobby," AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "AFT members will not rest until we prevent military-style weapons from getting into the hands of people who want to massacre children and educators. And if our current elected officials won't change the laws to protect our kids and create safe schools, we'll change who gets elected in November." We are rededicating ourselves to doing everything we can to protect kids and educators and prevent gun violence in our schools, she says. That includes helping organize a national day of action on April 20, the anniversary of the Columbine shooting, to stop gun violence in our schools.
Arming teachers is a terrible idea
Of all the ideas that have been discussed to improve school safety following the latest mass shooting, arming teachers—which seems to be President Trump's favored solution—is probably the worst. During a telephone town hall earlier this week with 60,000 AFT members, there was universal opposition to the idea, including from gun owners. "Teachers don't want to be armed, we want to teach. We don't want to be—and would never have the expertise needed to be—sharp shooters; no amount of training can prepare an armed teacher to go up against an AR-15," AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "Anyone who pushes arming teachers doesn't understand teachers and doesn't understand our schools. Adding more guns to schools may create an illusion of safety, but in reality it would make our classrooms less safe."
Statewide walkout closes West Virginia public schools
For the second day in a row today, all public schools in West Virginia are closed during a statewide walkout by educators—the first in almost 30 years. For years, the state's teachers, school service personnel and state employees have seen the erosion of health insurance benefits while their premiums have increased and their take-home pay has gone down. West Virginia now ranks 48 out of 50 states in average teacher salaries, with every neighboring state paying far more to attract and retain teachers. AFT President Randi Weingarten joined the educators Feb. 22 on picket lines at various locations. "West Virginia's teachers and school service personnel are fighting for basic dignity for themselves and their students," she says. "They want to be in their classrooms, not at the Capitol, but they are frustrated and disillusioned with a state government that has allowed their pay to decline and their teaching conditions, and their students' learning conditions, to deteriorate."
Join us tomorrow to fight attacks on workers' rights
Tomorrow, two days before the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in the anti-union Janus v. AFSCME case, thousands of union members and our allies will rally in cities across the country in a national day of action against the unprecedented attacks being waged on working people's freedoms. If you can't attend an event in person, you can add your name to a solidarity petition of support. The other thing you can do is share your #IAmAFT story about how being part of a union has helped you, your family or your community. If you're attending an event and posting on social media, use these hashtags: #UnrigTheSystem, #ItsAboutFreedom and #IAmAFT.
Worth a look
Feb. 9, 2018
Betsy DeVos locked us out
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos spends a lot of time listening to pollsters and profiteers who are trying to soften her image and make money off of kids and public schools. But when parents, students and educators went to the U.S. Department of Education yesterday to deliver report cards and comments from 80,000 people about the needs of our public schools, she locked us out. The comments were intended to give DeVos advice on how to strengthen and support the great work happening in public schools across the country. "She chose once again to reject and ignore the voices of those who educate in, learn in and send their kids to public schools—the schools that 90 percent of America's children attend," AFT President Randi Weingarten says.
Janus is about taking power from working people
AFT President Randi Weingarten joined the presidents of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the National Education Association and the Service Employees International Union for a press conference Feb. 7 in Washington, D.C., to highlight the threat posed by the upcoming Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court case. "Let's be clear," she said, "this case is really about power. The funders of this case are attacking us because we fight for a better life for working folks. They see that fight as a threat to their political and economic power." Oral arguments in the case are set for Feb. 24. Philadelphia teacher Bonnee Breese Bentum joined Weingarten at the event and spoke about how her union, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, has successfully fought to improve the lives of their students and the broader community. "If unions are weakened, our voices won't be there. And what we'll see is the widening of the divide between the haves and the have-nots," Bentum said.
The wrong way to improve Puerto Rico's schools
By looking at vouchers, charters and school closings to reform Puerto Rico's education system, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló has taken exactly the wrong approach. "In the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria, the governor needs to invest in public schools to support and stabilize kids' learning, not abandon and privatize schools," say Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico President Aida Diaz and AFT President Randi Weingarten. "You can't, in one breath, claim to support the things Puerto Rico kids urgently need, including strengthening technical and bilingual education, or the things teachers need, such as professional development or materials or a raise, and in the next breath say you're closing schools, pushing vouchers and diverting cash to charter chains."
AFT clinics help beat back student debt
In recent weeks, the AFT and the United Federation of Teachers have held student debt clinics in each of New York City's five boroughs, guiding some 1,000 people toward relief from the weight of their student loans. Across the country last year, AFT staff ran a clinic a week, and state and local affiliates are signing up for training sessions so they can offer the workshops themselves, exponentially increasing the number of people served. The clinics detail the path to debt relief for people with student loans—from income-based repayment plans to public service loan forgiveness—and participants frequently come away with dramatically lower monthly payments on their student loans. Recently, a firefighter reduced his payment from more than $300 to just $32 and learned the loans would eventually be forgiven through the public service loan forgiveness program.
Trump doesn't get what career-tech programs do
Just days after referring in his State of the Union address to vocational education—rather than the more correct term, career and technical education—President Trump showed even more how little how knows about education with some silly and outdated remarks about CTE. Trump would do well to visit some of the amazing career and technical education programs around the country where AFT members work, AFT President Randi Weingarten says. These schools "are chock-full of programming that leads to jobs, opportunities and further learning. They are not just focused on auto repair, masonry and construction, as Trump called for, but also on healthcare, robotics, coding and engineering, and they are providing kids the skills they need for today's economy."
Help identify members with temporary protected status
The AFT's legal department and human rights and community relations department are asking AFT affiliate leaders to help us identify AFT members who are Haitian immigrants with temporary protected status or who have done work to support members or the people they serve who are Haitian immigrants with TPS. The AFT is preparing to participate in a lawsuit the NAACP recently brought against the Trump administration for ending the program. The suit alleges that the action was irrational and discriminatory, based in part on Trump's racist comments about Haiti. Contact Jessica Rutter (jrutter@aft.org) or Cesar Moreno (cmoreno@aft.org) if you have members with TPS (Haiti) or members/leaders who have taken steps to assist those with TPS (Haiti).
Local spotlight
The following AFT affiliates are celebrating important anniversaries in January and February.
75 years:
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Education Lake Superior (Minn.), Local 737
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Granite City (Ill.) Federation of Teachers, Local 743
50 years:
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Black Hawk College (Ill.) Teachers Union, Local 1836
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Brewster (N.Y.) Teachers' Association, Local 1831
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Onondaga (N.Y.) Community College Federation of Teachers, Local 1845
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Salem (Conn.) Federation of Teachers, Local 1833
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St. Croix (Virgin Islands) Federation of Teachers, Local 1826
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St. Thomas St. John (Virgin Islands) Federation of Teachers, Local 1825
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United Teachers of Island Trees (N.Y.), Local 1846
Worth a look
Feb. 2, 2018
Trump's State of the Union fails the test of leadership
The test of any president is whether he can unite a country and enact policies that enable broad-based opportunity. On that measure, President Trump's inaugural State of the Union failed, says AFT President Randi Weingarten, who attended this week's address as a guest of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. "Sadly, the high points—of lifting up American stories, as every modern president has done; mentioning a litany of one-liners on promoting infrastructure, vocational education and paid leave; and taking on the opioid crisis and escalating drug prices—were overtaken by ugly fearmongering about immigrants and federal workers."
A woefully inadequate approach to fixing infrastructure
When it came to one of Trump's big topics during the address—the nation's crumbling infrastructure—he fell short again. First, he didn't mention funding for school construction, which is desperately needed as the nation's schools remain long overdue for repairs. And second, he didn't explain how the plan's costs would be covered, prompting public officials at state and local levels to refer to the plan as the "Hunger Games" because it would set up a cruel fight for existing funds. Advocates for school construction, including the AFT, are seeking support for a $100 billion injection of federal funds over a decade to improve the quality of U.S. school buildings, the second-largest sector of public infrastructure investment after roads and highways.
It's not too late to give Betsy DeVos your feedback
It's been nearly a year since Betsy DeVos became U.S. secretary of education. And just like every student and educator gets feedback, it's time to rate her performance. Thousands of AFT members have already left #Comments4Betsy—about the good things happening in their schools and about what they and their schools need to help students succeed. We're going to deliver the feedback to Betsy soon, so don't miss your chance to add your comments.
Anxiety over immigration, racism raises school stress
In underserved communities around the country, increased anxiety around Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and racism is impeding learning and increasing demands on educators, according to a new survey by First Book. The First Book Social Issues Impact Survey asked members of the First Book Network of educators—who exclusively serve kids in need—to identify the social and political issues that were most relevant to their students in the last year, how those issues affected learning, and what they needed to address the issues in the classrooms. Nearly 50 percent of respondents stated that the kids they serve are directly affected by DACA and immigration policies. Results also revealed that kids initiate classroom conversations about DACA, racism and interaction with law enforcement approximately 13 percent more often than educators, and nearly 80 percent of respondents said they need additional resources—specifically fiction and nonfiction books—to address the social and political issues of greatest concern to their students.
Black educators make a difference every day of the year
Research shows that students of color are more successful when they have teachers who look like them and share similar life experiences, but most teachers are white. As Black History Month kicks off, Brandon Corley describes what it was like to encounter his first black male teacher, in seventh grade; why he decided to become a teacher himself; and how NYC Men Teach—a partnership of New York City's mayor's office, the New York City Department of Education and the City University of New York created to improve the diversity of the city's teaching workforce—encourages others to choose teaching as a career.
Worth a look
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"Koch Network Laying Groundwork to Fundamentally Transform America's Education System"
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"Teachers Unions Could Be at Risk if Florida House Republicans Have Their Way"
Jan. 26, 2018
School inequity robs children of their future
In her latest column appearing in the New York Times, AFT President Randi Weingarten says that the way we fund our schools is failing our kids—especially the most vulnerable—by concentrating poverty and re-segregating our schools. Fixing this is a "moral and economic imperative." Twenty-nine states provide less overall state funding for public education than they did in 2008, before the Great Recession took hold, she notes, adding that in 19 states, local government funding for education fell during the same period, compounding the harm. "Studies show that large permanent increases in school spending—often as a result of lawsuits challenging inequitable funding—improved long-term outcomes for students, such as adult wages; medium-term outcomes, such as high school completion rates; and short-term outcomes, such as SAT and other standardized test scores," Weingarten writes. "Adequate education funding is particularly crucial for the half of public school students in America who live in poverty."
Montana merger unifies public employees
In what MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver calls one of the most significant events in Montana labor history, the state's two largest public employee unions—the AFT-affiliated MEA-MFT and the independent Montana Public Employees Association—have joined forces. At a special convention Jan. 20, hundreds of delegates from both organizations voted to merge and create a new organization, the Montana Federation of Public Employees, which will represent 25,000 people. Feaver, an AFT vice president, notes the merger's importance in fighting the anti-union Janus case now before the U.S. Supreme Court. "Public employees are under attack from forces that want to take away our freedom to form unions and make a better life for our families and communities. This merger is a major step in defending, promoting, and growing the Montana labor movement."
You get feedback—shouldn't Betsy?
In her first year as secretary of education, Betsy DeVos has visited just 36 schools, half of them private or charter schools. That includes the three public schools she visited with AFT President Randi Weingarten at our invitation last April in Van Wert, Ohio. Since DeVos spends so little time in public schools, we need to take public schools to her and give her a little feedback about what AFT educators do every day and what their students need to be successful. We want you to evaluate DeVos' performance and give feedback on how she can improve. We'll deliver the comments to her so she knows what educators think.
Janus is about undermining workers and their unions
In an amicus brief filed Jan. 19 in Janus v. AFSCME, which the U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider on Feb. 26, the AFT argues that collective bargaining plays a vital role in improving public sector workplaces. The brief also notes that the anti-union plaintiff and his corporate backers—the same people attacking civil rights, workers' rights and public education—are using the case to warp and weaponize the First Amendment. "The current law has preserved labor peace for four decades by balancing the interests of workers and employers and fostering partnerships to improve school districts and other public sector workplaces," AFT President Randi Weingarten says.
Student loan crisis underscores inequity in higher ed
The student loan crisis is hardly new, but a recent report shows that in addition to its debilitating effect on students at large, it hobbles particular groups of students far more than others. Not only are default rates soaring, they are significantly worse for students at for-profit colleges and at "crisis levels" for students of color. The report, by the Brookings Institution, calls for "robust efforts" to regulate for-profits, improve degree attainment for all students and particularly address challenges faced by students of color. Student debt now stands at a staggering $1.4 trillion and is second only to housing as the largest source of household debt. This study shows the various ways this affects different people, examining subgroups of borrowers.
Worth a look
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AFT urges congressional hearings on Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
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AFT criticizes the confirmation of Alex Azar to head the Department of Health and Human Services
Jan. 19, 2018
Vital programs at risk in government shutdown
As we move closer to a Republican shutdown of the government tonight at midnight, the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program has become a central issue, with Democrats insisting that DACA recipients need protections so they don't face deportation. The AFT has put pressure on House Republicans to live up to their promises to Dreamers. But, as nurse and AFT member Susan Kitchell reminds us, the federal Children's Health Insurance Program expired in September, and Congress urgently needs to address its future, as well. The program, which serves nearly 9 million children each year, provides states with federal matching funds if they offer health coverage to children in families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but who can't afford private coverage. "We're talking about providing routine care for children as well as chronic care," says Kitchell, who is a member of the United Educators of San Francisco. "For this to happen to the most vulnerable is horrific."
AFT condemns HHS's new 'religious freedom' division
The creation of a new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights is a way for the government to sanction discrimination, and it shouldn't be countenanced, AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "Our Constitution's First Amendment works in tandem with the rights embedded in our other amendments; it should not be used to undermine those other rights, or the right to medical care," she says. "Like the Supreme Court in the Hobby Lobby decision, the administration seems intent on using the Constitution's free exercise of religion protections as a means to undermine other people's civil rights and to allow people to be turned away when they need lifesaving care. How terrible to be deprived of needed medical attention and care because of gender or sexual orientation."
Shedding new light on student achievement standards
AFT President Randi Weingarten joined representatives of the National Superintendents Roundtable and the Horace Mann League this week to release "How High the Bar?", a new report that demonstrates how students in other countries would fare if measured against U.S. accountability standards and that seeks to help education officials use assessments to benchmark more constructively. The report concludes that the vast majority of students in most countries cannot demonstrate proficiency as defined by the National Assessment of Educational Progress and most Common Core tests, and it suggests the United States has established benchmarks that are neither useful nor credible. "Too often in the United States, assessment data are used not to inform or improve public schooling but to hold schools to account or, worse, to penalize them," Weingarten says. "School accountability systems frequently are based on flawed benchmarks that lead to erroneous conclusions and, as this report notes, that portray our public schools in a misleadingly negative light."
Help guide the development of mental health resources
The AFT is committed to improving children's health. In our "Helping Children Thrive" survey, AFT members named mental health as a top priority. In the words of a second-grade teacher in Connecticut, promoting social-emotional wellness should include helping educators with "strategies to help children with behavioral/emotional challenges in addition to how to minimize the impact that this type of student has on the rest of the classroom so that their learning is not impaired." The AFT is proud to support the American Psychological Association's efforts to investigate needs around mental health training. You can help by taking 15 minutes to complete the APA's "Educator Needs Survey." The results will be used to guide the design, development and dissemination of professional development resources. Everyone who completes the survey will also have an opportunity to enter a drawing for a $20 gift card from Amazon.
Jan. 12, 2018
We need action now to protect Dreamers
Time is running out for Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who came to this country as children. While President Trump set March as the official deadline for ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows them to stay, Dreamers are being deported every day. We need a DACA fix now, as part of any budget agreement reached by the Jan. 19 deadline. And given that 34 Republicans have agreed to support it, it's time for them to act. The AFT joined 16 allies in running a print ad Jan. 10 in Politico encouraging the 34 House Republicans who signed onto a letter in support of a permanent legislative solution for Dreamers to demand a vote. We are also running audio ads on Pandora. You can see if your representative is one of the 34 we're waiting for, and find personalized campaign materials for social media, on the AFT's All In site.
Reconnecting McDowell marks gains after six years
Launched six years ago to help revive an Appalachian county struggling with decades-long academic challenges and socio-economic devastation, the Reconnecting McDowell public-private partnership is celebrating tangible improvements and looking forward to more years of efforts to lift people’s well-being in McDowell County, W.Va. In conjunction with an anniversary, AT&T—one of more than 125 project partners—announced it is contributing $200,000 over the next two years to Reconnecting McDowell's Broader Horizons high school mentoring program. Reconnecting McDowell is an unprecedented effort spearheaded by the AFT to strengthen education outcomes by addressing the elephant in the room—poverty—and its consequences for students and their families. For decades, there had been a lack of access to healthcare, social and emotional services, role models for students, modern technology in schools and at home, jobs and other economic development opportunities. "Over the past six years, we've demonstrated that when the broader community comes together and takes on seemingly intransigent issues facing a poverty-stricken area, we can make a difference in people's lives," says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
School conditions matter—a lot
With record-breaking cold hitting communities across the country, poorly maintained school buildings with failing furnaces, drafty windows and more are in the headlines. In a new blog post for AFT Voices, Jerry Roseman, director of environmental science for the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers Health and Welfare Fund and Union, writes about how the condition of school buildings correlates with student achievement, health and morale, and he shares an outline of a school infrastructure plan being developed by a coalition of labor, environmental, parent, student, and public and legal advocacy groups in Philadelphia. While school building conditions may not be the single most important element in delivering high-quality education, they are essential, he writes. "Crumbling buildings can't provide the foundation on which anything else is built. When repairs are delayed for months or years, small fixes become bigger and far more expensive."
