American Federation of Teachers

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March 2015

Mar 31, 2015
#immigration #cir
Mar 30, 2015 1,441 notes
Competing Visions

The National Priorities Project has put together a chart titled “Competing Visions” that looks at the 2016 budget proposals from President Obama, the House Budget Committee, the Senate Budget Committee and the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Guess which ones align with what Americans say are their priorities?

Lawrence Mishel and Rep. Jan Schakowsky also write about the issue on the Economic Policy Institute blog.

Mar 26, 2015
Mar 26, 2015 109 notes
Mar 25, 2015
Play
Mar 24, 2015
Olney HS staff seeks to unionizemobile.philly.com

aspiravoces:

A GROUP OF TEACHERS and staffers at Olney Charter High School yesterday filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board requesting the federal agency conduct an election that would allow employees to become unionized.

The filing included signed union authorization cards from Olney employees and stated that the new union would be part of the Alliance of Charter School Employees, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, according to the petition.

More than 70 percent of the 150-person staff signed on to the effort, which may face a challenge from Olney’s charter operator, ASPIRA Inc. of Pennsylvania.

The federal filing came one day after ASPIRA officials met, for the first time, with Olney teachers who began the organizing effort three years ago, organizers and teachers said. The ASPIRA officials - CEO Alfredo Calderon, COO Thomas Darden and newly-hired superintendent Andrea Gonzalez-Kerwin - told the teachers that they would not voluntarily recognize the union, but would respect the results of an election, participants said.

Darden did not respond to an email seeking comment.

An election could be held as soon as 30 days if no challenges are made by ASPIRA.

Calderon “said he would respect the wishes of the majority and I asked him to recognize the union and he said no, he would respect the outcome of an election,” said Hanako Franz, a freshman history teacher who has been at Olney for four years.

English as a Second Language teacher Hannah Myers, who has been at Olney for four years, said she believes Calderon and the others want to drag out the process.

“It’s very hard for me to believe that he’s willing to work with us,” she said. “If he really wanted to allocate resources to support our community, they would voluntarily recognize the union, which has been the majority for three years.”

The petition requests that a future union include “all full-time and regular part-time professional and non-professional instructional and student service support employees, including teachers, co-teachers, psychologists” and other employees, according to the filing.

To support Aspira teachers, sign their petition here.

Mar 23, 2015 1 note
Conservatives Say $15 Minimum Wage Is Killing Seattle Restaurant Scene, Restaurateurs Disagree

think-progress:

As Seattle prepares for the April launch of the highest minimum wage law in America, conservatives are warning that businesses are already shuttering under the pressure of higher labor costs and pointing to a recent report of a rash of restaurant closures as evidence. The problem is, the actual owners of those restaurants say that they’re not closing because of wages, and the city seems to be enjoying robust growth in that industry.

Myth: Busted | Follow ThinkProgress

Mar 23, 2015 2,150 notes
Mar 20, 2015
Play
Mar 19, 2015
Mar 19, 2015 221 notes
Mar 18, 2015 197 notes
Mar 17, 2015 297 notes
Mar 17, 2015 180 notes
First WI casualty of Right to Work, Major company moving to Minnesotadailykos.com

Hoffman Construction , a major road building and mining company is abandoning Wisconsin because of the Right to Work legislation just passed. According to Duluth News Tribune “Hoffman said Monday …

Mar 12, 2015 73 notes
Play
Mar 10, 2015
#selma50
“It’s no coincidence that the rise of the middle class in America coincided in large part with the rise of unions—workers who organized together for higher wages, better working conditions, and the benefits and protections that most workers take for granted today. So it’s inexcusable that, over the past several years, just when middle-class families and workers need that kind of security the most, there’s been a sustained, coordinated assault on unions, led by powerful interests and their allies in government. So I’m deeply disappointed that a new anti-worker law in Wisconsin will weaken, rather than strengthen workers in the new economy. Wisconsin is a state built by labor, with a proud pro-worker past. So even as its governor claims victory over working Americans, I’d encourage him to try and score a victory for working Americans—by taking meaningful action to raise their wages and offer them the security of paid leave. That’s how you give hardworking middle-class families a fair shot in the new economy—not by stripping their rights in the workplace, but by offering them all the tools they need to get ahead.”—President Obama on Gov. Scott Walker’s signing of right-to-work legislation in Wisconsin
Mar 10, 2015 10 notes
#righttoworkiswrong
Mar 8, 2015 7 notes
Mar 7, 2015 4,520 notes
Mar 5, 2015
#workerscomp
Mar 5, 2015
#womenshistorymonth
Mar 5, 2015
Mar 4, 2015 6 notes
#nsbw15
What's the message when charter schools ditch classes to lobby New York legislators? (Editorial)t.co

nysaflcio:

