Leaders Gather in Dearborn for Collective Bargaining Conference
Nearly 100 intrepid AFT Michigan leaders from across the state braved the polar vortex to gather at our Collective Bargaining Conference on Saturday. Highlights included honoring Mark Cousens, our General Counsel Emeritus, on more than 50 years of service to AFT Michigan as well as great workshops and collaborative planning sessions as locals mapped out their contract campaign plans for the year ahead. Thanks to everyone who came out and participated.
Is Your T-Shirt Union Made? Some Tricks of the Trade and a Great New Opportunity- January 29 @ 6:30 PM
Unions have long encouraged their members to buy union-made goods when possible. And every year unions themselves buy millions of dollars of printed material as well as t-shirts and other apparel merch. Finding union printers has been relatively easy: unions know which local printers have the “union bug.” But when it comes to apparel, there is a lot of confusion over what is and is not union-made. This workshop will focus on apparel, explaining why there is so much confusion today, and discussing what we can do to ensure that our unions purchase apparel that really is union-made.
In this workshop, Ian will report on what he learned at the 2025 Detroit Labor Day parade about what share of the union t-shirts folks were wearing that day were actually union made. He’ll also discuss an important new anti-sweatshop movement initiative – the Alliance for Responsible Apparel Manufacturing and Purchasing (ARAMP) – that aims to build a sweatshop-free apparel sector in the United States, beginning with Los Angeles, the city with the largest number of garment workers in this country.
Register at https://aftmichigan.org/events/ to receive the Zoom information for this session.
Community Town Hall on School Pushout
Across Michigan, students are being pushed out of classrooms through suspensions, exclusions, and chronic underfunding. These are not isolated incidents—they are the result of policy choices that disproportionately harm students with disabilities, Black students, and students from low-income communities.
Join the Student Advocacy Center Board for a community town hall on school pushout and to invite your friends, colleagues, and community partners to attend.
Featuring:
- Dr. Charles Bell, national expert on school discipline and racial inequity
- Erin Einhorn, investigative journalist exposing the human cost of school punishment
- Danielle Phillips, parent fighting for her child’s right to learn
Together, they’ll examine how Michigan’s school discipline and funding systems are pushing students out instead of supporting them—and what it will take to change course. This is a space to learn, bear witness, and build power together.
Thursday, January 29
6:30–8:00 PM
Over Zoom
Register here:https://bit.ly/4aYvGRq
Earn Your Union Building Institute Certificate! Sign up for AFT Michigan’s Week of Learning for Worksite Leaders! February 23-26
Are you a workplace leader looking to develop your union leadership skills? Wondering where to start when it comes to being a building representative, steward, or union member? Worksite leaders and members are invited to sign up for various virtual sessions designed to develop skills and build on existing knowledge and skills around core union capacities throughout the week of February 23rd. Sessions are designed to give worksite leaders skills and strategies they can immediately implement at their worksites.
Learn more and register today at https://aftmichigan.org/events/
Upcoming AFT Webinars
Vital Lessons: Children’s Health in a Changing World – January 27
Join AFT President Randi Weingarten, Dr. Vin Gupta and Dr. Irwin Redlener tomorrow, January 27, for a Vital Lessons discussion about what is changing in pediatrics and what it means for educators, healthcare professionals, public employees and families. They will examine how shifts in federal health policy, access to basic supports like nutrition, rapid advances in artificial intelligence, and ongoing debates about social media are affecting children’s physical health, mental health and long-term well-being.
Register here.
Immigration Enforcement: A Nation at Risk – January 28
How can we keep schools safe for students to learn?
Join us on January 28, to learn about the current state of immigration enforcement, the implications of recent policy shifts and what they mean in practice for educators, students and families. Learn about the AFT’s resources to help.
Register here.
Tell Congress: Keep ICE Out of Schools
Recent violent acts by ICE agents–including detention of educators and assault on school property–highlights exactly why ICE must abide by long-standing respect for sensitive locations and stay away from schools.
Tell Congress–keep ICE out of schools!
P.S. The AFT has resources for communities targeted by ICE, including “Know Your Rights” information and a checklist for a family immigration emergency plan. You can find them at aft.org/immigration.
Union Plus Scholarships
Need help with the cost of college? You can’t afford not to apply for the 2026 Union Plus Scholarship! These awards are for any year of college studies and reserved exclusively for you: union members, their spouses and dependents. Union Plus Scholarships help union families with the cost of college, with scholarship awards ranging from $500 to $4000.
Apply HERE today! Application deadline is January 31, 2026.
Black Men in Unions Conference
This year’s Black Men In Unions Conference theme is Hands That Build, Voice That Lead, Actions that Define.The conference will be held at Somerset Inn (Troy, MI) on February 19-22, 2026.
Registration is now open! Visit the BMIU26 page to register online or download a printable registration form.
If you have questions or need assistance with registration, please email clcs.info@umich.edu.
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!
Tell Us How You’re #PublicSchoolProud
Join our Public School Proud campaign to celebrate the everyday moments that make public schools the heart of our communities. Whether it’s literacy nights, science fairs or football games under the lights, these moments remind us that public schools don’t just educate; they unite us and give every child a shot at a better life. Every week, we lift up great things happening in public schools. Share what makes you public school proud here. And here’s a recent example!
In solidarity,
Terrence Martin
President