Care about black people? You should care about Janus
With all eyes on Janus, the Supreme Court case that could decimate public sector unions, AFT Vice President Marietta English has some #realtalk about why Janus matters not just to policy wonks inside the beltway but to everyone, and especially to black people. Some 20 percent of African-Americans hold jobs in the public sector as teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, public health nurses, lab technicians, city clerks and more. Those jobs, in many cases, have been a vehicle for social mobility as well as a place that is often safe from the worst workplace discrimination. Weaken the unions that give those workers a voice and all that could change. What's more, the quality of public services like teaching and safety could decline. English tells us why we should care.
Worth a look
Teacher handcuffed, arrested after questioning school board about superintendent’s contract.
Nurses Unite for Safe Patient Care in 2018
Jan. 5, 2018
Baltimore members demand fix for freezing schools
The AFT is standing in solidarity with members and allies of the Baltimore Teachers Union, who during this week of frigid weather called on the city to close schools in the face of chronic heating problems that plunged indoor temperatures into the 30s and 40s. A holiday week during which schools' boilers were shut off, followed by an arctic blast this week, set the stage for freezing temperatures indoors. On Monday, the city determined it would be ok to open schools. On Tuesday, school employees across the city reported that "the children had to be bundled up head to toe in coats and jackets" in their classrooms. That afternoon, BTU President Marietta English, who is an AFT vice president, asked the school superintendent to delay opening two hours on Wednesday so that the buildings could warm up. However, all but four schools opened Wednesday at the regular time. AFT President Randi Weingarten points out that our union's top priority is ensuring safe and productive learning conditions. "Kids can't learn and teachers can't teach in freezing classrooms and in schools with no heat, frozen pipes and frigid winds coming in through drafty windows," she says. "These conditions are unsafe, unbearable and unacceptable for students, educators and school employees."
Pilot program opens way to flexibility in testing
Testing is about to take on a new look in some states, and educators could play a crucial role in shaping it for the better. A new U.S. Department of Education pilot program—which is part of the Every Student Succeeds Act—will allow select school districts to experiment with more innovative testing systems and move beyond the rigid fill-in the-bubble exams that have limited public education in this country for so long. States have until April 2 to apply to participate in the program; up to seven (either individually or as part of a consortium) will be selected to help develop different ways for students to demonstrate mastery of their subjects through real-world projects and tasks rather than standardized tests. AFT leaders, who have long resisted overreliance on standardized testing, are applauding the pilot project. Not only does it open the door to innovation, it also requires stakeholder input as new programs are developed.
Operation Agua continues to bring hope to Puerto Rico
Unacceptable as it is, months after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, more than half the population still lacks electricity. Safe drinking water remains a concern as well, but far less because of the efforts of the AFT's Operation Agua partnership, which is bringing lifesaving water filters to schools, other facilities and families across the island. The partnership with our Puerto Rican affiliate, Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico, and organizations like Operation Blessing International, AFSCME, the Hispanic Federation, Tote Maritime and the Seafarers International Union, has raised more than $1.5 million. The majority of those funds have gone to purchase filters for nearly every school serving the island's 272,000 students. But the overall fundraising goal is $3 million, so it's not too late to be part of the ongoing relief effort. Kohler, which makes the filters, put together a moving video about the effort.
AFT applauds end to sham voter fraud commission
"Good riddance to this sham of a commission," AFT President Randi Weingarten says in response to President Trump's decision earlier this week to disband a controversial panel he set up to look into alleged voter fraud. "The right to vote is our most sacred right in a democracy and the foundation of a government of, by and for the people," she says. "The president of the United States should do everything in his power to promote and strengthen that right. But President Trump has spent months attacking and undermining this fundamental right through baseless accusations about voter fraud and by pushing a commission with the sole purpose of intimidation and voter suppression." Despite the commission's demise, she adds, "We must remain vigilant because this president and Congress, and the right-wing interests that fund them, won't stop their efforts to suppress and intimidate voters."
Colorín Colorado is better than ever
Colorín Colorado, the premier national website serving educators and families of preK-12 English language learners, had another record-breaking year, serving approximately 2.7 million visitors in 2017. The site, an educational service of public broadcasting station WETA, with major funding provided by the AFT and the National Education Association, provides deep, authoritative information about teaching ELLs as well as timely content on relevant current events, including immigration enforcement, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, natural disasters and mass shootings. Check out Colorín Colorado's tip sheets and guides for educators and parents, which were downloaded more than 184,000 times in 2017 and are available in 11 languages (with three more on the way soon).
Worth a look
Dec. 15, 2017
GOP tax bill gets worse as final votes approach
Remarkable as it is, now that details of the Republican's conference agreement on the tax bill are out, the GOP has managed to make a bad bill even worse. "People in the top tax bracket are now getting even more money," AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "Corporations got the alternative minimum tax tossed. But middle-class families are left with a state and local tax 'deal' that's still going to raise their taxes while cutting important local services like public schools, police and firefighting." Our fight against the bill has made a difference, however, with the new agreement dropping things like a tax on graduate students' tuition benefits, and maintaining provisions like the educator tax credit for buying supplies and allowing the deduction of interest on student loans. It looks like the House and Senate will both vote on the conference agreement next week, so there's still time to tell your representatives to vote no. The Republicans can't afford to lose many more votes.
Congress may ax crucial higher education programs
An equity-busting markup of the Higher Education Act is making its way through Congress, and education advocates, outraged by the barriers it would create, are rallying against it. "If rogue for-profit colleges and private lenders were to dream up a higher education bill that lines their own pockets at the expense of working- and middle-class students, this would be it," said AFT President Randi Weingarten and United University Professions (State University of New York) President Fred Kowal in a joint statement. "The bill cuts off equitable access to four-year college degrees. It takes a scythe to income-based repayment programs and loan forgiveness for borrowers who serve the public. It trashes basic protections for students, such as the 90/10 rule, which caps the amount for-profit colleges can get from federal financial aid sources, and the gainful employment rule, which requires colleges to produce students who are gainfully employed after graduation."
Public education advocates rally against K12 Inc.
Educators, community members and public education advocates braved the cold Dec. 14 in Washington, D.C., to rally against K12 Inc., a publicly traded for-profit online charter school corporation with ties to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' controversial school privatization agenda. As the K12 Inc. board held its annual shareholder meeting, activists shined a light on the firm's record of failing families, school districts and taxpayers nationwide. By partnering with the American Legislative Exchange Council to support DeVos' education plan, K12 Inc. uses public dollars to enrich its executives and boost its bottom line. AFT President Randi Weingarten joined the rally to tell K12 to stop putting cash over kids and also to introduce a new report on K12's shameful record of educational failures and its connections to DeVos' war on public education.
AFT leaders celebrate Jones' Alabama Senate victory
Decency and respect triumphed Dec. 12 in Alabama, as voters elected Doug Jones to the U.S. Senate. A joint statement by Jefferson County AFT President Marrianne Hayward, Alabama State University Faculty-Staff Alliance Co-president Derryn Moten, Birmingham AFT President Richard Franklin and AFT President Randi Weingarten notes that "Jones campaigned on a commitment to improve people's lives, undergirded by the values of equality and opportunity. He exposed the false promises, empty rhetoric and moral corruption of his opponent. Alabamians responded across party lines, turning out in record numbers to stand up for their state and their communities. This result is a repudiation of hatred and divisiveness and a victory for democracy and civility. Doug Jones will be a valuable addition to the Senate, and the AFT will have his back as he advocates in Washington for the righteous principles and policies he's fought for all his life."
Lin-Manuel Miranda: This is what Puerto Ricans need
"Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda has been one of the fiercest advocates for Puerto Rican recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria. In a Washington Post op-ed this week, he talks about how the AFT has been a key partner in that recovery. "I was last in Puerto Rico in November; the massive need is not an invention," he says. "Alongside the Hispanic Federation, we've worked to raise money to purchase and distribute millions of pounds of food and millions of gallons of water. We have made water-filtration systems available to schools as part of the American Federation of Teachers' Operation Agua. These partnerships, made possible by the generosity of everyday Americans, have been incredible. But they're not enough." Operation Agua continues to accept donations to meet the need for safe water.
Educator highlights support for immigrant students
In the midst of a political climate rife with nativist rhetoric and stepped-up immigration enforcement, immigrant communities are increasingly nervous nationwide. The cover story of the Winter 2017-2018 issue of American Educator tells the story of a union-led effort in Hammond, Ind., that seeks to convince a growing Hispanic population that—in schools at least—families have nothing to fear. Building on this article are two others focused on supporting immigrant students. The first highlights the need for educators to fully realize the civic potential of immigrant youth by ensuring that students learn about and engage in our country's democratic traditions. The second is a first-person account by a teacher of English language learners who encourages her students to share their immigration stories so they can both improve their fluency in English and realize they are not alone.
AFT offers big discounts on Rosetta Stone
The AFT has partnered with Rosetta Stone to offer discounted online language instruction to all our members. Starting at just $99 per year, you can choose from 30 different languages and learn at your own pace with interactive lessons. The programs allow you to learn anywhere—on your computer, tablet or smartphone—whether in a classroom, in a healthcare setting or at home. Gaining language proficiency allows you to engage with the community, position yourself for greater career opportunities, and improve communications with colleagues, students and families. This holiday season is a great time to take advantage of this offer—and build bridges through language.
Worth a look
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AFT President Randi Weingarten on Houston school board election results
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"Voucher Schools Championed by Betsy DeVos Can Teach Whatever They Want. Turns Out They Teach Lies."
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"If Congress Doesn't Act Now, Thousands of Teachers like Erik May Soon Face Deportation"
Dec. 1, 2017
AFT members turn out to fight against GOP tax bill
While Republican senators ran into some last-minute snags in trying to round up enough votes for their disastrous version of tax reform, it appears likely that the legislation will pass later today—but not from any lack of opposition by the AFT. On Nov. 29, AFT leaders and activists were out in force across the country for a day of action to urge members of Congress to vote no. The day, which included more than 20 events in 16 states, kicked off with a press conference on Capitol Hill with AFT President Randi Weingarten, three Republican U.S. representatives and the president of the U.S. Black Chambers, an association of chambers of commerce and business organizations. "We need to invest in our communities, not do something that will hurt them," Weingarten said. "That is why we are all standing together—a member of the DNC and three very, very, very Republican congressmen and a person from the Chamber of Commerce—to say: Please, don't do this. Don't hurt the middle class of America. Don't hurt the middle class of New York."
PeaceHealth professionals notch another victory
Overcoming months of anti-union scare tactics, more than 350 respiratory therapists, pharmacy technicians and other healthcare professionals in the technical unit at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield, Ore., have voted overwhelmingly to join the AFT-affiliated Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals. The AFT now represents more than 5,000 healthcare professionals throughout the PeaceHealth system in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. "I am joining AFT to help bring back patient care as the No. 1 priority," says Warren Walsh, a special procedure radiologic technologist. "Too often decisions are made by nonclinical administration only viewing the bottom line. We need adequate staffing and fair, consistent, equitable treatment of staff. PeaceHealth clearly needs caregiver guidance with these issues."
Generous supporters boost Operation Agua
Operation Agua, the AFT's partnership to bring reliable, safe drinking water to students and their families in Puerto Rico, received a big boost in donations on #GivingTuesday. Total donations are now well over $1 million. Last week, AFT President Randi Weingarten, along with Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico President (and AFT Vice President) Aida Díaz and AFT Vice President Evelyn DeJesus, helped deliver some of the thousands of filters that are now in use across the island. The effort also got some nice exposure when San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz used a Nov. 29 appearance on "The Late Show with Steven Colbert" to give a shout out to the AFT and Operation Agua.
Net neutrality changes undermine fairness and access
The principles behind net neutrality are fairness and access—the idea that every American should have equal access to internet resources, regardless of cost or ownership. By proposing to end net neutrality, the Trump administration has once again—as it has with taxes, education and healthcare—betrayed the interests of the many to serve the wealthy few, AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "Under the FCC's proposed changes, students and educators searching for neutral information will be directed to biased corporate websites. Students will be priced out of fast access. High-quality, free teaching resources like Share My Lesson will be pushed aside in favor of for-profit sites. Nurses' ability to rely on robust broadband for medical imaging and other technologies to treat patients will be subject to the whim of service providers. Graduate employees and adjunct professors will have their research kneecapped. And public employees will be consigned to the internet 'slow lane' forever."
AFT UNI
The AFT UNI catalog is a compilation of courses available to AFT affiliates for leaders and activists. For the first time, most of the courses and programs offered by the AFT are available in one place. The courses cover every major area a union leader or activist needs to understand these days, including communications, community engagement, organizing, member engagement, politics and legislation. Courses cross every constituency and type of workplace.
Worth a look
Nov. 17, 2017
Wealthy and powerful are winners in House tax vote
In passing their version of tax reform on Nov. 16, Republicans in the House of Representatives voted to radically transform our economy to further benefit the wealthy, corporations and their donors at the expense of working-class folks, AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "It's crystal clear who loses in this bill: anyone who owns a house or is hoping to become a homeowner; teachers who count on a deduction to defray the money they spend out of their own pockets to buy supplies for their classrooms; people with long-term or chronic illness, who will no longer be able to deduct their medical expenses; students and those with student loan debt, who won't be able to deduct student loan interest or tuition assistance; union members, who deduct their union dues; public schools, parents and students; and states and local communities that, because of the loss of the state and local tax deduction, won't be able to fund the services people depend on, including first responders. And the winners are those who are already wealthy and powerful, who will get huge tax breaks and benefits from this bill."
Report recaps successes of AFT Innovation Fund
A new report shows the "bet" the AFT made in 2009, when it created the AFT Innovation Fund to support collaborative-based and educator-led solutions to strengthen schooling for students, has paid off. AFT Innovation Fund grantees have tackled important challenges, from combating inequity head-on by creating community schools with wraparound services for students, to making that critical link between school and career for students through career and technical education, to designing new systems for teacher development and evaluation, to confronting disparate treatment of students of color with solutions like restorative practices. "We started the AFT Innovation Fund because we believed listening to the wisdom of educators, and putting their ideas, ingenuity and passion to work for their students and communities, would help our students and strengthen public education," says AFT President Randi Weingarten, who started the fund shortly after she was elected to her national post. In the first seven years, the AFT Innovation Fund has awarded more than 45 grants totaling $16 million, $7 million of which was from the AFT's own resources.
#LiftUpPR boosts effort to bring safe drinking water
This week, a new hashtag started appearing prominently on the social media accounts of various celebrity influencers. #LiftUpPR represents a grass-roots social media campaign to raise awareness and funds for Operation Agua, an AFT-led initiative delivering water filtration systems across Puerto Rico. Nearly two months after Hurricane Maria, millions of residents are still without access to safe drinking water. The Lift Up Puerto Rico campaign is fueled by a diverse group of celebrity influencers ranging from professional athletes, supermodels and actors, to musicians, media personalities and politicians. "We launched Operation Agua to bring immediate relief to our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico," says AFT President Randi Weingarten, who is traveling to the island next week. "Water filters are already being delivered to schools and families so they have safe drinking water, and we are thrilled, thrilled, thrilled to have the support of Lift Up Puerto Rico to turbocharge this effort so we can help as many people as possible."
A public school message of hope in Alabama
AFT leaders were among the featured speakers in Birmingham, Ala., on Nov. 13 when elected officials, journalists, parents, students and other stakeholders gathered for a town hall discussion. The event was the first installment in The Atlantic's "School Across America" series—an examination of how individual communities are grappling with such national challenges as persistent inequity and a changing economy. Offering perspective from the AFT, which was the event's underwriter, were AFT President Randi Weingarten, Jefferson County (Ala.) AFT President Marrianne Hayward, and Richard Franklin, president of the Birmingham Federation of Teachers. All three leaders pointed to enduring public commitment and popular support for public education, even in these turbulent times, and they underscored the determination of both unions and members when it comes to building effective partnerships that can tackle critical communitywide challenges.
Worth a look
Nov. 3, 2017
Survey shows educators are feeling stressed out
A survey of about 5,000 educators by the AFT and the Badass Teachers Association shows that nearly two-thirds of educators usually feel stressed out, twice the level felt by workers in the general population. Most surveyed feel demoralized and disrespected by state and federal officials, especially by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. By contrast, educators in two school districts that have forged strong collaboration among educators, administrators, parents and their communities reported less stress and were less likely to leave the profession than educators in the broader survey. "Teaching is a tough job that carries with it high levels of stress, which obviously affects both students and educators. Stressful work environments can affect student achievement and educator effectiveness, and can be mitigated by a collaborative culture that respects educators and the work they do," says AFT President Randi Weingarten. "The survey shows that a supportive work environment is vital to creating schools that are places where teachers want to teach and kids want to learn."
