MEJC Lobby Day – April 29
The Michigan Education Justice Coalition (MEJC) will be hosting their annual Lobby Day on April 29, from 9am – 4pm with breakfast, lunch and snacks provided.
We will meet at the Central United Methodist Church around 9am to go over the schedule for the day. Everyone will be split up into teams and will be assigned Michigan representatives and senators to meet with (or their staff). Additionally we will encourage participants to attend committee hearings related to education. At the end of the day we will debrief and participants should plan to depart around 4pm back home.
MEJC and its community partners are asking for the state government to adequately fund our schools and make key investments in 31 at-risk funds, special education, student mental health, school facilities and English Language Learners. We need parents, caregivers, students, and community members like you to make the case that our students are worth the investment.
We’ll create teams to attend meetings with elected and committee hearings. Each team will have a team lead – you can sign up to be a team lead and we will provide training. The focus of the conversations with our elected leaders and their staff will be around the need for increased funding for our schools to ensure that ALL of our kids have what they need and that school staff can best support ALL of our kids!
Register here! Please make sure to note you are an AFT Michigan member in the access needs box.
UM-Flint Tenure-Track Faculty Ratify First Contract
Congratulations to the members of UM-Flint AFT-AAUP, AFT Local 5671, which ratified its first ever collective bargaining agreement last week. This follows eight months of negotiations and a contract campaign that mobilized union members and allies in support of the union’s positions. The agreement includes raises in each year of the four-year contract, secures guaranteed research funds to support scholarly and creative work, maintains strong tenure protections, and protects bargaining unit members from intimidation and harassment by administrators when faculty participate in the day-to-day governance of the university, among other workplace gains. Great work by President Dan Birchok, Lead Negotiator Bob Barnett, and the entire local leadership team!
Congratulations Kirsten; Welcome Cindee!
On April 18, I was thrilled to be part of honoring our Secretary-Treasurer Kirsten Herold, one of the founding members of the Lecturers Employee Organization (LEO), AFT 6244, at a great event celebrating Kirsten’s retirement as President of LEO. Don’t worry, Kirsten’s not going far – she’ll continue as an activist within LEO and has just been elected to serve on the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, the nine-member executive arm of U-M’s central faculty governance system, which also includes the Senate Assembly and the full Faculty Senate. Kirsten is the first nontenure-track faculty member to be elected to SACUA, a well-deserved recognition of her years of leadership within the University. Kirsten will be succeeded as LEO President by Cindee Giffen, who has served as LEO Ann Arbor Campus Co-Chair and on the local bargaining team.
Workers’ Memorial Day
Nearly 55 years ago on April 28, Workers Memorial Day, the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect, promising every worker the right to a safe job – our fundamental right.
Today, we mourn the fallen and fight like hell for the living.
166 Michigan workers died on the job in 2023. Each one was preventable.
On #WorkersMemorialDay, we honor their lives by demanding justice, accountability, and safer workplaces for all.
Join the fight! Sign your name and tell every lawmaker — Republican and Democrat — to put workers in the driver’s seat for the road ahead.
GEO Celebrates 50 Years
Saturday night, the Graduate Employees Organization, AFT Local 3550, celebrated 50 years since the ratification of their first contract with the University of Michigan. Members from throughout GEO’s history reflected on the impact the local has had both on them personally and on the university and the labor movement at a Gala held at the Michigan Union in Ann Arbor. AFT Michigan and AFT are lucky to have benefited from generations of GEO alumni in staff and leadership roles; here’s to 50 more!
May Day Rally and March – May 1
Higher Education Budget Lobby Day – May 14
Join us in Lansing on May 14. The day will run from 10am-3pm with lunch provided.
We will meet at the Michigan AFL-CIO office around 10am to go over the schedule and training for conversations with legislators. You will be split up into teams and be assigned Michigan Representatives and Senators to meet with (or their staff). Additionally we will attend committee hearings, House and/or Senate sessions.
AFT Michigan members are asking for our state government to adequately fund our higher education institutions, defend immigrant students and workers, and stand up in the face of attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion. We need members like you to make the case that our students, institutions and communities are worth the investment.
Join the Michigan Nurses’ Association Capitol Action Day – May 15
Healthcare members! The Michigan Nurses’ Association has invited us to join them in Lansing on Thursday, May 15, 2025, from 8 a.m. to approximately 3 p.m. for the 2025 MNA Capitol Action Day!
At MNA’s Capitol Action Day in Lansing, you will:
- Learn and practice legislative advocacy skills with your peers
- Get tips and insight from legislators
- Take a group photo on the Capitol steps
- Participate in lunch on the Capitol lawn and meetings with elected officials
Continental breakfast, lunch, a T-shirt and 1 contact hour will be provided. The registration deadline is May 2.
If you have any questions, please contact Caleigh Hunt at caleigh.hunt@minurses.org
REGISTER HERE!Please select “Bargaining Unit or associate member – free”.
Bipartisan Push to Protect Health Workers From Workplace Violence
Nurses and health professionals face soaring rates of workplace violence, yet no enforceable federal standard exists to protect them. The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to mandate safety plans developed with frontline staff. Long championed by U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) and supported by the AFT, the bill aims to prevent violence before it happens and ensure safer working conditions for the health professionals who care for us every day.
Contribute to the AFT Michigan PAC Today
AFT Michigan fights for our members, students, patients and communities all year round and we need your help. Can you donate $1 a week to aid us in this fight? Please visit the AFT Michigan website to contribute and make a big difference in protecting public education and building a better Michigan future!
AFT Michigan Professional Development Workshop
Mental Health Challenges and First Aid in PreK-14
AFT Michigan – 2661 E Jefferson, Detroit MI
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Mental health challenges affect millions and educators need to recognize students may be experiencing some behaviors that are beyond classroom management strategies.
This workshop will explore the most common mental health challenges in K-14 and the impact on student achievement. Participants will also develop strategies for providing mental health first aid.
American Educator: Protect kids, restore hope
As Donald Trump and Elon Musk are slashing critical federal services and funding—threatening well-being and opportunities for all—the new Spring issue of American Educator focuses on protecting our kids and restoring hope for the future. AFT President Randi Weingarten writes on reclaiming the promise of America through labor and education policy, and AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick C. Ingram describes the benefits of arts education. Then, a mix of educators, students and researchers describe how hip-hop therapy impacts students’ well-being, share practices that reduce chronic absenteeism, discuss strategies for protecting students from social media’s harms, explore how to support aggressive youth and highlight a program for educators experiencing burnout.
In solidarity,
Terrence Martin
President
