Below you will find the summary for negotiations for March 25, 2021.

http://unit47.ct.aft.org/sites/default/files/article_pdf_files/2021-03/member_summary_march_25.pdf

PHILADELPHIA—"We continue to emphasize the importance of an ongoing, trackable database of positive COVID-19 cases in buildings, and have made this ask of the District. The temporary closure of Gideon Elementary's building is the right decision because it will help stop the spread of this virus--but it is very troubling. This is the second closure of a school building in just a few short weeks."

Click here for this week's update

In This Issue:

Dear AFT MA Leaders,

You are being invited to a meeting to discuss the legislative priorities of AFT MA.  We will present details of bills that have been submitted to our legislators that are related to or have an impact on our work.  More details will follow but please save the date by clicking the link below to receive a calendar invitation from zoom.

When: Apr 14, 2021 04:30 PM  

Register in advance for this meeting:

Museum of Fine Arts and our Community -- Workshop Highlighting the Programing and Digital Resources Available to Educators

April 8 from 4:00 to 5 pm via Zoom

Teaching isn’t easy—and teaching during a pandemic is even more challenging. Good news is that the Museum of Fine Arts is available to help!

The House Labor Committee has scheduled a hearing on SB 61, the so-called “right to work” bill for Thursday, March 25. We need the committee members to know that there is substantial opposition to this bill, which could reduce the compensation and benefits of all workers in New Hampshire. Make your voice heard! Learn how.

If you believe, as we do, that we can make Kentucky a better place to live and work, now is the time to join with us in the fight against barriers that are blocking progress.

If you want to be part of the fight against the barriers blocking progress in Kentucky, now is the time to join with KY120 United-AFT and stand together for what is fair and just.

Our legislative agenda offers a partial summary of what we stand for:

• Fully funding all state pension programs as required by actuarial projections.
• Fully funding public education, including: all-day kindergarten and universal pre-k, textbooks, professional development, KTIP, and transportation.
• Rejecting school vouchers, scholarship tax credits, or anything resembling them.
• Providing adequate personal protective equipment for all school staff as long as COVID-19 remains a threat.
• Funding for higher education.
• Raising pay for classified employees statewide.
• Protecting insurance for Kentucky public retirees.
• Protecting and enhancing community mental health services.
• Protecting and enhancing local health departments.
• Preventing the slashing of essential community services such as Unemployment Insurance Offices and others that protect the most vulnerable Kentuckians.

In addition to our advocacy in Frankfort, we also work to elect public officials who share our values and our goal of making Kentucky a place where all children and all families have a chance to thrive.
 

We are too.

That’s why we formed KY120 United. We support public school employees, state workers, and the families and communities we serve in all of Kentucky’s 120 counties.

We wanted to be heard, but it seemed no one was listening. So we joined together to build power and amplify our voices.

Since we started in March 2018, we have become one of Kentucky’s leading advocates for public education. We are active in the General Assembly, fighting for legislation that benefits all students, educators, and public employees, while fighting against misguided policies. We push for accountability and transparency—elected officials must conduct the public’s business in public.

And we’re not afraid to raise our voices, if that’s what it takes to get officials to pay attention. We are tired of compromises in which we are the only ones making concessions.

The past year has been one of the most tragic in American history. And many challenges remain to be faced as we begin to envision an end to the pandemic and a return to more normal times. This is a time that demands ongoing vigilance and greater engagement by all of us.

KY120 United is renewing our commitment to organize for change, rather than agonize over the status quo. We are partnering with the American Federation of Teachers for a groundbreaking organizing campaign. We believe mobilizing under the AFT banner affords us the best of both worlds—our own experience and success with grassroots activism here in Kentucky, and the expertise and national stature of a union of professionals who share our values and commitment to worker empowerment through collective voice. By joining with AFT, we also become part of the national AFL-CIO union.

Right now, the AFT is helping us launch this KY120 United-AFT website, which will be the headquarters for this organizing effort. In the coming days and weeks, we anticipate regular updates and new information will be posted as the campaign moves forward.

Teachers, school staff, public employees, university personnel, and retirees from across the state are welcome to join us—and we hope you will take that step. By doing so, you will become an at-large, associate member of the AFT. Membership gives us the organizational support that has made the AFT central to the professional lives of more than 1.7 million members across the nation.