GOP tax bill is massive giveaway to the rich
The AFT has long said that Donald Trump campaigned as a populist but would govern as an elitist, and the GOP-Trump tax giveaway bill released Nov. 2 epitomizes this view, AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "Families need a tax code that is fair and doesn't rig the economy further in favor of corporations and the rich. But Republicans have come up with a bill that does the exact opposite, handing out massive tax breaks and cutting services to help their wealthy friends—like the Koch and DeVos families—and making the middle class pay for it. Just do the math. They are paying for tax giveaways for big corporations by destroying the state and local deductions that middle-class families rely on to fund their local public schools, hospitals, and police and fire departments. And while Trump and the Republicans are massively cutting the corporate tax rate and maintaining corporate loopholes, they are raising taxes on the hardworking families in the lowest tax bracket."
When unions are strong, communities are stronger
A new report from the AFT, in conjunction with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Service Employees International Union and the National Education Association, looks at numerous case studies—including from the AFT—where members of labor unions have used their right to organize and their collective voice to fight for improvements that benefit all working families in communities across the country. "Put simply: When unions are strong, communities are stronger," the report says. "From helping hospitals and airports prepare to respond to the Ebola virus to helping high school students start careers in nursing, labor unions and their members are helping communities across the country prosper."
Adjunct faculty rise up for Campus Equity Week
Trick-or-treaters weren't the only ones haunting public spaces on Oct. 31. It was also a day of action for adjunct faculty, who wore masks, performed skits and displayed artwork to demonstrate their significant contributions to university life and insist on equity and fairness for them on campus. The day was the peak of Campus Equity Week, a week set aside biennially to highlight the low pay, insufficient benefits, and lack of job security and respect for faculty who work off the tenure track. Whether they are part-time or full-time adjuncts, contingents, lecturers or assistants, these faculty members teach more than half the classes at our colleges and universities. While they do the best they can, their lack of resources makes it hard to provide the high-quality education our public institutions should be offering its students. Union locals across the country staged events to bring attention to the issue, some funded with small grants from the AFT.
Georgetown graduate employees rally for a union
Hundreds of Georgetown University graduate employees rallied on campus Nov. 1, delivering a letter to Georgetown President John DeGioia asking the school to voluntarily recognize their labor union and begin bargaining a first contract. The Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees, affiliated with the AFT, comprises teaching assistants, teaching associates and research assistants from across Georgetown's 33 departments. GAGE members have been organizing behind the scenes for months to strengthen working and teaching conditions, for better healthcare and child care, and for improved stipends and summer funding. "In talking to hundreds of Georgetown grads, we've learned that grads need living wages, adequate healthcare, and stronger protections against harassment and discrimination, among many other things," says Hailey Huget, a graduate worker in the philosophy department. "We call upon Georgetown to live up to its Jesuit values—which affirm the dignity of labor and workers' right to organize—and grant us a seat at the table to bargain a fair contract."
Worth a look
Oct. 20, 2017
AFT nurses return from Puerto Rico recovery trip
The dedicated AFT nurses who spent the last two weeks among union members helping with hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico have returned home, and we managed to catch them on video as they arrived at the airport Wednesday night. The nurses are proud of the amazing work they did alongside their AFL-CIO brothers and sisters, and they're calling on us all to get the word out about the work that's left to be done to help our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico recover from hurricanes Irma and Maria.
University of Chicago graduate students vote to join AFT
University of Chicago graduate employees voted decisively for a union by more than a 2-1 majority in a history-making vote tallied Thursday. Grads at the university have worked for 10 years to win a union voice on the job as part of Graduate Students United. GSU, which re-affirmed its affiliation with the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the AFT and the American Association of University Professors in 2016, will immediately move to bargain a first contract with the university administration. Graduate employees work with students every day, and they understand what their students need better than most. With a union, they will have the voice they need to push for improvements to the classes they teach and the research they conduct.
Senate poised to repeal state and local tax deduction
Senate Republicans doubled down Thursday on their devotion to tax cuts for the wealthy while sticking it to everyone else by refusing to vote to keep the long-standing and vital state and local tax deduction in the tax code. Republicans want to use the revenue generated by jettisoning this deduction to pay for tax rate cuts for the rich at the expense of most Americans, especially low- and middle-income people.
Countering Richard Spencer with peace and tolerance in Florida
Organized resistance shut down a white supremacist event at the University of Florida, where activists opposing Richard Spencer drowned out his presentation by shouting slogans like "Nazis are not welcome here," and throngs of protesters outside chanted "Black lives matter" and "We don't want your Nazi hate." AFT President Randi Weingarten and United Faculty of Florida–University of Florida President Steve Kirn issued a joint statement condemning Spencer's speech: "We strongly support free speech and the protections provided by the First Amendment. But the violence stoked by the likes of Spencer—the kind we saw kill Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, and that he attempted to bring about again in Gainesville today—is not speech and, as such, cannot be allowed to spread without challenge."
Empowering community, girding for Janus
"An attack on one is an attack on all." That was the theme of the AFT Civil, Human and Women's Rights Conference Oct. 13-14 in New Orleans, where activists made clear the need to join together in the fight for equity and justice. Framed in the context of the Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court case—a case that could weaken labor unions by restricting the fee collection they need to serve their members—the conference demonstrated the deep connection unions have with human rights groups and underscored the contributions unionists make to a broad spectrum of social justice causes. The point was clear: Weaken the union, and you weaken support for everything from LGBTQ rights to voting rights, immigration rights, women's rights, racial justice, economic justice and that great equalizer, high-quality public schools for all.
AFT faces steep challenges with Native American educators
When it comes to marginalized students, Native American populations are among the most needy in our nation. That's why a strong delegation of AFT members and staff attended the National Indian Education Association conference Oct. 4-7, offering resources and learning more about how to help native educators—including thousands of AFT members—address the unique challenges they face. The AFT represents approximately 2,000 native educators and school-related personnel who serve native populations. They belong to the Federation of Indian Service Employees, an AFT affiliate that spans 10 states and represents staff at Indian-reservation schools as well as off-reservation boarding schools and Indian colleges. The AFT presented four workshops at the conference, covering the union's work in social justice, equity and community building, early childhood education, community schools and bilingual education.
Worth a look
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"Baltimore Teachers Union Votes to Ratify New Contract after Months of Negotiations"
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"What Ref Rodriguez's Latest Legal Problems Mean for the Charter School Movement"
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"Judge: Newest Travel Ban 'Same Maladies' as Previous Version"
Oct. 13, 2017
Trump continues to sabotage Affordable Care Act
Millions of Americans will be worse off because of an Oct. 12 executive order by President Trump that will undermine protections for Americans' health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act, AFT President Randi Weingarten says. Trump's order will result in fewer protections for the most vulnerable Americans, such as those with pre-existing conditions, and will encourage sham, loosely regulated health insurance plans that won't provide adequate benefits. Ultimately, this could lead to the collapse of individual health insurance markets through which millions of Americans obtain coverage. Later in the day, Trump announced he will end subsidies that help low-income Americans afford coverage. "Donald Trump owns the unwinding of the Affordable Care Act. He is ignoring the rule of law, refusing to compromise, and doing an end-run around Congress in order to strip people of their healthcare," Weingarten says. "This is an ongoing pattern of the Trump administration's callous sabotage of Obamacare, and it will cause real harm to American families."
Houston suit brings end to flawed evaluation system
In a huge victory for the right of teachers to be fairly evaluated, the Houston Independent School District has agreed, in a settlement of a federal lawsuit brought by seven Houston teachers and the Houston Federation of Teachers, not to use value-added scores to terminate a teacher as long as the teacher is unable to independently test or challenge the score. Value-added measures for teacher evaluation, called the Education Value-Added Assessment System, or EVAAS, in Houston, is a statistical method that uses a student's performance on prior standardized tests to predict academic growth in the current year. This methodology—derided as deeply flawed, unfair and incomprehensible—was used to make decisions about teacher evaluation, bonuses and termination. "This victory should mark the end of a destructive era that put tests and a broken evaluation system over making sure our students leave school well prepared for college, career and life," says HFT President Zeph Capo, who is an AFT vice president.
AFT continues to help Puerto Rico recover
As AFT President Randi Weingarten heads to Puerto Rico today to offer support to the thousands of members of the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico, visit schools and community centers, and talk to the AFT healthcare workers currently volunteering on a relief mission, residents there, and in the U.S. Virgin Islands, continue to experience incredible and unacceptable hardships. AFT Vice President David Gray, who heads the Oklahoma City Federation of Classified Employees—and is a Vietnam veteran—wonders if the recovery wouldn't be much further along if members of the U.S. military had been deployed early and in large numbers to help rebuild the island. That's what he and his combat engineering team did in Vietnam—they built things, quickly and efficiently.
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Huffington Post writes about two AFT nurse volunteers in Puerto Rico.
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One AFT affiliate in Florida reaches out to help following Hurricane Maria.
Classroom neutrality isn't appropriate with Trump
Educators strive to be politically neutral in the classroom, especially with history and politics. They provide context, explain both sides of an argument and play devil's advocate when one perspective dominates the conversation. In the Trump era, however, that task is not so simple, Scott Dolan writes on AFT Voices. Dolan, a social studies teacher at Shaker High School in Latham, N.Y., and president of the North Colonie Teachers' Association, has thought hard about this dilemma and concluded that sometimes other factors overcome the goal of strict neutrality. "I say without hyperbole that Donald Trump represents a serious threat to our democracy," Dolan says. "As educators, it would be unconscionable for us to remain neutral while our fundamental values are under attack. Neutrality would render us complicit in the destruction of our democracy. No matter the cost, we will not allow that to happen."
Worth a look
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"New York Unions Sue, Accusing Charter Schools of Lowering Standards for Teachers"
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Diane Ravitch: "Yes, It Is True! I Don't Like School Choice! I Admire Teachers' Unions!"
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"On Pensions, Kentucky Should Heed W. Virginia's Hard-Learned Lessons"
Inside AFT, an electronic newsletter for leaders and activists, is prepared by the AFT communications department.
Oct. 6, 2017
Healthcare members head to Puerto Rico to offer help
More than two dozen AFT nurses, health professionals and public employees from across the country traveled to Puerto Rico Oct. 3 to provide direct care and assist with relief efforts. They are part of a volunteer delegation of more than 300 union electricians, equipment engineers and other workers on a flight donated by United Airlines. The AFT represents 40,000 educators in Puerto Rico, members of the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico, and has been engaged in providing aid and support since the hurricane hit, including providing direct financial assistance to members and AMPR, providing and coordinating the distribution of supplies, and getting schools opened as community centers. "These nurses and health professionals represent who we are as a union—caring and springing into action to help people when needed," says AFT President Randi Weingarten. Llamara Padro-Milano is a 40-year veteran nurse and one of the AFT member volunteers. "I was born in Puerto Rico, my family is there, and they suffered through the worst of it," she says. "This is my opportunity to give back to the people and the island I love with the hands and heart of a nurse."
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Read what some of the members had to say before they left for Puerto Rico.
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Florida schools are expecting an influx of Puerto Rican students.
AFT wins injunction against conservative hit group
A Michigan state court judge has signed an emergency restraining order that prevents Project Veritas, a conservative hit group that uses deception and lies to attack its political opponents, from using illegally obtained information to smear Michigan children, teachers and families. AFT Michigan filed a civil complaint against Project Veritas and its operative Marisa Jorge for their fraudulent, unauthorized and unlawful surveillance of AFT Michigan staff, leaders and associates, and for gathering information from them. In response to the complaint, Judge Brian Sullivan of Michigan's Third Judicial Circuit Court issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting Jorge, her agents and anyone acting in concert with her from releasing private and confidential information gathered from any unlawful surveillance. It is believed to be the first time Project Veritas, founded by conservative activist James O'Keefe, has been subject to such an order in its near decade-long existence. "James O'Keefe and his operatives will stop at nothing—deception, distortion and dirty tactics—to smear their ideological opponents, all to advance a political agenda that undermines public school students, teachers and families," AFT President Randi Weingarten says.
Republican budget is huge tax giveaway for the rich
House Republicans passed a budget resolution on Oct. 5 that decimates public education, Medicare and Medicaid to give tax breaks to the rich and corporations. "This isn't a budget; it's a setup for a massive tax break for those at the top and will further rig our economy against working people while simultaneously hurting kids, seniors and the poor," AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "This budget action is more proof that President Trump and congressional Republicans continue to govern for the powerful at the expense of the vulnerable. The underlying tradeoff that runs through this budget—providing massive tax cuts to the wealthy while slashing programs that support the most vulnerable among us—reflects the absolutely wrong priority and puts key K-12 and higher education programs at risk."
Activists press Capitol Hill for strong school funding
Dozens of AFT members and leaders broke away from their divisional meetings in Washington, D.C., to fan across Capitol Hill on Oct. 3, visiting the offices of lawmakers on key House and Senate committees and sharing stories about why Congress must adopt a federal budget that provides the kids in their classrooms with services and programs that truly prepare them for life. The lobby day was organized by the Committee for Education Funding. The AFT, a CEF member, played a commanding role in the effort: The union filled two buses with AFT leaders and members. The groups took part in more than 40 meetings at House and Senate offices that morning, prodding Capitol Hill to make 2017 the year that Congress steps up to make federal education investments across the board—from preschool through higher education. Only 2 cents out of every federal dollar have gone to education, a level of investment that has held steady for years. Activists used the meetings to urge lawmakers to get behind CEF's "5¢ Makes Sense" campaign, an effort to raise federal education outlays to a modest 5 percent of every dollar spent.
AFT defends regulations against sexual assault
Four AFT leaders defended crucial protections for college students at a Department of Education hearing Oct. 4, demanding that officials stop threatening to repeal regulations such as those that help deter sexual assault on campus and others that hold for-profit colleges accountable for fraud and exploitation. The proposed repeals are part of a larger program designed to minimize regulations in general, but these particular rules target higher education and student safety. Perhaps the most charged testimony involved regulations associated with Title IX, elements of which provide protection to sexual assault survivors. AFT President Randi Weingarten urged the department to preserve Title IX regulations and expressed dismay over recent indications it would loosen them and set back progress on campus safety. "I've been stunned to watch the United States secretary of education recite the arguments of rape deniers who want to roll back the clock and revive the culture of silence that survivors of campus sexual assault have endured," she said. AFT Washington President Karen Strickland echoed Weingarten's call to action. "We continue to live in a country where 20 percent of women and 6 percent of men will be sexually assaulted while in college. The rollback is unconscionable and counterproductive. Maintaining the regulations is essential."
Worth a look
Sept. 29, 2017
A political effort to rig the rules against working people
The U.S. Supreme Court on Sept. 28 said it will hear Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31, a case that the four largest public employee unions calls "a blatantly political and well-funded plot to use the highest court in the land to further rig the economic rules against everyday working people." Janus started with an overt political attempt by billionaire Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner to attack public service workers through the courts—part of what groups tied to the legal challenge brazenly describe as a national campaign to "defund and defang" America's unions. In a statement, the AFT joined leaders of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; the National Education Association; and the Service Employees International Union in calling on the high court to reject the challenge and honor legal precedents that have "effectively governed labor relations between public sector employees and employers" and allowed "employers and employees the freedom to determine labor policies that best serve the public." AFT President Randi Weingarten noted that "corporations, wealthy interests and politicians have manufactured Janus as part of their long and coordinated war against unions," adding that, "the trumped-up underpinnings of the plaintiff's argument will rapidly become clear before the full bench."
Strong opposition helps kill Trumpcare once again
Americans sent a message to Senate Republicans who thought a political win was more important than stripping millions of Americans of their healthcare: "Think again," AFT President Randi Weingarten says. The result of the strong opposition was the Republicans' Sept. 26 decision to withdraw the Graham-Cassidy bill, their latest cruel version of Trumpcare. "Americans across the political spectrum stood up for the most vulnerable among us—for patients with pre-existing conditions, students with special needs, and the elderly and disabled who live in nursing homes," Weingarten says. "They made sure Congress didn't turn back the clock to a time when American families lived in fear that they would be one illness away from bankruptcy." She cautions that this won't be the last time Trump and his allies try to sabotage the Affordable Care Act. "We cannot allow them to abandon our most vulnerable, just to reward the powerful. We urge the president to reach across the aisle, as he has done before, and work with Democrats to improve on the Affordable Care Act."
No surprise: Trump's tax plan helps the wealthy
Everyone complains about taxes, but most of us want a tax code that is fair. Donald Trump's tax proposal, which he announced Sept. 27, just makes it worse, AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "It diverts federal funding from Medicare and Social Security for tax cuts for the wealthy. Indeed, the only winners we can discern are corporations and the rich," she says. "This plan reflects what has been the president's modus operandi since his campaign—promising to help working people but then hurting them by his administration's actions. Unless the president is prepared to work with Democrats and sensible Republicans on real tax reform that improves working people's lives and ends handouts for the wealthy and corporations, today's Trumptax plan will either catastrophically hurt working families or, hopefully, suffer the same fate as Trumpcare."
