The executive council of the AFT Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution 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.”

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There’s a lot of information going around right now about vaccines, mask mandates, rising rates, fatigued healthcare providers, and overflowing hospitals – it’s enough to make your head spin! We are reaching out to you to provide information and perspective.

This week, Governor Inslee issued a vaccine mandate for state employees, healthcare workers and contractors with exceptions for medical or religious reasons. PreK-12 and higher education workers were excluded from the mandate, although the majority of public colleges and universities have already established a vaccine mandate for anyone working at or attending their schools. King County and Seattle are also mandating employee vaccinations and it is possible that other cities and counties will follow suit.

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WASHINGTON—The executive council of the American Federation of Teachers last night unanimously passed a resolution guiding the union on workplace vaccination policies. The resolution is one of several passed by the board since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, designed to protect the health and safety of AFT members and the communities we serve.

The AFT has been working to address the student debt crisis for nearly a decade. The union has counseled thousands of members at our student debt clinics, provided a free benefit to union members that will save them an estimated $500 million, taken student loan giants like Navient to court, and sued the Trump administration to protect borrowers.

“Income-driven repayment plans are used by many student loan borrowers to reduce their regular monthly payments, often by hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year,” says Matt, who previously worked as a Technology Librarian in Wayland, Massachusetts. “Many people who work in public service are also eligible to have all or most of their debt forgiven through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which began in 2007 as way of incentivizing people to work in government and nonprofit public service. It was a way to get people to go into public service careers with salaries that might not support the amount of debt needed to obtain the educational credentials that those careers required.”

H.O.P.E. is the Hartford Healthcare Organization of Professional Employees of Backus, Natchaug and Windham Hospitals. We are committed, in solidarity, to providing the highest quality care to our families and community. 

Health professionals employed by Hartford HealthCare (HHC) are coming together for a voice in their facilities. Click here to learn more.

Hartford HealthCare has gotten rid of the maternity ward at Windham Hospital and now residents must go to Norwich, Manchester or Hartford. This puts the women and their babies at risk.

Help us tell Hartford HealthCare not to value money over human life.

This morning, PFT President Jerry Jordan offers written testimony to the PA House Democratic Policy Committee on a safe and healthy back to school for students and staff. In it, Jordan outlines key mitigation measures that must be in place and broader issues of infrastructure and funding that underscore so much of the work we do each day.

In his testimony, Jordan identifies key areas of concern

The following email was sent to faculty and academic staff on August 9, 2021:

Colleagues,

Your union, United Faculty and Academic Staff, American Federation of Teachers Local 223, AFL-CIO, is hard at work around many issues this summer, including return to work, safety precautions around COVID, and the TTC project impacting workers across campus.

Please see below for opportunities to share your experiences and join us in our work!