AFT members show up BIG for each other because we care about each other.
When September’s gas explosions in Lawrence, Mass., closed schools, volunteers from surrounding communities, including teachers and staff, turned out to help at volunteer centers. Our new video about how AFT members care, fight and show up for their students and community is a must-watch.
The American Federation of Teachers, AFT Massachusetts, the Salem Teachers Union, and the Peabody Federation of Teachers distributed thousands of free books to local students on Saturday, December 1, 2018 through a partnership with First Book.
“Teachers from across our districts were thrilled to help select books for our students to take home and read,” said Salem Teachers Union President Ann Berman. “The event was a huge success, and it felt great to be able to help so many kids and their families by giving them the gift of reading.”
To commemorate the 25th anniversary and rerelease of “Schindler’s List,” Steven Spielberg joined AFT President Randi Weingarten to discuss the legacy of the movie, its impact on Holocaust education and how to teach kids to understand and respond to hatred in our communities.
The Lawrence Public Schools (LPS) cannot afford another charter school. The state already underfunds LPS by $49 million, according to one estimate.2 Worsening that deficit is the fact that LPS already pays out more than $21 million every year in tuition to charter schools. If Equity Lab is approved, an additional $8 million annually would be diverted from the LPS budget, cutting further into the academic programs, enrichment activities, and social services our students need and deserve. The state needs to fully fund our public schools before approving any new charters.
The AFT is thrilled to welcome Brown University graduate employees to our union family, following their historic vote this week to join the AFT, with 60 percent voting to unionize.
This year, two AFT Massachusetts locals created podcasts to communicate with their members and the general public.
“With all of the different forms of communication people use today, it’s important for our local unions to reach out in every way possible. Teachers in Lowell and Boston are using podcasts to connect with each other, share important information about our schools, and organize to improve our profession and the lives of our students,” said AFT Massachusetts President Beth Kontos. “It’s easy to get started listening to a podcast or even creating your own. Talk to other members of your union – maybe you’ll be the next AFT local with a podcast!”
Graduate employees at Georgetown University made history Nov. 9 when they finished tallying an 83 percent vote to join the union, the Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees. The overwhelming victory is the first that circumvents the Trump-appointed National Labor Relations Board. Instead it is certified by the American Arbitration Association, and it decisively frames graduates not as students but as workers, with all the rights that title commands.
A new partnership between the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), AFT Massachusetts, the Lynn Teachers Union, and a group of high school students from Lynn Vocational Technical Institute (LVTI) aims to raise funds to purchase 15,000 books for Lynn students via First Book.
In an effort to promote literacy, students from LVTI SkillsUSA chapter reached out to AFT Massachusetts to build a team of committed educators and students whose primary goal is to get more books in the hands of young people in their community.
The UMass Faculty Federation, Local 1895, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, celebrated its 50thAnniversary this week with a gathering at the Claire T. Carney Library Living Room at UMass Dartmouth.