Education tops Congressional Black Caucus events
About 300 AFT members attended the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference Sept. 20-24 in Washington, D.C., learning about legislative approaches to more progressive education policy, and informing the discussions with their firsthand experience as educators. Many also attended the AFT's professional development series, earning continuing education units at sessions on topics such as restorative practices, new technology and gender theory in practice. At an AFT luncheon, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) told the members to "get ready for the fight of your life," underscoring the urgency of political engagement for union members. "We are in the battle for the many versus the battle for the money."
Educator explores helping students spot fake news
Students today are more likely to learn about the world by checking their social media feeds than by reading newspapers or magazines. But kids often don't recognize that the information appearing on their screens may be misleading or false. As a result, educators must explicitly teach students how to evaluate digital content. In the cover story of the Fall 2017 issue of American Educator, members of the Stanford History Education Group offer ways educators can help students reach valid conclusions about online materials. In addition, a high school history teacher reflects on teaching students how to discern fact from fiction. Other topics in the issue include sparking student curiosity in science, professional development that engages educators in critiquing videos of teaching, research on the use of manipulatives and a profile of the San Francisco Teacher Residency program.
AFT nurses join fight for safe patient limits in Mass.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association kicked off a signature-gathering effort on Sept. 26 to put safe staffing limits on the state ballot for 2018. Advocates and unionized nurses from Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, including members of AFT Connecticut as well as Health Professionals and Allied Employees, traveled to Boston to help collect signatures. The MNA's Campaign for Safe Patient Care is focused on getting the 70,000 signatures needed to place the Patient Safety Act on the state ballot. The act would improve safety in Massachusetts hospitals by setting a safe maximum limit on the number of patients assigned to a nurse at one time, while providing flexibility to hospitals to adjust nurses' patient assignments based on specific patient needs. "Putting safe staffing standards in hospitals is a national issue," says HPEA member Jeri Brandt, a registered nurse at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. "This could be the catalyst for establishing safe staffing legislation for our side of the country. A win for Massachusetts is a win for us all."
Standing for victims of disasters in Mexico
In a somber display of remembrance, the AFT, with the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, held a vigil for the victims of the recent earthquakes in Mexico and also paid homage to the 43 teachers in training who disappeared from the Mexican state of Guerrero on Sept. 26, three years ago. Holding photos of the missing young men, demonstrators read each name and placed their pictures along the brick wall of the Mexican Embassy in downtown Washington, D.C. "We are demanding justice for those involved in the disappearances of the student-teachers," AFT President Randi Weingarten said. "Since the disappearances of these 43 young people, it has been reported that the students were subjected to atrocities, yet there is still much that families do not know." The families of those who disappeared "deserve to know that justice will be served."
Worth a look
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AFT's Weingarten on new travel restrictions from the Trump administration
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New study finds that when charter schools unionize, students learn more
Inside AFT, an electronic newsletter for leaders and activists, is prepared by the AFT communications department.
Sept. 22, 2017
AFT stands with all our members affected by disaster
Barely a week after being hit by Hurricane Irma, AFT members in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are coping with an even bigger disaster following a direct hit from Hurricane Maria. "We are all Puerto Ricans today. We are all Virgin Islanders today," AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "The AFT is here for our members, their families and the tens of thousands of students and others we serve on Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. We are here for our many family members who make these islands their home. We are praying for your safety. And just as we are doing in Texas, Florida and the other areas hit by these hurricanes, we will help you rebuild."
The everyday heroes of the hurricanes
Before Hurricane Maria was even a threat, Weingarten was in Houston visiting members who were recovering from Harvey. Her latest column appearing in the New York Times highlights the hurricanes' everyday heroes—in Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands—who showed such bravery and compassion after the storms. "Solidarity is central to what it means to be a union; we care for each other—our members, the students and patients we serve, and the communities we live in," she writes. "In these fractured times, it's a reminder of what truly makes America great: people finding their common humanity, pursuing the common good, and caring about their neighbors regardless of their differences."
AFT and allies mobilize to stop latest Trumpcare plan
Republican senators are taking one last shot at dismantling the Affordable Care Act through a repeal-and-replace bill, named for Republican sponsors Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (La.). Americans have overwhelmingly rejected repeal of the ACA and have said they want to move on to bipartisan solutions that strengthen the healthcare system and reduce costs. Republicans, however, are attempting to rush this bill through the Senate before Sept. 30, when the Senate's ability to repeal the law through a majority vote expires. If anything, this latest bill is worse for patients and for the healthcare system than previous versions of Trumpcare. (Read our fact sheet about what it would do.) The effort to revive the ACA repeal sent activists and protesters to the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 19, where they heard from Democratic senators who oppose the GOP bill. A vote is expected next week.
Another good contract for AFT healthcare workers
After an inspiring nine-month contract campaign, the 900-member service unit at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, Wash., on Sept. 14 overwhelmingly voted—90 percent to 10 percent—to ratify its first contract. It was the third successful AFT contract campaign at PeaceHealth, following the tech unit's contract and the hugely successful registered nurses campaign by the Washington State Nurses Association. These three groups—collectively representing more than 2,500 new members—have been campaigning to make sure that while they care for their patients and strengthen their community, they can also earn a living wage themselves. "By bargaining for things like a living wage and improved job security, I feel like we have really improved the lives of everyone who works here at PHSW," says certified nursing assistant Tyler Carr. "This will have a positive impact on not only me and my colleagues, but also everyone who comes into our hospital to receive care."
'I am a Dreamer and a nurse'
There are many reasons why ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, as President Trump wants to do, is a terrible idea. Among them is what it would do to amazing AFT members like Washington state nurse Jessica Esparza. The families she cares for "do not care what color my skin is as I give CPR to their loved ones. My patients do not care about my accent as I educate them about their chronic condition, and they do not care where I am from when I am taking care of them," she writes. "I am here to stay, to continue to be the best person and nurse that I can be."
ESSA process reveals pitfalls and promise
More than 30 states submitted their plans for implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act to the Education Department Sept. 18, an important milestone that reveals both the potential and the challenges when it comes to rolling out ESSA, the latest version of the nation's main preK-12 education law. One ingredient has been conspicuously absent from the process: constructive guidance from Secretary Betsy DeVos' Education Department, according to many education groups. The federal agency simply must do a better job if ESSA is to advance the work needed to achieve what AFT President Randi Weingarten calls "the four pillars for successful schools." Key lawmakers also have voiced concern. On the day scores of states submitted their plans, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) sent a letter to DeVos voicing "concern about inconsistent feedback and a lack of enforcement of the law's equity-focused provisions."
Worth a look
Sept. 15, 2017
Parents want safe, welcoming, well-funded schools
Three in four public school parents say the public schools their children attend provide them with an excellent or good education, and 79 percent of parents are satisfied with their children's public schools when it comes to helping their children achieve their full potential, according to a new AFT nationwide poll of parents. Parents' highest priorities for their schools are providing a safe and secure environment, developing their children's knowledge and skills, and ensuring equal opportunity for all kids, and they are deeply concerned by efforts to cut education funding. And parents favor a high-quality neighborhood public school over having more choices of schools for their children by 71 to 29 percent, with majorities of major-city parents, low-income parents, African-American parents and Latino parents favoring a neighborhood public school over more choice. "It's striking that the agenda being pushed by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to defund public education and divert resources to vouchers and other privatization schemes—even when they are cloaked as 'choice'—is completely at odds with parents' educational priorities," AFT President Randi Weingarten says.
Recovery efforts continue after Harvey and Irma
AFT members and the schools and colleges where they work continue to recover after hurricanes Harvey and Irma. AFT President Randi Weingarten is in Houston today and tomorrow, visiting with members, local leaders and the district superintendent, as well as with volunteers helping with the cleanup. In Florida, meanwhile, many school systems remain closed and thousands remain without power. The AFT is working with affiliates there, and in Puerto Rico, to help with the recovery. Some of the worst damage is in the Florida Keys and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where the AFT represents educators. The damage is so widespread on the Virgin Islands that it's not yet clear where the most help is needed, but the AFT continues to collect donations through the Disaster Relief Fund, with every dollar going to help our members and their communities recover.
Sepsis awareness can turn tragedy into hope
Orlaith Staunton is steadfast in her belief that knowledge is power, and that belief motivated her to educate others about sepsis. Ciaran and Orlaith Staunton lost their 12-year-old son Rory to sepsis in 2012. Since then, they have made it their mission to raise awareness of sepsis, a life-threatening medical condition that arises when the body's escalating attempt to fight an infection fails. As a part of its campaign to educate others about the condition, the Stauntons established the Rory Staunton Foundation. Each year during Sepsis Awareness Month, the foundation holds a national forum. The AFT hosted the event in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 13. For the last year, the foundation has worked with the AFT to create a sepsis education curriculum that emphasizes what sepsis is, how to prevent it and how to recognize the signs. In 2017, the New York State departments of Health and Education made sepsis education a part of the curriculum in every school in the state. The curriculum is also available on the AFT's Share My Lesson platform.
Funding squeeze still doing damage in Kansas
The dangers of understaffing and deprofessionalization are becoming ever more obvious in Kansas. On top of chronic short-staffing for critical services, irresponsible governance is pushing the state toward a workforce without civil service protections. At the same time, a shortage of Kansas nursing home inspectors may be exacerbating problems in nursing care. Kansas prisons, meanwhile, are still reeling from staff shortages as unrest among inmates escalates. But Gov. Sam Brownback still believes in tax cuts—the cause of this understaffing and turmoil. Others should take his folly as a lesson.
Leaders vow to fight for Dream Act
An unlikely group of education organizations came together with the AFT on Sept. 12 to protect DACA recipients and undocumented students and their families, vowing to work with immigrant advocates to pass the federal Dream Act. The event, a telephone town hall, sent a united message to the Trump administration and to Congress: DACA recipients have a world of allies who will fight to keep them safe. The call served two purposes: to give educators resources to help their students, families and community members; and to underscore a commitment to passing the Dream Act, legislation that could provide the 850,000 recipients of the DACA program with a pathway to permanent legal status and eventual citizenship. "We need to put every bit of our energy into the fight for the Dream Act and to make sure we safeguard our DACAmented students, teachers and young people," said AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Democrats want to boost early childhood education
One of America's toughest kitchen-table issues received vital national attention on Sept. 14 when congressional Democrats introduced the Child Care for Working Families Act—a bold, ambitious national strategy to place affordable, high-quality preschool and child care within the reach and the budgets of millions of families. With the average cost of child care now exceeding the price tag of in-state public college tuition in 33 states and Washington, D.C., the time is now for a "bold and comprehensive plan that will tackle the skyrocketing cost of child care," said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) as she introduced the legislation, flanked by Democratic leaders from both chambers. "Expanding child care and preschool would be a game changer for children and families in our country," says AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Worth a look
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Solidarity, persistence wins contract for faculty at Eastern Michigan
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U.S. teachers earn far less than similarly educated professionals
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"What's One of America's Most Dangerous Jobs? It's Not What You Think."
Inside AFT, an electronic newsletter for leaders and activists, is prepared by the AFT communications department.
Sept. 8, 2017
Essentials for Kids Fund tackles unmet student needs
Any public school teacher can point you to kids in their classrooms who lack the essentials of life, everything from coats and socks to chapter books and spiral notebooks. It's a widespread problem, made even broader by the fact that 35 states have yet to restore recession-era cuts in education. It's also a deep problem, too deep to be filled just from the pockets of teachers—although they try mightily, laying out an average of $600 per teacher annually to help keep their kids warm, fed, clean and learning. And it's an escalating problem, now that tens of thousands of Texas families are struggling along the Gulf Coast to rebuild storm-tossed lives and get their kids ready for a new school year. Essentials for Kids is powered by a $200,000 startup investment, with major contributions from the union, corporate and nonprofit partners, and individual donors. These funds will allow AFT members to apply on a first-come, first-served basis for grants of up to $150 in credits ($100 for nonmembers and $200 for those in hard-hit areas of Texas following Hurricane Harvey). These credits will pay for books, school supplies and the basics—all available through the First Book Marketplace, where items run 50 to 90 percent below retail prices.
Texas labor pulls together in Harvey's wake
As the Labor Day weekend drew to a close, union members in and around Houston joined AFT members to begin cleaning up after Hurricane Harvey. Many Texans are still out of their homes, Houston public schools are closed until Sept. 11, and some folks are either just discovering the damage or starting to clear the debris. The hurricane brought out remarkable efforts from fellow members, offering more proof of what it means to be part of a union family. Members and fellow unionists from across the region are volunteering in assistance and cleanup efforts, including serving hot meals, distributing cleaning supplies and helping clean members' houses, and donating backpacks full of school supplies to students. Nationally, AFT members continue to contribute to the AFT Disaster Relief Fund, with every penny going to help affected members through things like direct financial support, grocery cards and supplies. (Those efforts might have to shift to Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, depending on the impact of Hurricane Irma.) "In times like these, I'm proud to be a Texas AFT member and part of our union family," says Texas AFT President and AFT Vice President Louis Malfaro.
Terminating DACA betrays our country's values
President Trump's decision this week to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects more than 800,000 young, undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children, betrays the values of our diverse and welcoming nation, AFT President Randi Weingarten says. America will not be stronger or more secure when these young people are torn away from the country they love and call their own. "America will be diminished—and the toll will be measured by families ripped apart, people cast into the shadows and into poverty, businesses upended, economies weakened and dreams shattered," she says. "The AFT will continue to fight to protect undocumented students, refugees, individuals with temporary protective status, and their families from the threat of deportation. A nation built by immigrants should welcome those in pursuit of the American dream, not pull up the ladder behind us."
Senate panel rejects Trump blueprint for cuts, vouchers
A key Senate panel voted unanimously on Sept. 6 to maintain funding for teacher training, class-size reductions, and community and after-school programs—vital federal resources that were targeted for elimination under the budget plan submitted this year by President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Senators also rejected the White House's efforts to divert scarce resources into a reckless ramp-up of school choice. The Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee approved a fiscal year 2018 funding bill that maintains funding at current levels for educator training and effectiveness through Title II Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants ($2.1 billion) and for after-school and summer programs through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers ($1.2 billion). Funding for both had been eliminated in the Trump-DeVos budget.
DeVos wants to move backward on Title IX enforcement
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' announcement that she will reverse the Obama administration's rules on enforcement of Title IX is the latest in a troubling pattern of dismantling the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights and turning the federal government's back on those who are vulnerable or disenfranchised, AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "The facts are that 1 in 5 undergraduate women are sexually assaulted. But fewer than 10 percent of all sexual assaults are reported, because survivors are afraid of coming forward; 89 percent of colleges and universities reported no incidents of rape on campus in 2015," she says. "DeVos is right that we need systemic reform, but it's this country's ingrained campus rape culture that needs changing, not the law that challenges it."
Grad employee union wins full pay for diversity work
Agitating for a more inclusive, diverse work environment is not easy. From attending hours of meetings, serving on committees, and facilitating difficult conversations with colleagues and senior staff, to gathering and analyzing data from surveys and establishing new protocols, all while practicing diplomacy at every step, diversity work is time-consuming and exhausting. That's why the news about diversity work at the University of Michigan is so groundbreaking. Starting this September, graduate employees will help the University of Michigan implement its strategic plan for diversity, equity and inclusion, while being compensated with full tuition waivers, stipends that cover the cost of living, and health insurance benefits. This marks the first time that any university has provided union-level pay and benefits to graduate workers who do diversity work on campus, thanks to a campaign led by a coalition of labor and racial justice activists. The AFT-affiliated Graduate Employees' Organization and the Multicultural Leadership Council campaigned aggressively for the creation of formal positions that offer fair compensation.
Worth a look
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Temple University adjuncts and full-time faculty win new contract
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"We can work it out," New Jersey teacher Justin Serfozo urges his fellow educators on AFT Voices
Inside AFT, an electronic newsletter for leaders and activists, is prepared by the AFT communications department.
May 19, 2017
Excessive fees are crushing workers' retirements
A new AFT report, "The Big Squeeze: How Money Managers' Fees Crush State Budgets and Workers' Retirement Hopes," reveals billions in potential savings if pension funds slashed fees paid to Wall Street fund managers who invest in risky "alternative" assets such as hedge funds and private equity. The report quantifies, for the first time, the massive wealth transfer from workers to Wall Street that has placed Americans' retirement security in peril and led to fiscal crises on state balance sheets, with the cost ultimately borne by taxpayers. "Rather than following Wall Street's actions, which erode working people's pensions by charging unjustifiable fees, this report provides a blueprint for retirement security that fuels economic growth and creates good jobs," says AFT President Randi Weingarten. "By calling out these pernicious practices and working closely with pension trustees and legislative allies, we've begun to see fees cut and fee structures for hedge fund and private equity managers exposed."
