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Lawrence TU Group 100- 360

PreK-12 Teachers

More than 1 million members strong, the AFT's Public Education unit has become a major force for preserving and strengthening a national commitment to reclaiming the promise of American education. It all began more than 100 years ago: A group of Chicago teachers, reasoning that theirs was a noble profession, organized themselves to share resources and build respect for the invaluable work they were doing. Those early efforts led to the birth of a national teachers union in 1916 that has been in the vanguard of every major advancement in American public education ever since.

Berklee Group 1000 360

Higher Education

The AFT represents higher education faculty (including both full- and part-time), professional staff and graduate employees, in all sectors of higher education—public and private, two-year and four-year institutions of higher education. The AFT Higher Education division's mission is to help our affiliates and their members prosper in the face of political, economic and technological forces challenging the most basic assumptions about the union's role on campus.

MLSA 1000 360

Public Employees

As a union of professionals, AFT Public Employees division is committed to improving the quality of government services we provide to our communities. Reclaiming the promise of high-quality public services is about fighting for first-rate public services that our support communities and keep them safe, healthy and vibrant. It’s about fighting to ensure that our communities’ tax dollars are properly invested back into the community, and that those resources are used responsibly and safely. Finally, it’s fighting to make sure public employees are well-prepared and supported so they can provide our communities with the high-quality services the public needs and deserves.

NB PSRPs

Paraprofessionals & School-Related Personnel

The AFT has organized paraprofessionals and school-related personnel since the early 1930s, when the first PSRP affiliate, the Education Secretaries of Chicago, was founded. Today, the AFT PSRP division sets a foundation for high-quality education by supporting meaningful professional development, promoting health and safety in the workplace, and demonstrating the importance of a strong and just work ethic in a bully-free environment. Most important is its commitment to safe and welcoming schools and colleges for students who deserve high-quality food programs; reliable school buses; clean, secure buildings; efficiently run offices; and well-trained staff.

Public Funding for Public Schools

AFT Massachusetts logo with blue border

A signature component of the Trump Administration’s agenda to dismantle public education is slated to take effect in 2027.

Tucked away in the reconciliation act signed in July 2025 was a hallmark of The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a federal school voucher program that threatens to gravely undermine public education in the Commonwealth and across the United States.

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AFT Massachusetts on FY 27 Budget: Unprecedented Times Call for Unprecedented Action

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Communities across Massachusetts are barely holding their heads above water, forced to choose which public services they can continue to fund and which residents will have to go without.

With ever-growing costs, increased needs, and funding formulas that don’t keep up with inflation, what we are expecting our school districts, libraries, and colleges to shoulder is not sustainable. 

The degree to which the state invests in public education will have lasting implications on our collective future and strength as a Commonwealth. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented action.”

In the coming weeks, we hope to have continued discussions with Legislative leaders and the Healey Administration on ways we can provide additional support to our public schools, libraries, and universities and the millions of residents they serve.

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