Eight national unions announced that they have ratified a first-ever national collective bargaining agreement with the American Red Cross. The unions formed a coalition to address the financial challenges facing Red Cross as well as key workforce issues.
In the new issue of American Educator, Martin J. Blank and Lisa Villarreal explain how more than 150 communities across the country have established community schools to reduce chronic absences due to poor health, decrease disciplinary issues and truancy rates, increase family engagement, expand educational opportunity, and ultimately improve teaching and learning.
A new AFT report finds that teacher development and evaluation systems that are co-designed by teachers; based on agreed-upon teaching standards; assessed in multiple ways; and supported with ongoing training for teachers and evaluators alike are an effective strategy for teachers, administrators and students.
Collectively bargaining a contract is never easy especially when that contract affects more than 1,200 educators and their families. There are many details to work out from benefits to basic day to day tasks. Just about anything and everything can affected by a contract, which is why it’s important every voice and every opinion is heard and considered.
AFT-Oregon local 4671 Hillsboro Classified United’s bargaining team takes this to heart. They're currently bargaining a new contract with the district, and hosting a bargaining blitz to keep members engaged and informed.
September is Sepsis Awareness Month, and as part of a campaign to educate people about the condition, the Rory Staunton Foundation held its second annual National Forum in Washington, D.C. The AFT is part of the awareness effort.
The Albert Shanker Institute has released a major report on the state of teacher diversity which shows that, nationally, progress toward greater diversity is being made, but it is quite modest compared with the need for more minority teachers.
When workers stand together they can collectively raise their voices and fight back. Workers don’t need to be in the same classification or even union to support each other.
The workers of AFT-Oregon’s Portland State University Faculty Association local 3571 joined together with PSU classified workers from SEIU 503 Sept. 9 to call for the university to provide its workers with fair contracts.
President Obama announced that his America's College Promise proposal, a guarantee of two years of free community college for any qualified student, is now backed by a new College Promise campaign and an advisory board of 32 education advocates—including AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Our union is our members, and on this Labor Day weekend, I couldn't be prouder of the 1.6 million hardworking nurses, teachers, paraprofessionals, higher education faculty and public employees who work day in and day out to teach our kids, keep our families healthy and improve our communities, AFT President Randi Weingarten says.