Trump's catastrophic plan to cut education funding
AFT President Randi Weingarten calls the Trump-DeVos proposed education budget, which the Washington Post reported on a week in advance of its release, "catastrophic" in its impact on schools, students and communities. Just a week after the president spoke to state and national teacher of the year honorees at the White House, and said it was a "great, great honor" to recognize them, his budget sends the opposite message. It would cut more than $10 billion from U.S. Department of Education programs. Among the programs slated for elimination or substantial cuts—in order to siphon billions of dollars into voucher and choice schemes—are Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, before- and after-school programs, community schools, career and technical education, preschool development grants, arts education, child care assistance for low-income college students, student loan forgiveness for public service, literacy development grants, American history and civics academies, Special Olympics and the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, to name a few. Watch for more details next week as the budget is released and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is scheduled to testify in Congress.
School visit links career-tech ed, infrastructure needs
Infrastructure Week is a chance for labor, industry and policymakers to sharpen public understanding of the investments critical to the nation's future, and AFT President Randi Weingarten helped kick off the mid-May observance by visiting a New York City public school that is deeply connected to this effort—Brooklyn's Transit Tech Career and Technical Education High School. At Transit Tech, students can get hands-on experience exploring a key component of the nation's infrastructure, a modern urban rail system. Joined by an array of labor, civic and business leaders, Weingarten visited Transit Tech on May 15 to celebrate this nationally acclaimed public school as an example of effective career and technical education that works, and to thank students there "for being so engaged in your studies, for seeing the connection between education and work." Weingarten visited classrooms and work bays in a school that not only lays the strong, traditional foundations of education but also prepares students for high-paying careers that include rail car maintenance, transit electronics, computer engineering and cybersecurity in a mass transit system.
Cleveland charter school educators vote for union
Charter school educators at Stepstone Academy in Cleveland will move to bargain a first contract, after they voted convincingly for union representation in a National Labor Relations Board election. Stepstone educators voted 17-5 to join the Cleveland Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff (ACTS), which is affiliated with the Ohio Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers. "I wanted to form a union at Stepstone because I believe teachers deserve a voice," says Summer Flowers, a fifth-grade teacher. "I believe fairness and equity is imperative to the progress of schools, and by unionizing and having a voice, we can work toward those things. I am confident that unionizing will contribute to a positive and healthy environment for teachers and students." The Stepstone teachers join their union colleagues at four I Can charter schools in the Cleveland metro area, who also elected to join Cleveland ACTS in the past year.
Coming soon: Quality of Worklife Survey
Watch your email inbox next week for a survey on how educators' working conditions affect their health and well-being. The survey results will be used to address stress and to fight for programs and policies that have the potential to improve educators' quality of work life and, ultimately, the quality of their work. This is the second time the AFT and the Badass Teachers Association have partnered on the Quality of Worklife Survey.
Worth a look
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Chicago teacher Melissa Hughes writes about restorative justice in an AFT Voices post titled "When Class Discipline Falls Apart, Circle Up"
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Paid family leave policies show corporate America's disdain for low-wage workers and their babies
May 12, 2017
Puerto Rico's schools face dire fiscal crisis
With more than 175 schools in Puerto Rico set to close this year, Puerto Rico's debt crisis continues to devastate communities and vital social services. At its May 9 meeting in Washington, D.C., the AFT's executive council unanimously passed a resolution pledging support to Puerto Rico's teachers and their union, the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico. The AFT leaders heard emotional testimony from Aida Díaz de Rodríguez, head of the Puerto Rican teachers union, about the dire situation that the territory, and its educators, students and schools, face. She and AFT President Randi Weingarten met later in the week in New York City with local and federal elected officials about addressing the crisis.
CEOs earn 347 times the average worker's pay
The gap between the pay of CEOs and that of their workers continued to grow last year, to the point where the average corporate head now earns 347 times as much as the average rank-and-file worker. The latest version of the AFL-CIO's Executive Paywatch report shows that, in 2016, the average nonsupervisory worker earned about $37,000 per year, an amount that has remained stagnant for 50 years when adjusted for inflation. The average CEO of a Standard & Poor's 500 company, by contrast, made $13.1 million, which was an increase of 6 percent. "This year's report provides further proof that the greed of corporate CEOs is driving America's income inequality crisis," says AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. "Big corporations continually find ways to rig the economy in their favor and line their CEOs' pockets at the expense of the workers who make their businesses run."
Ricker pictures a 21st-century teacher profession
As Teacher Appreciation Week winds down, AFT Executive Vice President Mary Cathryn Ricker writes on AFT Voices about attracting and retaining new teachers. In a post titled "#PictureATeacher," she just does that—imagines a future teacher who has all the supports, resources and opportunities needed to succeed. "When I picture these teachers and this vision of the profession, I see a community's commitment to making teaching a profession, not with parlor tricks, demeaning fire sales on teaching licenses, or shortcuts for real experience, but by investing in sustainable plans to grow our profession," she writes. "It's the best way I can think of to truly show teachers — those of us in the profession now, and those who will one day join our ranks — how much we appreciate them."
Appreciate nurses by supporting safe staffing
This week is also Nurses Appreciation Week. Words are great, but a much better way to show our appreciation for nurses and health professionals across the country is to support their ongoing fight to improve safety for patients and staff. The Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act was introduced May 9 by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). "Safe staffing ratios save lives and allow nurses to nurture their patients," AFT President Randi Weingarten says, noting that the legislation will help recruit and retain nurses, minimize shortages, improve patient care, and provide whistleblower protections so nurses can feel secure in advocating for their patients and themselves.
DNC chair outlines party vision to AFT leaders
Look for a bottom-up approach to Democratic politics, one that's heavy on shoe-leather outreach and combines the rising resistance movement with the type of clear vision that can coalesce progressives into a long-haul fighting force, new Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez told AFT leaders on May 10. Speaking to the AFT executive council, Perez offered an unvarnished assessment of recent party struggles, particularly in local and state contests. Much more needs to be done at these levels, he said. And more work must take place at the doors of voters rather than exclusively through the media, an approach he characterized as "lazy man's politics." Democrats have "spent too much on TV ads and not enough on talking to people," said Perez. He invited AFT affiliates to join Democrats and other progressives this summer in stepped-up community outreach. This is the moment for engagement, said the DNC chair, pointing to the postelection resistance movement cropping up in communities across America, particularly the fierce opposition to Republican efforts to divert resources from healthcare to tax cuts for millionaires.
Worth a look
MAY 5, 2017
HOUSE TURNS BACK CLOCK WITH AWFUL HEALTHCARE BILL
By passing the American Health Care Act on May 4, the Republican-led House of Representatives has perpetrated a cruel hoax on America's families and their quality of life, AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "Seven years ago, Congress acted to create a healthier America. Today, President Trump and House Republicans turned back the clock to a time when many families were one illness away from bankruptcy or destitution and unable to access affordable healthcare. Without reading the bill or knowing the cost to the American taxpayers, Trumpcare strips healthcare coverage from millions of families to create new tax breaks for the wealthy."
AFT MEMBERS MAKE MAY 1 ACTIONS MEMORABLE
"Build schools, not walls" was the crisp, compelling message delivered by AFT activists at a series of May 1 actions stretching from Miami to San Francisco. The AFT, the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools and the National Education Association coordinated the day of action, and participation was impressive—2,000 sites in 200 cities, according to estimates, with even greater numbers joining the groundswell through social media. Through marches, rallies and meetings, AFT members joined with immigrant communities, students, parents and engaged citizens to support public education and to fight for a fairer and more just immigration system. The rallies showed collective resolve: to keep schools as safe spaces, free from immigration raids, bigotry and hate, and to demand that funds meant for a border wall be used instead to strengthen public schools. The AFT's top three national leaders all appeared at different events around the country.
BUDGET AGREEMENT REJECTS TRUMP'S PRIORITIES
The fiscal 2017 budget agreement reached in Congress on May 1, which invests in public education, healthcare, and programs that help working families and particularly their children, is a strong rebuke to President Trump's scorched-earth 2018 budget proposal, AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "This agreement has big pluses: It creates a healthier America by increasing funding to the National Institutes of Health and fighting opioid addiction; it provides aid to the people of Puerto Rico, who continue to struggle through an economic crisis; and it provides mine workers the healthcare they deserve and were promised. It stands in stark contrast to Trump and DeVos' efforts to defund public education, reaching consensus across party lines to invest in public schools, including additional funds for community schools, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, year-round Pell Grants, Head Start, and other programs that help kids and strengthen our schools and communities. Congress should follow this blueprint to invest in public schools in the 2018 budget as well."
A FAILING GRADE SO FAR FOR TRUMP AND DEVOS
In a new op-ed in Time magazine, Randi Weingarten writes about the failures in education policy that marked President Trump's first 100 days. The Trump-Betsy DeVos agenda is wildly out of touch with what Americans want for their kids. "Many of those who voted for Trump did so because they believed he would keep his promise to stand up for working people and create jobs," Weingarten writes. "They didn't vote to dismantle public education and with it the promise and potential it offers their children. Now, the person who ran on jobs and the economy seems intent on crushing one of the most important institutions we have to meet the demands of a changing economy, enable opportunity and propel our nation forward. That's one of the biggest takeaways from Trump's first 100 days."
ORGANIZING IS THE ANSWER AT HIGHER ED CONFERENCE
The AFT Higher Education conference this year in Detroit was all about organizing—which is another way of saying it was all about preserving the union, fighting for working families, advancing union values, saving public higher education, and promoting social equity and justice. All these are dependent on reliable organizing: reaching union members, reaching out to nonmembers and coordinating with community coalitions; organizing them to fight against anti-worker, right-to-work efforts and the defunding of higher ed; and leading them to fight forward for powerful, pro-student, pro-public school policy. In her keynote address, AFT President Randi Weingarten described "an awakening" since the presidential election, and a "tremendous appetite for resistance," one that the AFT is very much embracing. She gave a special shoutout to AFT members who have been elected to public office, and she noted the power of activism and participation in the body politic.
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ENTER THE THANKS A MILLION SWEEPSTAKES
Share My Lesson is thanking teachers, paraprofessionals and school support staff who help and inspire one another every day to ensure our students succeed. To celebrate you, we're sending five lucky educators and school staff to join us in Washington, D.C., July 20-22 for professional development and networking at the AFT TEACH 2017 conference, all expenses paid! Enter the sweepstakes now, and come back for bonus entries each day the week of May 8-12.
WORTH A LOOK
APRIL 28, 2017
BUILD SCHOOLS, NOT WALLS
Every community deserves high-quality public schools where immigrants are welcome and kids and families are safe, respected and loved. That is the driving force behind "Build Schools, Not Walls," a joint campaign of the AFT, the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools and the National Education Association. With more than 200 events expected to take place nationwide on Monday, May 1, we'll join together with community partners to fight back against draconian budget cuts; demand an end to mass deportations and threats to immigrant communities; demand our schools be safe spaces free from immigration raids, bigotry and hate; and demand that any funds meant for a border wall be diverted to strengthening public schools. Because, as AFT President Randi Weingarten said at the campaign kickoff event last week, "public education is the foundation of our democracy and the propeller of our economy."
THEY'RE BACK WITH ANOTHER BAD HEALTHCARE BILL
Members of Congress came back from recess this week with a new healthcare plan that betrays every promise President Trump and the GOP have made not to penalize the sick. Trump cut a backroom deal that would let states deny coverage for pre-existing conditions and let insurance companies charge more to the 52 million currently protected under Obamacare. Instead of improving coverage and lowering costs, the GOP seems intent on putting millions at risk for the sake of tax cuts for the rich. We killed their healthcare bill once, because it hurt Americans. We can do it again.
ALL EYES ON MAY 2 VOTE IN SANTA FE
Progressives around the country will be closely counting the votes out of New Mexico on May 2 to see if Santa Fe will join the growing number of cities that use revenues from a small tax on sugary beverages to fund universal preschool. Albany, N.Y.; Boulder, Colo.; Philadelphia and San Francisco were among the first wave of cities to adopt this action in the last three years, and the National Institute for Early Education Research cites evidence showing it is a "win-win" approach, expanding access to high-quality early care and education while helping in the fight against tooth decay, obesity and diabetes. A day before the vote, early educators nationwide will mark Worthy Wage Day, calling attention to chronic public underfunding for early education. Santa Feans will observe the day with "teach-ins" and panel discussions and will present 1,000 thank-you notes to Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales, who championed the ballot measure, symbolizing the additional children who would have the opportunity to attend prekindergarten should the measure pass.
AFT LOCAL LEADER WINS CONN. DELEGATE SEAT
Educators in Connecticut gained a strong, informed and familiar voice in the Statehouse when Joshua Hall, vice-president of the Hartford Federation of Teachers, rolled to victory in an April 25 special election to fill a vacancy in the state Legislature. The union-endorsed Hall said that the vote shows constituents are "concerned about the quality of education in our schools, having good jobs and vibrant neighborhoods, and making sure that we have a just budget that strengthens their ability to earn a good living and care for their families." Two days after the win, Hall joined other AFT leaders in a telephone town hall and explained how AFT training on parent and community engagement provided a road map to victory. "Consider running for public office," he urged union colleagues. "We need to make sure that people who share our values are in positions of power."
AFT MEMBERS ON TRUMP'S FIRST 100 DAYS
AFT members are reflecting on President Trump's first 100 days in office, and so far, they're not impressed. In a new piece on AFT Voices, Detroit school secretary Laura Jackson writes, "You can't get the best results when people are working out of fear, when the head of any organization, whether it's business, nonprofit or government, is used to getting his way by intimidation." Meanwhile, the national news media is looking back at Trump's campaign promises and comparing them with what the administration has delivered so far—and the administration is coming up short.
CHECK OUT THE NEW AFT VOICES ON MEDIUM
The AFT's online publications have a new home and a new look. Featuring member posts from all five divisions, as well as news and commentary from AFT leaders and our allies, AFT Voices is the new go-to hub for AFT member stories online. With special sections for preK-12 public education, paraprofessionals and school support personnel, higher education, healthcare and public services, there's something for everyone.
WORTH A LOOK
April 21, 2017
VISIT PUTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
It was a chance for one small Midwest city to showcase the great work going on inside its public schools, and Van Wert, Ohio, made the most of it. The April 20 school visits hosted by Van Wert, a northwest Ohio community of roughly 11,000, for AFT President Randi Weingarten and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos drew coverage from a full complement of local, state and national media outlets. And the stories that filled the day focused not on partisan rancor but on robust, well-supported public school approaches from prekindergarten through high school. That public education can build consensus and flourish in this Republican-leaning community is proof positive that "support for public schools transcends politics," Weingarten told reporters at a wrap-up press conference. DeVos, who has drawn fire for promoting an education budget that would ax $9 billion from federal programs, and for using her Cabinet post as a bully pulpit for vouchers and choice, agreed that something exemplary was happening inside these public schools. "It was clear that this community has invested heart and soul into the students here," DeVos said.
AN INDECENT BUDGET PROPOSAL
In her most recent column appearing in the New York Times, AFT President Randi Weingarten writes about Donald Trump's first budget proposal, which she calls a nightmare for children. The ironically named "America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again" contains $9 billion in cuts to education and forecloses on the federal government's long-standing commitment to reduce educational inequalities, she writes. "The budget would take a meat cleaver to public schools, and children with the greatest needs would suffer the greatest harm. Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos plan to slash programs that help low-income children—like after-school and summer programs, class-size reduction efforts, mentoring for early-career teachers, child nutrition programs and community schools.
AFT MEMBERS ARE MARCHING FOR SCIENCE
AFT members, faculty and teachers, students and advocates, are all geared up for the March for Science on April 22, which also happens to be Earth Day. They will join thousands to rally at locations across the country, advocating for scientific research, STEM education, and informed, critical thinking in a political climate that has challenged the very foundation of good science—facts. Our collection of member essays on AFT Voices describes the many reasons we stand up for science—to protect fundamental research, preserve the wonder of exploration and discovery, promote equity for women and people of color, and defend truth.
'BUILD SCHOOLS, NOT WALLS' CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF
The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, along with the AFT, the National Education Association, 482Foward, the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, and other community and parent groups, on April 18 launched their two-week campaign to "Build Schools, Not Walls." "Instead of building a wall that will cost countless billions," says AROS Executive Director Keron Blair, "Donald Trump should invest that money in schools where all children—no matter their creed, color or citizenship status—can feel safe, respected and loved, and have the support, tools and time to learn." The multifaceted campaign, which is being coordinated by AROS, the AFT and the NEA, will include a variety of digital, in-person and community actions. It will culminate in a nationwide day of action on May 1, where more than 100,000 people at more than 2,000 schools in 200 cities are expected to take part.
ARCADIA UNIVERSITY ADJUNCTS VOTE TO JOIN THE AFT
Adjunct faculty at Arcadia University in Philadelphia voted overwhelmingly on April 20 to affiliate with the AFT and United Academics of Philadelphia. This is the second victory for the AFT in its Philadelphia-metro-area organizing campaign for contingent faculty, following the hard-earned victory that 1,500 adjunct educators won at Temple University in November 2015. The AFT is the largest higher education union in the country and represents 80,000 adjunct and contingent faculty members. The Arcadia University unit adds an additional 300 new members to the AFT's higher education ranks. Frankie Mallis, adjunct professor of English, says, "A union victory for me means after eight years of devoting all my passion and energy to Arcadia University, I will finally have the chance to negotiate for livable wages and job security." Says AFT President Randi Weingarten, "Union representation helps create stability in classrooms, improve working conditions for educators and allow adjuncts to earn a living wage. We congratulate Arcadia adjuncts on their yearlong campaign to form a union and welcome them to the AFT family."