#AllKidsNeed to be in fully funded schools learning, not pulled out for charter school political stunts.

Mar 4, 2015 1 note
Mar 3, 2015 1,329 notes
Mar 2, 2015 2,090 notes
Mar 1, 2015 289 notes

February 2015

Feb 28, 2015 4 notes
Feb 27, 2015
“We simply cannot hope to build a better world if we turn our backs on our past.”—

AFT President Randi Weingarten

Read Weingarten’s full column “Why we can’t allow the GOP to whitewash AP US History” on MSNBC.com

Feb 26, 2015
Play
Feb 25, 2015 7 notes
Feb 25, 2015 13 notes
Feb 25, 2015 4 notes
Feb 24, 2015
Feb 24, 2015 123 notes
An immigration success story

As the Obama administration moves to overturn a judge’s ruling that blocked the president’s executive action on immigration, it’s worth hearing from someone whose story shows what immigration reform is all about.

This is AFT member Rosa Alvarez, a second-grade dual language teacher in Austin, Texas:

“My mother and I immigrated to Wisconsin in 1995, when I was just 9 years old. This August will mark 20 years since my arrival to the United States. It has been my dream to become a teacher since I was just 5 years old. My teachers have always been my heroes; they saw potential in me that I myself did not believe I had and encouraged me to set and achieve my goals. My desire to become an educator grew throughout my childhood, and I made the decision to study education in college.

"Because of my immigration status, however, my journey to college graduation was very difficult. In 2009, after a lot of hard work, I received a bachelor of science in education with minors in bilingual education and English as a second language. Unfortunately, because of my continued lack of immigration status, I had to wait over three years to use my degree and become a teacher. During those three years, I lost a lot of hope of ever becoming a teacher; I thought that relief would never come, and I even considered returning to Mexico.

"In 2012, relief finally arrived, and I became hopeful again. Thanks to President Obama’s executive action, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), I am finally a second-grade dual language teacher in the Austin Independent School District.

"DACA has restored the energy and passion I once had for education. It has re-instilled the notion in me that I can make a difference. Every day in my classroom, my students serve as a reminder of the impact my teachers made in my life. I often find that my students and their parents have very similar stories to mine. Because of this, I can relate to their experiences and serve as part of their support system. In this way, I believe I can make an impact in their lives, just like my teachers made an impact in mine. If it weren’t for DACA, I would not have this opportunity to serve and contribute to my community in this capacity.”

Read the AFT’s statement about the Texas judge’s temporary injunction delaying the executive action.

Feb 23, 2015
Feb 23, 2015
Feb 22, 2015 14 notes
Feb 22, 2015 35 notes
5 Valiant GOP Efforts to Make Americans As Dumb As Possiblealternet.org

© From the AP history ban to university budget cuts, education in America is taking a hit from the right.

Feb 22, 2015 38 notes
Feb 19, 2015 36 notes
Feb 19, 2015 663 notes
Feb 18, 2015 1 note
Laura Hainey (AFT-NH): Right To Work Weakens Collective Bargaining And Hurts All Workersnhlabornews.tumblr.com

I am here today to ask that you defeat HB 402-FN: establishing the Franklin Partin right-to-work act. AFT-NH represents 4,000 employees in NH, mostly public employees who work in your cities, towns…

Feb 18, 2015 1 note
Feb 14, 2015 2 notes
Play
Feb 13, 2015
Feb 13, 2015 9 notes
Feb 12, 2015
#raisethewage #‎Fightfor15‬
Feb 12, 2015 1 note
Feb 12, 2015 11 notes
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