Join UMF AFT-AAUP Rally for a Contract – April 8
UMF AFT-AAUP (AFT Local 5671), representing tenured and tenure track faculty at the University of Michigan-Flint, are rallying in Flint on Tuesday, April 8, at 2pm in support of their contract negotiations for a first contract. Come join them in solidarity as they demand that their labor and value is recognized by the university! Direct questions to danbirchok@gmail.com.
National Day of Acton – April 8
It was great to see hundreds of AFT members participating in actions across the state on Saturday. On Tuesday, April 8, a coalition of union members, patients, allies and patient advocates are coming together for “Kill the Cuts,” a national day of action to fight back against Trump and Musk’s attacks on research, health care and higher education.
The Trump administration’s attacks on the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and Department of Education jeopardize medical progress in areas such as cancer, viral pandemics, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease while threatening the jobs of researchers across the country.
Cutting funds to lifesaving research and medical care means abandoning working families who are suffering and costing taxpayers billions of dollars. These cuts are dangerous to our health and to our economy.
Together, working people have an opportunity to raise awareness, put pressure on elected leaders and fight back to have a voice in our health care.
Join us at an event near you, and raise your voice to say, “Kill the Cuts!”
AFT Webinar: Navigating Attacks on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – April 17
In the past few years, campuses across the country have faced increasing pressure from extremist forces aimed at limiting or reshaping diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, as well as challenging the boundaries of campus free speech and academic freedom. These challenges have created a complex and often contentious environment, with members seeking assistance on how to navigate the often-vague changes. The AFT will unpack it all on April 17 in “Navigating the Attacks on America’s Classrooms and the Freedom to Learn,” a one-hour webinar that will also address ongoing attacks by the new administration.
AFT Michigan Policy Conference & Budget Briefing – April 26
Join AFT Michigan for a state budget briefing on Saturday, April 26, from 9 am-noon over Zoom. Leaders will walk away with a clear understanding of the budget process, where we are in this budget cycle, and how we can help advocate for our members and communities in Lansing this spring. Come hear from AFT Michigan’s Political & Legislative Coordinator and state legislators about how our unions can fight and lobby to ensure our state government invests in the work we do and the communities we serve every day.
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.
Tell Lawmakers to Restore Federal Bargaining Rights Now
On March 27, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that unlawfully terminates federal workers’ collective bargaining rights under the false pretext of national security. The AFT represents thousands of affected employees in Department of Defense schools and Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals. AFT President Randi Weingarten slammed the order, saying, “This has nothing to do with security and everything to do with silencing those who disagree with the government.”
The fact sheet issued explicitly stated that this is retribution for unions speaking out and leading the charge against the administration’s illegal actions in court. This is union-busting, plain and simple, and if President Trump can cancel hundreds of thousands of union members’ contracts with the stroke of a pen, no union contract in America is safe–and freedom for anyone to join a union, no matter where you work or where you live, is under attack.
Representatives Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) just introduced a bipartisan bill in Congress that would nullify Trump’s executive order stripping the rights to collectively bargain from hundreds of thousands of federal employees.
It’s time for Congress to hear from supporters of working people on a bill that will help working people across the country.
Union Day with the Detroit Tigers
On Saturday, April 26, the Michigan AFL-CIO is hosting a Union Day with the Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers’ connection to labor is far-reaching, from Comerica Park being built by over 1,000 workers from 14 unions, to the union workers that run the ballpark, to the players themselves – AFL-CIO union members with the MLB Players Association.
Please join us on Union Day. You can cheer on our union siblings and the Michigan labor movement while enjoying a beautiful day of baseball at a union-built ballpark! Attendees will receive a custom Michigan AFL-CIO x Tigers tumbler and support the Michigan AFL-CIO Workforce Development Institute as the Charity of the Game!
Interested? Root for the Michigan labor movement and get your tickets today!
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!
In solidarity,
Terrence Martin
President