UNION ACTION PROMOTES STRONG ESSA LAWS IN MD.
Spurred by vigorous AFT activism, Maryland lawmakers this month defied a governor's veto and enacted laws that will help ensure the federal Every Student Succeeds Act doesn't devolve into wholesale dismantling of public schools or a rehash of the No Child Left Behind Act's "test-and-punish" reforms. The Maryland Legislature overwhelmingly passed the Protect Our Schools Act, which gives specific guidelines to the state board of education when it comes to school intervention and accountability under ESSA. The new Maryland law mandates that academic indicators cannot exceed 65 percent of the overall score used to judge a school's performance. And it specifies that academic indicators must encompass a variety of key gauges: achievement, progress, graduation rates, English language proficiency and access to a well-rounded curriculum. As important as the legislation itself is the political will shown by the Legislature in getting it enacted. After the bill was vetoed by Republican Gov. Larry Hogan—his only veto of the session—both chambers of the Legislature voted to override him.
UNIONS CONDEMN PUERTO RICO EDUCATION CUTS
The presidents of the AFT and the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico (the Puerto Rico Teachers Association) have co-signed a letter to the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, describing the harmful impact of the deep education cuts in Puerto Rico over the past decade and the devastating consequences additional proposed reductions would have on students and on Puerto Rico's future. The board was created under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act of 2016 to oversee fiscal restructuring in Puerto Rico. "After years of cuts to schools and basic services, the PROMESA board is now considering cutting 40 more days from the school year on top of further cuts to an already devastated education system that is past the breaking point," Weingarten says. "This will leave Puerto Rico's children—who did nothing to create these financial issues—and its economy to an even bleaker future."
WORTH A LOOK
APRIL 7, 2017
GORSUCH CONFIRMATION IS SAD DAY FOR DEMOCRACY
It's a dark day when one political party thwarts both the constitutional process and the traditions of a legislative body to ensure the confirmation of an ideological friend, AFT President Randi Weingarten said after Senate Republicans jammed through the confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch. "The American people deserved a Supreme Court justice with a record of upholding precedent, respecting existing law, and standing up for regular folks instead of corporations and special interests," she says. "Justice Neil Gorsuch has said he would meet that standard, but his actions as a jurist say otherwise. Now that Gorsuch has a seat on the nation's highest court, his responsibility is to the American people. He must demonstrate through his actions that he will be an independent voice, respect the Constitution and precedent, and be guided by our values and not by corporate and powerful interests."
LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY UNIONS KEEP UP THE FIGHT
Despite soggy weather, hundreds of faculty, staff, students and community members gathered April 6 to say "no more" to the destructive actions of Long Island University administrators. They rallied to insist that the university community be included in crucial policymaking in the future and that the administration sign fair contracts with all LIU unions before commencement May 11. This fight surfaced last September when faculty were locked out, banned from campus the first week of class. The move, by administrators who would not negotiate over the union contract, shut down the school for 12 days at the start of classes. "Colleges that care about students don't lock out faculty," says AFT President Randi Weingarten, who attended the rally along with a phalanx of other union leaders. "Colleges that care about students don't ignore mediation; colleges that care about students don't refuse lockout pay; colleges that care about students don't slash courses; and colleges that care about students don't try and rip off the adjunct faculty who do so much of the work on this campus!"
BUDGET CUTS THREATEN GREAT AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS
After-school programs around the country can provide big benefits for students' academic, artistic and social development. Ohio middle school teacher Rebecca Tucker writes in a new AFT Schoolhouse Voices post about those benefits for her students in a program called BASE, (Bunsold After-School Enrichment). "The program gives students a place to meet new friends, try different things and learn in nontraditional ways," she writes. "Great after-school programs work — and it is deeply concerning that so many could lose funding under the latest budget plan from the White House."
TRUMP NEEDS TO KEEP HIS PROMISES TO WORKERS
It's time to make sure that promises made to working families—like those President Trump made on April 4 to a meeting of North America's Building Trades Unions—are promises to be kept, AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "America's working men and women have heard a lot of promises over the years about how we reclaim the America dream," she says. "But frustration continues because too many of those promises have been abandoned or broken by politicians of both parties who prioritize corporate and special interests over working families and, worse, act to silence workers through voter suppression and anti-union legislation." AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who made a speech at the National Press Club on the same day Trump spoke to the building trades, noted that those in power need to hold accountable corporations like Nabisco that continue to cut and outsource good American jobs in pursuit of greater profits.
AFT ADDRESSES FEARS ABOUT LOAN FORGIVENESS
One of the best programs for handling student debt is public service loan forgiveness, which eliminates a borrower's student debt if he or she works for 10 years in a public service job. So when reports started saying that people who had been approved for public service loan forgiveness were now being rejected as unqualified, panic ensued. In a Medium blog, AFT Higher Education staff explain that nearly all AFT members will continue to qualify for loan forgiveness, and they give some advice about how to handle student loan servicers.
DEMOCRATS TROUBLED BY ESSA IMPLEMENTATION
House and Senate Democrats say they are "troubled" about implementation, monitoring and enforcement of the Every Student Succeeds Act because of changes under Education Secretary Betsy DeVos that could muzzle input from stakeholders. An April 3 letter to DeVos, signed by 19 lawmakers, asks for a full explanation of how requirements for stakeholder voice will be met under a new ESSA template for state-submitted plans. The revised template was released by DeVos just three weeks before the first deadline for state plans set by the Education Department. And the new form removes a section asking states to describe how their strategies were developed with extensive consultation and outreach—a feature supported by "numerous statutory requirements across multiple titles," the Democrats point out. The letter goes on to urge states to submit their consolidated plans using the template developed in 2016 under the Obama administration. States still have the option of using the earlier form, which "appropriately requires states to provide assurances that stakeholders have been, and will continue to be, engaged in the development of state and district consolidated plans."
MARCH 31, 2017
JOIN A NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION TO OPPOSE GORSUCH
Next week, the U.S. Senate is expected to start voting on the confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. On April 1, as part of what's being called the People's Filibuster, concerned citizens will be gathering at events around the country to show their opposition to Gorsuch. "While Judge Gorsuch is amiable and intelligent, he has also shown himself to be an ideologue who repeatedly sides with corporations and powerful special interests over working people, consumers, students and women," AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "Now, more than ever, we need an independent voice on the Supreme Court who respects, not rewrites, our constitutional values of freedom, democracy and justice."
ONE WIN, ONE UNCERTAIN RESULT IN GRAD ELECTIONS
It was a busy week for the AFT's graduate worker organizing. At Brown University, graduate employees voted overwhelmingly to affiliate with the AFT and the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals, as part of their fight to win respect, fairness and a voice at work. A majority of members of Brown University SUGSE (Stand Up for Graduate Student Employees) voted in an online ballot to join with the AFT, following a four-month research process to decide on options for national union affiliation. "A democratic labor union that fights for graduate students is the best way to win meaningful shared governance on campus and a more just, equitable workplace," says Caroline Kory, a fourth-year doctoral student in religious studies at Brown. Just days later, graduate employees at Cornell University voted in a union representation election. The results were agonizingly close, with the AFT affiliate just a handful of votes behind and a number of ballots being challenged. In response to what AFT President Randi Weingarten call the "egregious conduct of the university" during the campaign, the AFT is considering challenging the results of the election, pending the final results.
AFT SUPPORTS AFFORDABLE PRESCRIPTION DRUG BILL
Democrats in Congress are wasting no time putting together legislation to improve our healthcare system in the wake of the Republicans' dramatic failure to keep their promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. One new proposal, the Improving Access to Affordable Prescription Drugs Act—introduced in both the House and Senate—would help ensure that drug companies put patients before profits and bring some much-needed relief to families and seniors, including many who have had to make the impossible choice between paying for a lifesaving drug and putting food on the table. "Skyrocketing prescription drug costs are compromising patients' ability to access needed care," says AFT President Randi Weingarten. "This legislation helps remove costly prescription drugs as a barrier to high-quality healthcare."
EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION: THREE QUESTIONS TO ASK
Does the policy allow parents to stay home with their infants or newly adopted children? Does the policy relieve the cost burden of early child care and education for low- and middle-income families? Does the policy improve quality by investing in the early child care and education workforce? Those are the three questions that a new Economic Policy Institute report urges Americans to ask, now that the debate over child care and early education is intensifying at the local, state and national levels. Only a very small share of American families are able to afford high-quality child care today, the authors warn, and the rising economic inequality that contributes to this situation is tied to—and aggravated by—low pay in the early education and child care workforce.
TEACH 2017 IS COMING THIS SUMMER
It's not too early to start planning to attend TEACH 2017, the AFT's professional learning conference that will celebrate, inspire and support educators in the work that lies ahead. The focus throughout TEACH 2017 will be the four pillars of strong and purposeful public education: promoting children's well-being; supporting powerful learning; developing teacher and staff capacity; and fostering cultures of collaboration among educators, administrators, families and communities. The event is set for July 20-22 in Washington, D.C. Registration will open in early April.
HIT A GRAND SLAM WITH SHARE MY LESSON
Just in time for major league baseball's opening day this Monday, the AFT's free lesson-sharing service, Share My Lesson, has launched a new collection about America's pastime. From civil rights history to the physics of baseball, this sport can serve as a foundation for great cross-curricular K-12 lesson plans and activities. Use our new curated collection to get students interested in subjects of all kinds: English language arts, math, science, social studies, physical education and health. You're sure to hit a home run.
MARCH 3, 2017
WATCH WHAT TRUMP DOES, NOT WHAT HE SAYS
While President Trump's rhetoric in his Feb. 28 address to a joint session of Congress was more presidential than usual—including, finally, a denunciation of hate—his agenda remained unchanged: "cutting taxes for the wealthy, ripping healthcare away from millions of Americans, seeing education as a commodity that can be voucherized or privatized, and blaming immigrant communities for all our country's challenges," AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "He failed to lift up public education or even mention the role of higher education in preparing kids for the jobs of today and tomorrow. And he's taken the slogans of the labor movement by calling for hiring and buying American without offering real details on how to create good middle-class jobs. There continues to be a big difference between what President Trump says and what he does."
A HISTORY LESSON FOR BETSY
When Education Secretary Betsy DeVos praised historically black colleges and universities as "pioneers of school choice," her statement deeply offended those who, for generations, had no choice—black people who were barred from any existing institution of higher learning because of the color of their skin. HBCUs were not a matter of "choice" but a matter of "no choice," and were founded to provide the only opportunity for a college education. AFT higher education leader Derryn Moten, himself a graduate of an HBCU and now a professor at another, uses his personal experience to explain—and to school the nation's secretary of education.
THE FIGHT TO SAVE HEALTHCARE CONTINUES
As the debate over the future of the Affordable Care Act heats up, healthcare workers are among the most vocal in their opposition to repealing the law because they see firsthand what happens when patients delay or forgo care because they can't afford it. In late February, AFT nurses and health professionals were among the thousands of constituents who provided a rowdy homecoming to lawmakers at town hall meetings during the weeklong congressional recess. It was an opportunity for activists to join their communities in defending the ACA. Many members also participated in a day of action to protect healthcare on Feb. 25. "I know that if the Affordable Care Act is repealed without a proper replacement, people will go back to relying on uncoordinated care from free clinics instead of getting the proactive care they need," says Jodi Oliver, a social worker and a member of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals. "The possibility of seeing people turned away because they don't have insurance has galvanized my commitment to patient care and quality."
HOUSTON LOCAL WINS AGAINST PRIVATIZATION
Members of the Houston Educational Support Personnel, an affiliate of Texas AFT, are celebrating a hard-won victory against privatization in how their school district's food service program is managed. Last month, the Houston Independent School District cut ties with food contractor Aramark after 20 years. HESP's food service professionals have spoken out for nearly two decades about low-quality food and Aramark's poor management practices, which have led to employee turnover and low morale. Food service employees are pleased with the decision, HESP President Wretha Thomas says, noting that the giant corporation "has wasted millions of tax dollars and left Houston students with poor food choices." She says HESP members look forward to helping the district's food service operations make the transition back in-house. By removing Aramark, the school district will be able to provide all of Houston's students with better-tasting, more nutritious food and a wider menu.
AFT TO SENATE: DON'T MESS WITH ESSA REGS
The AFT is urging the Senate to reject a legislative maneuver aimed at trashing accountability and state plan regulations tied to the Every Student Succeeds Act. Issued at the close of the Obama administration, these ESSA regulations are by no means perfect but do reflect a full year of work "crafted with much stakeholder engagement" that included input, both positive and negative, from educators and parents around the country, AFT President Randi Weingarten stressed in a March 3 letter to senators. That work is in jeopardy now that the House of Representatives has seized on the Congressional Review Act—an arcane law used only once in any previous Congress—and voted to scuttle those regulations. The Senate is expected to weigh in next week, and Weingarten warned senators against following the House's example. Districts are planning for their next school year right now, the AFT president stressed, and "repealing these regulations now would not just be counterproductive and disruptive, but would demonstrate a disregard by Congress of school districts' operations and timelines."
AFT SUPPORTS TRANSGENDER STUDENT
The AFT joined a number of other unions and education organizations on March 2 in submitting an amicus brief on behalf of Gavin Grimm, the transgender student whose case is coming before the Supreme Court. The amicus brief argues that: discrimination harms transgender students by stigmatizing them and denying them equal educational opportunities; school policies that respect trans students create a positive climate for all students; Title IX protects trans students, because discrimination against them is gender-based; and the court must make a ruling to avoid confusion. "As educators, we believe every child deserves to feel safe at school," AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "Gavin Grimm is just a kid who wants to be treated like any other. He deserves nothing less, and educators stand with Gavin and every other child seeking the right to live their lives free from bullying, harassment and bigotry. When any of our children feel threatened or unsafe, we will protect them."
THE EMPTY PROMISE OF SCHOOL VOUCHERS
A Stanford researcher looked at a quarter-century of evidence and concluded that school vouchers have no track record to show they significantly boost test scores—although there is plenty to suggest that voucher schemes work against struggling students and are disincentives for educators because they erode features like pensions and due process protections. The Economic Policy Institute published the new report, which was authored by Stanford Graduate School of Education professor Martin Carnoy. Initiated shortly after the nomination of Betsy DeVos, a lifelong advocate of vouchers, to be education secretary, the report was an investigation into what hard benefits could be found in vouchers. Carnoy examined a wide range of programs, including ones in Indiana and Louisiana as well as Milwaukee and Washington, D.C. Milwaukee's program, which is the nation's longest-standing voucher program, "offers no solid evidence of student gains in either private or public schools," the report concludes.
FEB. 24, 2017
DC CHARTER SCHOOL EDUCATORS PETITION FOR UNION
In a historic first for the District of Columbia, a decisive majority of educators at Paul Public Charter School have signed a formal petition asking the school's governing board to recognize their union. Organizing under the newly formed District of Columbia Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff, educators presented school management with their petition for recognition under federal labor law. Three-quarters of Paul staff signed the petition with the aim of improving resources for students and gaining a voice in school decisions. About half of all D.C. K-12 students attend charters; however, currently no D.C. charter school has educators represented by a labor union. "We need a union at Paul in order to improve resources for kids and provide teachers with stability and an effective voice to help bring about improvements to our school's culture," says David Koenig, the school's social studies department chair. "We need a union at Paul because every school in this country needs a teachers' union; every school needs a stable workforce and a way for people to act collectively to protect working conditions and resist the forces of privatization, standardization and segregation that are gradually eroding our public education system."
IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN SPREADING FEAR
As President Trump's anti-immigrant campaign message moves from heated rhetoric to action, students and their families are increasingly fearful. Teachers and faculty are witnessing their distress in schools and on college campuses, and many are joining efforts to ensure undocumented students, refugees and those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status are prepared in case Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers raid their homes. Although Trump says his intention is to deport only criminals at this time, law-abiding immigrants and even those with DACA, which allows them to live and work legally in the United States, have reason to worry. Raids directed at people with criminal convictions or deportation orders have included arrests of others who happened to be at the scene, sweeping up people without serious criminal records, including a 23-year-old Mexican man with DACA status in Seattle. "There is tremendous anxiety among immigrant students across the country," says Kent Wong, vice president of the California Federation of Teachers. As the director of the UCLA Labor Center, Wong works closely with undocumented and "DACAmented" students, many of whom have joined rallies and protests to protect immigrant rights.
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Read more about the impact of the raids and what affiliates are doing.
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Read Wong's Voices On Campus post about providing sanctuary.
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Read Randi Weingarten's column about Trump's first month in office.
AFT CONDEMNS DECISION ON TRANSGENDER STUDENTS
The decision by President Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to rescind Title IX guidance for transgender students will compromise the safety and security of some of our most vulnerable children, AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "Children, not ideology, should be the priority," she adds. "LGBTQ kids face a disproportionate amount of bullying and violence at school, leading to increased levels of fear, anxiety or worse. Transgender students, like their peers, want to live and learn, laugh and love. Reversing this guidance tells trans kids that it's OK with the Trump administration and the Department of Education for them to be abused and harassed at school for being trans. We want to be clear to those kids: It is not OK with your teachers or with us at the AFT, and we will continue fighting to protect you."
DEVOS ROILS THE ESSA WATERS
One of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' first acts also has the potential to be one of her most destructive. Less than a week after she took office, DeVos informed state education chiefs that the White House was ready and willing to go along with a House of Representatives maneuver to toss out important regulations on the Every Student Succeeds Act. While the ESSA regulations are not perfect—and at the time they were released, the AFT and many of its affiliates raised concerns—they provide states important guardrails for equity and are based on a balance of priorities and interests expressed by Americans across the spectrum. ESSA's current rules are in jeopardy because the House this month resurrected a long-dormant law called the Congressional Review Act, which essentially empowers Congress to trash regulations adopted in the last months of a president's term, and turned it against a variety of Obama administration rules, including ESSA rules governing school accountability. "As this plays out, please keep up your advocacy for stakeholder engagement and your active review of the drafts and revised plans your states are releasing," AFT President Randi Weingarten wrote in a letter to AFT leaders.
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS SCHOOL 'DISTRICTS ON THE EDGE'
A new report from the Education Law Center and Rutgers University Graduate School of Education looks at how a school district's funding compares with other districts operating in the same regional labor market and uses that benchmark to unearth an alarming list of "districts on the edge"— systems serving above-average student need with below-average state and local resources. "Is School Funding Fair? America's Most Fiscally Disadvantaged School Districts" calls attention to systems in 20 states where more than "1.5 million children are educated in school districts with extremely disadvantaged fiscal conditions." The report's list includes districts in all regions—from Massachusetts to California—and it highlights desperate examples like Sumter, S.C., and Shelby County, Tenn., which have "nearly 3 times area poverty rates and less than 84 and 83 percent, respectively, of the average state and local revenue per pupil." The report also pays particular attention to Chicago, which year after year is "one of the most fiscally disadvantaged large urban districts in the nation." The district, authors emphasize, is tied to Illinois, a state that "has a highly regressive school funding system and scores near the bottom" on rankings of state funding distribution.
FEB. 10, 2017
DEVOS CONFIRMATION IS A SAD DAY FOR CHILDREN
Despite the historically close Senate vote confirming Betsy DeVos as secretary of education on Feb. 7, the confirmation battle has a major silver lining, AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "The public in public education has never been more visible or more vocal, and it is not going back in the shadows. This same public—from rural towns to urban centers, from liberals to conservatives—will now serve as a check and balance, and they will be fierce fighters on behalf of children." Even when President Trump had full control of the legislative and executive branches, he could only get DeVos confirmed by an unprecedented tiebreaking vote by his vice president. In a telephone town hall with nearly 8,000 activists that same evening, Weingarten thanked them for their unprecedented activism, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of calls, emails and letters as well as numerous rallies and in-person meetings with senators. She urged those on the call to stay active as a way to both hold DeVos accountable in her new position and build on the momentum for elections in 2017 and 2018.
PROGRESSIVE SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES WIN IN NM
In one of the first elections since Donald Trump took office, progressive school board candidates scored big victories across New Mexico on Feb. 7. Voters across the state elected school board candidates "who championed New Mexico's public schools and respect for working New Mexicans in a campaign marked by higher turnout amid interference from Gov. Susanna Martinez," says Stephanie Ly, president of AFT New Mexico. In Albuquerque, where voter turnout was almost double what it was two years ago, two friendly incumbents were re-elected, along with two new progressive candidates. Outside of Albuquerque, voters elected pro-public education candidates—some of them defeating very conservative opponents—in Gadsden, Gallup, Las Cruces and Los Alamos. In each location, AFT New Mexico members put in many volunteer hours, which helped the union's endorsed candidates win.
W.VA. GOVERNOR TAKES AIM AT 'TEST AND PUNISH'
West Virginia's new governor, Jim Justice, devoted much of his Feb. 8 State of the State address to a vision of education that would attract and retain talent in public school classrooms—a goal that demands better pay for teachers and strategies that value teaching and learning over testing and punishing. Justice told lawmakers that it's time to trash the status quo, which diminishes classroom time through rampant testing that drives the state's A-F school-rating system. The state has tried blame-and-shame approaches for too long, with nothing to show for it, Justice said. "This is refreshing," commented Christine Campbell, president of AFT-West Virginia and an AFT vice president, after the address. "This actually feels like walking the walk and saying we do want to keep teachers in West Virginia."
PRICE CONFIRMATION IS BAD FOR FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE
In nominating and confirming Tom Price as secretary of health and human services on Feb. 10, President Trump and his Republican allies in the Senate failed the American public, putting someone in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services who is intent on robbing millions of Americans of the healthcare coverage they need and deserve, AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "AFT nurses and healthcare professionals know that for them to deliver high-quality care to patients and communities on a daily basis, their patients need access to programs like the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and Medicaid. AFT teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel know that students learn better when they have access to healthcare so they can stay healthy. Yet, at every turn, Rep. Price has fought against the policies that have helped provide millions of Americans with healthcare coverage."
COMMUNITY RALLIES TO FIGHT DETROIT SCHOOL CLOSINGS
Parents, school staff and students rallied on Feb. 3 to protest the planned closure of two dozen Detroit schools. The main rally at Osborn College Preparatory Academy, along with rallies and actions at a dozen other schools, came as community leaders objected to a Michigan School Reform Office decision to close public schools in Detroit and around the state. As many as 24 of 119 city schools could be closed as soon as this summer, with another 25 to be shut down in 2018. Detroit Federation of Teachers President Ivy Bailey stood with demonstrators waving signs that read "Enough Is Enough" and "Our Fight for Detroit Kids." "This is shameful," she told the crowd. "It is shocking to me that the same state government that refused to give us control of our schools, now, after finally giving us control, wants to shut down the schools we are working tirelessly to improve."
LOCAL UNION BUILDS BRIDGES, FIGHTS BANS
The faculty union at Milwaukee Area Technical College continues to resist discrimination against the Muslim community, recently hosting a leader from the Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition to talk about common misconceptions about Islam. The event "could not have been more timely," says Barbara Toles, the president of the local’s retiree chapter. It took place just days after President Trump's executive order to shut down the border to people from seven Muslim countries—a move widely seen as a first step toward a ban on Muslims. Other AFT leaders have joined thousands of activists strenuously protesting the ban, which has been halted, at least for now, by court decisions.
WORTH A LOOK
JAN. 20, 2017
THOUSANDS SEND MESSAGE ON INAUGURATION EVE
Tens of thousands of parents, teachers, students and community members took action in more than 200 cities and towns across the country Jan. 19 as part of the #ReclaimOurSchools National Day of Action. The AFT is part of the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, which spearheaded the events. Community members took to the streets on the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration to draw a stark contrast between his destructive agenda to undermine public education and the growing movement to fulfill the promise of public education. "This is really a tale of two movements," says AFT President Randi Weingarten, who joined community members in Newark, N.J., in the morning, then spoke at an event in Washington, D.C., with U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) later in the day. "We are a movement of educators, parents, students and neighbors, standing up to make sure every child has access to a great neighborhood public school—a school that is safe and welcoming, that is focused on the well-being of kids, and where there is powerful learning. That's the opposite of the agenda being pushed by Donald Trump and his inexperienced and unqualified education nominee, Betsy DeVos, who simply want to privatize, defund and destabilize public education." The Jan. 19 mobilization took place at thousands of sites, from coast to coast, at schools, hospitals, college campuses and government buildings, and included rallies, marches, demonstrations, "walk-ins" and community forums.
DEVOS DODGES TOUGH SENATE QUESTIONS
Concern, frustration and outright dismay colored many of the exchanges between Democratic members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and Betsy DeVos, the Michigan education lobbyist nominated by Donald Trump for education secretary, at her Jan. 17 confirmation hearing. Bristling at a decision from the chair that cut the proceedings short by allowing each senator just one round of questions, every committee Democrat stayed until the final gavel. Their efforts to get clear answers were not helped as DeVos frequently dodged, bungled or answered in questions, clearly leaving committee members less than assured that the Michigan voucher and charter advocate embraces mainstream American attitudes on public schools—or that she has the requisite experience to take on the nation's top education post. In a series of exchanges, DeVos neither offered reassurance on nor demonstrated command of such bedrock issues as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, accountability requirements for traditional schools and choice schools, protections against sexual assault on campus, bogus college programs and predatory lending, and even policy to prevent gun violence in schools.
THOUSANDS RALLY NATIONWIDE TO SAVE HEALTHCARE
On Jan. 15, thousands of people, including great representation from AFT members, rallied in cities across the country to stand up against plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act as well as efforts to privatize Medicare and Medicaid. "Our first stand" was the theme for the nationwide protests and rallies, which mark an important step in opposition to the effort by congressional Republicans and President-elect Donald Trump to take healthcare away from millions of Americans who depend on the Affordable Care Act for health coverage. "The fact that this Congress used its first days in office to rob millions of Americans of their healthcare coverage makes clear that these legislators are more interested in scoring political points than working for the American people," said AFT President Randi Weingarten. "As a union of health professionals and educators, we've seen firsthand how the ACA has saved lives and created healthier communities. Now, all of this is going to be ripped away as Republicans play a political game with no serious proposal for replacing the law."
DETROITERS MAKE THE CASE AGAINST DEVOS
Stopping the Betsy DeVos nomination for education secretary will not be easy in the current Senate, but friends of public education are girded for the challenge. A day after DeVos' confirmation hearing before the Senate education committee, Detroit parents, students and educators who had traveled to Washington, D.C., for the event held a Capitol Hill press conference to show they were determined to stop DeVos and a destructive agenda they had experienced first-hand. They were joined at the press conference by Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii). Tashaune Harden, a science teacher and a union leader at a Detroit charter school, told the media how DeVos' reckless lobbying for the for-profit charter school industry in her state had put public education at risk and placed profits above the support that both students and faculty deserve. "Our schools in Detroit are not failing by accident," Harden said. By design, DeVos fomented a "culture of instability" throughout the system, which was a threat to traditional and charter schools alike.
AFT HELPS DELIVER 500,000 PETITIONS AGAINST PRICE
On the same day that U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on his nomination to be secretary of health and human services in the Trump administration, the AFT joined with progressive allies—Planned Parenthood, Credo and the National Physicians Alliance—to deliver more than 500,000 petitions urging legislators to oppose Price's nomination. AFT member Bernie Gerard, a registered nurse and vice president of Health Professionals and Allied Employees in New Jersey, was part of the diverse delegation that hand-delivered the petitions to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the committee's ranking Democrat, on Jan. 18. "Eliminating the protections and coverage provided by the ACA, privatizing Medicare, and block-granting Medicaid threaten the health of millions of America's families, and threaten our hospitals and state budgets, too," Gerard said. "We simply can't afford the high cost of Tom Price as secretary of health and human services."
Inside AFT, an electronic newsletter for leaders and activists, is prepared by the AFT communications department. Contributors and sources for this week's edition include Mike Rose, Virginia Myers, Annette Licitra, Adrienne Coles, AFT Media Affairs, Tear Jones Murphy, Catherine Mason and Mary Kaniewski. Dan Gursky, editor; Jane Nusbaum, copy editor.
DEC. 2, 2016
DEVOS: WORST EDUCATION SECRETARY PICK EVER
Betsy DeVos, picked by President-elect Donald Trump to be his new education secretary, is "the most ideological, anti-public education nominee put forward since President Carter created a Cabinet-level Department of Education," warns AFT President Randi Weingarten. A billionaire scion of a Michigan auto parts fortune, and a political donor and operative with no meaningful experience in schools, DeVos "has been spending her family’s wealth in an effort to dismantle public education in Michigan. Every American should be concerned that she would impose her reckless and extreme ideology on the nation," the AFT president says. "What this pick means is far from ensuring that every child has the option of a great public education—the many who have it now will lose it."
AFT SUPPORTS UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS, EDUCATORS
After months of promising to deport millions of people should he be elected, Donald Trump is about to become president, and he could begin to carry out those promises as soon as Jan. 20. In classrooms and on campuses across the nation, undocumented immigrants, from preschoolers to college students, are terrified. Immigrants with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status and visa-contingent faculty are also worried that changing immigration policies could jeopardize their safety. The AFT is corralling resources to help. During a recent telephone town hall with members, AFT President Randi Weingarten assured call participants that the AFT will "do everything in our power to stop any kind of action against our immigrant families, our Muslim families, our Latino families and especially our undocumented students." Then she turned quickly to specifics and, together with leading immigrant advocates, outlined practical advice as well as actions the union will take to protect immigrant families living in uncertainty.
ED. DEPT. RELEASES FINAL ACCOUNTABILITY REGULATIONS
A mixed bag is how the AFT characterizes the Every Student Succeeds Act's accountability regulations, which the Department of Education finalized Nov. 28. The union lauds "commonsense changes" like a more flexible timeline to allow states to fully craft accountability systems "so they can include new and multiple measures envisioned by the law," AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "We also appreciate that, as the law intended, reporting requirements are included for charter schools." Less constructive, however, are the final regulations on testing. "Given that new accountability measures are not yet in place, it's hard to fathom that the department insists on punishing schools that do not test at least 95 percent of students," Weingarten cautioned. She also urged the incoming administration to recognize in ESSA a historic, bipartisan education achievement and opportunity. "Just as we asked the current administration to ensure these accountability regulations closely track the letter of the law, so should the new Trump administration."
OBAMACARE CRITIC PICKED TO LEAD HHS
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Price, an orthopedic surgeon, is a critic of Obamacare and has introduced legislation four times to repeal and replace the healthcare law since it was enacted in 2010. During his time in Congress, Price has voted against federal funding for family planning organizations like Planned Parenthood. As HHS secretary, he would oversee Medicaid and Medicare, programs that he is in favor of privatizing, as well as Head Start. "During the campaign, Mr. Trump promised seniors that he was a different type of Republican—that he understood the importance of Medicare and would not touch it. This nomination of Tom Price makes that promise a nullity," says AFT President Randi Weingarten. "And as to Obamacare, despite glitches and setbacks, the nation has made years of hard-won, steady strides toward insuring millions."
TIMSS REVEALS PROGRESS IN STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
It's understandable if the voices of the education apocalypse seem a little frustrated these days. First, the Department of Education announced earlier this fall that U.S. graduation rates hit a record high, and now comes news from one of the most respected international comparative studies of student achievement that U.S. students continue their solid, upward climb in math and science. It's all pretty weak tea if you're peddling a blow-everything-up plan for American public schools. But it's compelling evidence, AFT President Randi Weingarten points out, that "when there is an alignment between teachers and students, instruction and standards, and resources—giving teachers the flexibility to teach what students need to know and do—we see success." The latest data come from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which on Nov. 29 released its results for 2015. More than 600,000 students around the world participated in the studies, which assess math and science achievement among fourth- and eighth-graders in 60 countries.
ALSO WORTH READING
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Read our statement on the Economic Policy Institute's study showing that the expansion of charter schools can damage and destabilize all other public schools in a district.
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100 American workers talk about their jobs, including a part-time school cafeteria worker and a biology teacher.
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A new website seeks to register professors accused of liberal bias and "anti-American values."
NOV. 4, 2016
FINAL GET-OUT-THE-VOTE PUSH
We can gather our strength for one last push to turn out our vote for a supremely prepared and qualified candidate who listens to voices on all sides and will work tirelessly to make life better for all Americans. Or we can ease up and allow a grudge-driven reality show TV star to become the nation's next commander in chief, free to roll out the Oval Office welcome mat for white supremacists, misogynists, xenophobes, anti-Semites and other hate-filled actors who are trying to warp our national dialogue. Those were the stark choices laid out for more than 180,000 AFT members in a Nov. 2 telephone town hall conversation led by union President Randi Weingarten and other national education and political leaders. With less than a week remaining, the nationwide discussion also addressed how every AFT member can help in these final few days by talking with family, friends and colleagues, and by canvassing neighborhoods or making calls, including at-home phone banking. Weingarten's passion was matched by guest Diane Ravitch, a historian of education and one of the nation's most persuasive voices on education issues. The tone of Donald Trump's campaign is unprecedented in its viciousness, Ravitch said, and it "uses the language of authoritarian dictatorship, not the language of democracy." Weingarten was also joined by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who described tight but eminently winnable matchups in Senate races that will be key to securing a new majority in the upper chamber.
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Read Weingarten's op-ed with United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard.
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Read why LGBT youth need Hillary's antibullying plan more than ever.
MEMBER VOICES ABOUT WHAT'S AT STAKE ON NOV. 8
Our Schoolhouse Voices site on Medium has featured a number of compelling posts from members and others about the pressing issues at stake in this year's presidential election. Among the most recent ones:
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Teacher David MacEnulty, a former United Federation of Teachers member, writes about when Donald Trump visited the Bronx elementary school where he used to teach. It didn't go well.
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Florida teacher Liz Middleton writes about what it was like to take on Trump's crass insensitivity and hateful language about women, and body shaming, in an area of the country where the Republican nominee is very popular.
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Former AFT political director Rachelle Horowitz looks back at her own experience and urges readers against casting a protest vote; instead, she says to make your vote count in a way that helps lead the country in the right direction.
Read all of our Election 2016 Schoolhouse Voices blogs.
WEINGARTEN SHARES VISION FOR EDUCATION
Winding up a three-day swing through Florida, AFT President Randi Weingarten gave a moving presentation to students in the teacher preparation program at Florida International University on Oct. 31, praising their career choice, describing the teaching profession as both challenging and deeply rewarding, and laying out a vision for the future of education. That vision relies on four pillars, she said: children's well-being; a focus on powerful learning and engagement (as opposed to testing); opportunities for teachers to develop their skills; and a culture of collaboration among school staff, administrators, parents and community. Noting that 35 states spend less per student today than they did in 2008, and that 50 percent of public school students live below the poverty line, Weingarten called for more secure funding for schools trying to meet their needs. She praised the Every Student Succeeds Act for making a sharp turn away from high-stakes testing, but warned that the act puts states in charge of following through, and said educators should continue to amplify their voices at the state level. And she criticized the Department of Education's new teacher preparation evaluation system for assessing teacher prep programs by the test scores of the students in their graduates' classes.
UNION PROTESTS FLAWED USE OF DATA ON FACULTY
When David Hughes looked at Rutgers University records of his achievements as a professor of anthropology there, what he found was troubling. The records were wrong. The number of papers and books he'd published, and grants he'd received, were way off. But at least he discovered the inaccuracies—most of his colleagues were blocked from the faculty database, unable to verify records the university uses to determine how to distribute resources and faculty lines to its departments and colleges. The records are maintained by Academic Analytics, and according to Hughes and many others, they are deeply flawed. Georgetown University recently withdrew its contract with Academic Analytics after research showed how inaccurate its accounts can be. At Rutgers, when the New Brunswick campus' art history department received a low ranking from Academic Analytics, faculty found numerous art history journals, curatorships and other accomplishments missing from the analysis. Faculty at Rutgers, where Hughes is president of Rutgers AAUP-AFT, passed resolutions last spring and summer against using the service, and the union circulated a petition that demands faculty be given access to their own "scholarly productivity" files.
OCT. 7, 2016
LATEST ROUND OF WALK-INS DRAW 100,000 PEOPLE
From California to New York, 100,000 people in more than 200 cities took part in the latest—and by far the largest to date—day of school "walk-ins" to promote educational opportunity so that every child can attend a high-quality public school or college. The events were sponsored by the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, a broad coalition of more than 100 community and labor organizations that includes the AFT, with the overall message of fighting for the public schools all students deserve. The events were as varied as the communities that organized them. Advocating for public education as the gateway to racial and economic justice, local educators, parents, elected officials and community members highlighted a range of local issues: school closings, budget cuts, key education-related ballot measures and races, excessive testing and much more. For the first time this year, higher education was included in the walk-in action, and hundreds of AFT faculty and staff mobilized with rallies, protests, social media campaigns and more. Philadelphia was host to one of the day's signature events, a school walk-in at Spring Garden School where Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine joined national and local AFT leaders and the school community in a show of support for the teaching and learning that takes place inside this K-8 building—and in public schools across the nation.
FLA. FAMILIES RECEIVE FREE BOOKS, REGISTER TO VOTE
A coalition of community organizations, led by the Volusia (Fla.) United Educators and the Hispanic Federation, hosted a community fiesta Oct. 1 in Deltona, Fla. The groups distributed 40,000 free books to students, educators and school staff as part of an ongoing partnership between the AFT and First Book. "The AFT is so excited to bring our long-standing partnership with First Book to Volusia County," says AFT Executive Vice President Mary Cathryn Ricker. "As a teacher and a mother, I've seen how reading can open doors, broaden horizons and empower children to reach for their dreams. When we help children build a home library of their own, we are doing our part to nurture their love of reading and learning. I'm so pleased to be here as we celebrate the importance of education and civic engagement." Hosted at the Deltona Woman's Club, the community fiesta also featured live music, salsa dancing, Zumba and other family-friendly activities. In addition to receiving free books, families also had the opportunity to register to vote and get flu shots and health screenings.
UNIV. OF CHICAGO GRAD EMPLOYEES STICK WITH AFT
Graduate employees at the University of Chicago have overwhelmingly reaffirmed their choice to organize with the AFT, the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the American Association of University Professors. Members of Graduate Students United at the University of Chicago voted 302-179 for continued AFT-IFT-AAUP affiliation in a ballot that concluded Oct. 4. GSU has been jointly affiliated with the three unions since 2011. Says GSU member Tanima Sharma, a third-year anthropology student: "We're thrilled that our membership took so seriously the questions of the recent referendum. Based on its clear mandate, we are ready to begin organizing a union-recognition campaign that will be able to address the issues facing grad students on this campus and at private universities around the country." The University of Chicago vote comes hot on the heels of a new wave of private sector graduate workers seeking to organize with the AFT at Cornell University and other institutions across the country. The AFT represents the oldest graduate employee local (formed in 1969) and more than 25,000 graduate employees at 23 institutions across nine states.
AFFILIATES KEEN ON EXCHANGING ESSA RESOURCES
Leaders and staff from states that are setting some of the tightest timelines in the nation for implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act participated in an AFT-hosted webinar on Sept. 30. The online exchange signaled affiliates' determination to work together so that state-developed ESSA plans don't become "sight-unseen" exercises, lacking in real frontline input. Affiliates in Illinois, New York and Ohio participated in the discussion, supported by content specialists from their states and from the national AFT. Through meetings as intimate as building-level discussions or as broad as regional gatherings, these affiliates are working hard and quickly to elevate the classroom voice when it comes to state-specific accountability frameworks under ESSA. And they are amplifying that voice by establishing coalitions with state and local allies, holding public hearings and disseminating literature, including formal ESSA comments and white papers.
SHARE MY LESSON SUPPORTS SAFE CLASSROOMS
As educators nationwide prepare for National Bullying Prevention Month, Share My Lesson has launched new digital resources designed to support teachers in creating safe classroom environments for LGBTQ students. The expanded bullying prevention collection includes resources, information and guidance for teachers and parents, as well as content from prominent partners such as the Anti-Defamation League, the Bully Project and Teaching Tolerance. "The AFT and Share My Lesson are committed to providing the supports and resources educators need to make our schools safe and welcoming places for all students," says AFT President Randi Weingarten. "All students, particularly LGBTQ students, need to rely on schools to be safe places, free of any form of discrimination or bullying. That's more important than ever today, given the toxic nature of our political discourse and the Trump effect that has become real in too many places." The Share My Lesson collection includes lesson plans for every grade, educator testimonials, and special features on supporting transgender students and communities of color.
ALSO WORTH READING
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On average, American educators spend more hours with students than their international counterparts—and that may not be a good thing.
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Putting off retirement shouldn't be a death sentence.
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A new report from Education International shows rampant abuses at Bridge Academies in Uganda.
Inside AFT, an electronic newsletter for leaders and activists, is prepared by the AFT communications department. Contributors and sources for this week's edition include AFT Media Affairs, Mike Rose, Virginia Myers, Tear Jones Murphy, Catherine Mason and Giselle Lundy-Ponce. Dan Gursky, editor; Jane Nusbaum, copy editor.
SEPT. 23, 2016
MICH. SURVEY SHOWS EDUCATORS' DEEP CONCERNS
A new survey of 11,000 Michigan school employees reveals widespread disappointment, demoralization and discontent about the state of education. The anonymous online survey was conducted by AFT Michigan and the Michigan Education Association. "By cutting budgets and issuing draconian mandates that demonize public school employees and public schools, the state is destroying the quality of our children's education," says AFT Michigan President David Hecker, who is an AFT vice president. "The warning signs are out there, but Lansing's policymakers have chosen to bury their heads in the sand rather than listen to experts—Michigan's hardworking school employees." The survey data and open-ended comments reveal a shocking reality for those who work in Michigan's public schools, one marked by low morale, exhaustion from needless testing, high job insecurity and disgust with Lansing's policies that hurt rather than help student achievement.
TRUMP FAILS A CRUCIAL TEST
In her latest column appearing in the New York Times, AFT President Randi Weingarten writes about Donald Trump's education policies and how they would devastate our public education system. The Republican presidential candidate wants to spend $20 billion to "voucherize" public education, Weingarten writes, which would come at the expense of Title I and other vital programs. "It appears that Trump would cut all Title I funding for low-income students and an additional $5 billion in federal education funding," she notes. "The Title I cuts alone could strip funding from up to 56,000 public schools serving more than 21 million children. His plan would rob 5 million public school students with disabilities of essential services. An additional 5 million English language learners would be denied educational supports. Eight million students would lose the Pell grants that make it possible to attend college." Trump's plan, which also calls for expanding charter schools, goes against decades of research showing that voucher programs simply don't work.
AFT ANNOUNCES GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
The AFT on Sept. 22 announced grants to fund community school initiatives in three states to address children's well-being and provide multiple pathways and diverse options to help them and their families succeed. The AFT Innovation Fund grants—$135,000 for each initiative—will kick-start community school efforts in Texas; Daly City, Calif.; and Rome, N.Y. The 2016 grants follow AFT Innovation Fund grants made in 2015 and renewed earlier this year involving career and technical education programs in Pittsburgh; Peoria, Ill.; Miami; and San Francisco. "We're putting skin in the game to incubate and grow education strategies that give kids the supports and options that will help them succeed," says AFT President Randi Weingarten. "Effective community schooling and career-tech programs do that through powerful engagement and learning, addressing children's well-being beyond academics; strengthening educator capacity; and fostering collaborative efforts among teachers, principals, district officials, families, businesses, nonprofits and other community groups."
ACCREDITOR FOR FOR-PROFIT COLLEGES TO BE TERMINATED
The Obama administration took the right step on Sept. 23 when it decided to terminate the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, which AFT President Randi Weingarten calls "a corrupt sheriff in a nation of for-profit college cowboys." She says, "For an institution that was meant to hold others accountable, there was a shameful lack of accountability over its own actions. Students who enroll in for-profit institutions deserve to know that their student loans are helping them realize their dreams, not lining the pockets of those scrambling to exploit them for a quick buck. The administration ended the ACICS charade. Time and again, ACICS rubber-stamped failing colleges like ITT Tech, as their executives lied about the quality of their education and the success of their graduates."
AFT LOCALS SET TO PARTICIPATE IN NEXT WALK-INS
From early educators in New England to college faculty in Southern California, members represented by more than 100 AFT affiliates are planning to mobilize and engage with their communities on Oct. 6 in a national school "walk-in" and day of action. Organized by the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, this is the third round of national school walk-ins, and the AFT executive council took time at its Sept. 21 meeting to learn how AFT local involvement in this work is exploding. Council members heard how affiliates are discovering, with each successive round, how effective, uplifting and constructive these public shows of union-community collaboration and solidarity can be, and how they generate momentum that can lead to investments in the services, staffing and approaches children need at every stage of development. When parents and other community members take the time to visit schools and colleges en masse and stand with educators, demonstrating how much they care about public education, policymakers pay attention. It's vital work and could open the door to a true "tipping point" in public discourse on schools, AFT President Randi Weingarten said after hearing updates from affiliate leaders.
ALSO WORTH READING
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School food service worker in Pennsylvania quits after she was not allowed to give a poor student a hot meal.
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The Rev. William J. Barber II, president of the North Carolina NAACP and founder of the Moral Mondays movement, writes about systemic injustice in Charlotte.
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In the end, charter schools are all about profits.
JULY 15, 2016
UNIONS PUSH FOR IMPROVED WORKPLACE SAFETY
The AFT, in a coalition with other unions, petitioned the U.S. Department of Labor on July 12 to take a significant step toward safety in the workplace by promulgating a comprehensive workplace violence prevention standard to protect all workers in healthcare and social service settings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that between 2005 and 2014, the rates of injuries that resulted in lost time for private sector healthcare and social assistance facilities increased by 64 percent and rates for private sector hospitals increased by 110 percent. "Workers should never face violence in the workplace, but for healthcare workers it's a too-common reality," says AFT President Randi Weingarten. "Our union and our rank-and-file activists have worked tirelessly for months raising these issues and now—in collaboration with unions that represent healthcare workers, including National Nurses United—to craft this proposal. We hope to see it enacted without delay."
AFT PLEASED WITH DEMOCRATS' EDUCATION PLATFORM
During the final drafting session for the Democratic Party platform in Orlando, Fla., delegates approved a series of amendments that represent an important shift in our approach to public education. "Thanks to collaboration between Clinton and Sanders drafters and platform committee members, the public education plank in the Democratic platform represents a refreshing sea change in its approach to public education, to the students we serve, and to the parents and educators who work so hard to give all our children the opportunity they deserve," AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "This platform makes it clear that Democrats are committed to ending the failed era of test-and-sanction, and are ready to refocus on strategies that will help each and every child succeed, from early childhood through college and career."
ACTIVISTS HIGHLIGHT SHAMEFUL PAY IN EARLY ED
AFT activists drew a national audience this month in stories and essays that put a human face on the shamefully low compensation that burdens America's early childhood education workforce, and that detail how organizing and collective voice are essential tools to ending that injustice. A July 12 New York Times article personalizes the fight for worthy wages by focusing on New Mexico Early Educators United President Carmella Salinas and her poignant, daily battle to keep her family afloat on $12.89 an hour without benefits. The advocacy group Moms Rising also features posts in both English and Spanish from NMEEU member Sonia Rivas (pictured above), and from Gloria Garcia, president of the Early Childhood Federation, AFT Local 1475, in Los Angeles. Both explore a child care and early learning affordability crisis that, as Rivas explains, "cuts both ways—neither parents nor providers can afford the system we currently have." And Garcia details the demands of entering this life-transforming profession—one that typically doesn't pay enough to allow educators to enroll their own children in high-quality early learning settings.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD ON ESSA IMPLEMENTATION
The Every Student Succeeds Act can only fulfill its promise if it is implemented well—with rules that remain faithful to the will of Congress. That's why the AFT is urging members, leaders and the community to join a petition to help win essential changes to regulations advanced by the U.S. Education Department for this major new law. The petition examines proposed rules and highlights areas of major concern: the too-tight timeline the department is offering for states to develop their own ESSA strategies; the proposed punishments schools could face when families choose to opt their students out of accountability testing; and the yet-unmet need for accountability measures that go beyond narrow indicators that largely focus on teachers. Also needed, the petition stresses, are rules that inject common sense and flexibility when it comes to graduation rates and students who need more time to complete their education. And, in keeping with congressional intent, the petition recommends that federal regulators refrain from requiring states to submit superfluous "ineffective teacher" definitions as part of the ESSA implementation process. Rank-and-file voices were essential in winning the new law—a real chance to break free of test-and-punish under No Child Left Behind—and those voices will be just as vital in winning a strong rollout of the law.
CONVENTION UPDATES COMING SOON
Starting Monday, watch your email for daily updates from the AFT convention in Minneapolis. You can also find the latest details, including live streams of plenary sessions, on the AFT website. There won't be an issue of Inside AFT next Friday. We will return on July 29.
ALSO WORTH READING
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AFT Vice President Ann Twomey writes in PolitickerNJ about how Americans are drowning in medical debt.
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New York State United Teachers hosted a successful First Book event across the state's North Country.
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Labor Secretary Tom Perez talks about how stronger unions will save the middle class.
WHERE AND WHEN
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AFT President Randi Weingarten will chair the AFT executive committee and executive council meetings in Minneapolis on July 16. From July 18 to 21, she will chair the 2016 AFT convention in Minneapolis. From 24 to 28, Weingarten will attend the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
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AFT Secretary-Treasurer Lorretta Johnson will attend the AFT executive committee and executive council meetings in Minneapolis on July 16. From July 16 to 21, she will participate in the AFT convention and related events in Minneapolis. From July 24 to 28, Johnson will attend the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia
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AFT Executive Vice President Mary Cathryn Ricker will attend the AFT executive committee and executive council meetings in Minneapolis on July 16. From July 16 to 21, she will participate in the AFT convention and related events in Minneapolis. From July 24 to 28, Ricker will attend the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Related to the Democratic convention, on July 25 she will be a panelist at a screening of the documentary No Greater Odds at the Community College of Philadelphia, sponsored by Civic Nation, and she will participate in the National Democratic Institute's International Leaders Forum from July 24 to 28.
Inside AFT, an electronic newsletter for leaders and activists, is prepared by the AFT communications department. Contributors and sources for this week's edition include AFT Media Affairs, Mike Rose, Tear Jones Murphy, Catherine Mason and Mary Kaniewski. Dan Gursky, editor; Jane Nusbaum, copy editor.