Detroit Labor Day March – September 4
The Detroit Labor Day March is back this year. AFT Michigan members will be part of Division 3, lining up on Porter, between Trumbull and Rosa Parks.
EMUFT Move-In Day Informational Picketing – Thursday, August 24
Come join EMUFT anytime between 8:30 – noon this Thursday outside of Best Hall on the EMU campus for an informational picket focused on asking the administration for a fair contract that does not include multiple year probation, and instead includes salaries that address the years EMUFT took 0% raises during the pandemic, and offsets new high cost healthcare benefits. EMUFT will be handing out flyers, helping carry items into the dorms and running some fun union lawn games. If you have an Edna, the EMUFT mascot shirt or pin, please wear them to the event. EMUFT will also offer refreshments and cooling off stations for parents and students. Come join the fun and help EMUFT get a fair contract.
Huron Valley Area Labor Federation Picnic – September 10
The HVALF will be holding a Solidarity Picnic on Sunday September 10, at 1pm at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti, located at 5 E Cross, Ypsilanti, MI 48197. Participants will be bringing food, drinks, and other entertainment for our Union families. The event will go until 3pm and is open to all members and their families. The park has a playground, open spaces, and nearby water that can be used for fishing. If you would like to participate please RSVP at this link: https://forms.gle/sC1F4gHV6Husokrw6
Michigan School of Psychology Faculty Organize with AFT Michigan
Congratulations to the full and part-time faculty at the Michigan School of Psychology on the official certification of their union, the MSP Alliance of Teachers, AFT Local 6618, by the National Labor Relations Board. The Michigan School of Psychology is an independent non-profit graduate school based in Farmington Hills and we are thrilled to welcome the faculty to our union family!
Dearborn Teachers & Support Staff Win New Contracts
Congratulations to the Dearborn Federation of Teachers and the Dearborn Federation of Support Employees on their recently ratified contracts. In addition to a 12% salary increase over 3 years, DFT 681 eliminated tiered sick days, shortened monthly staff meetings, increased care of family days at full pay, added severance, decreased commitments outside of contract hours, and increased longevity up to $10,000 after 21 years. DFSE 4750 bargained a five-year deal with 4% increases in each of the first three years, increased longevity–doubling it in most categories; increased wage scales for all clerical, technical, specialist and food service employees; increased starting pay for clerical and custodial employees; started a trades’ apprenticeship with one guaranteed apprentice and five more to follow; added a new position to the trades’ department; added a training stipend for bus drivers that train new drivers; and added new secretary positions in media centers.
Great work by DFT 681 President Kathi Martin, DFSE President Al Lerini and their respective leadership teams.
AFT Voices: Unionizing is a Game-Changer for Resident Physicians
Wen Chen, a resident physician at Wayne State University, reflects on a momentous time for the residents in an AFT Voices post. Residents at Wayne State received official recognition of their newly formed union, the Alliance of Resident Physicians, this summer. “It was an incredible feeling to know that we now have the support we need to improve conditions for ourselves and, most important, for our patients,” she writes.
AFT Michigan is Hiring!
AFT Michigan is seeking an experienced and energized Organizer to join our dynamic statewide union of educators and healthcare workers. Our team of staff works with approximately 100 local unions across the state to build strong locals, develop leaders, bargain and enforce contracts, organize, and work for social justice. This position will focus on organizing new members, initially working primarily with higher education and healthcare workers in Washtenaw County. Please encourage great people in your network to apply — more information can be found on our website.
Support UAW Workers
August 14, marked one month out from the UAW’s contract expiration and they are calling on all allies to take action in support of auto workers.
The UAW has launched a petition calling on the Big Three to deliver a fair contract that ends tiered pay systems, restores cost of living adjustments, and ensures job security and just transition to electric vehicles.
CEOs at the Big Three got a 40% pay raise over the last four years, and saw North American profits alone balloon to $250 billion. Record profits should mean a record contract, giving workers what they deserve. Every auto worker should have the same pay and safety standards that generations of UAW members have fought to have.
Our UAW family is counting on you to show up and support auto workers as they fight for a fair contract. Sign the petition today, or call 318-300-1249 and leave a voice message for the Big Three CEO’s in support of UAW members seeking a fair contract.
Contribute to the AFT Michigan PAC Today
AFT Michigan fights for our members, students 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!
Professional Development
AFT Michigan Professional Development Workshop
Strategies for Enhancing Learning Beyond Classroom Management
September 9, 2023 – 8:30 am – 4:00 pm
This virtual workshop will look at strategies for classroom management that move away from the practices of a propensity to control the minds, hearts and bodies of students.
The goal is for educators to rethink and understand what highly effective classroom management is, where students want to be and learning is taking place.
Click here to register.
Share My Lesson Back-to-School Resources
There’s a special kind of exhilaration that comes with the back-to-school season. It’s a dizzying array of freshly sharpened pencils, the crisp pages of unmarked notebooks, the hopeful smiles of new faces and, yes, a hearty dash of organized chaos. Thankfully, Share My Lesson is here to make sure this annual roller-coaster ride is less daunting and more thrilling, even for educators.
Check out the massive collection of SML resources covering everything from classroom management to for-credit professional development webinars to resources and ideas for new teachers.
Be a Part of Reading Opens the World!
We have had more than 200 events in 28 states and Puerto Rico at schools, community centers, faith-based organizations and union halls, with many more planned this year to continue to spread the joy of reading to students, families, educators and school staff in communities across the country. Find out more about how your community can participate.
Real Solutions for Kids and Communities
The AFT is also launching a new campaign: Real Solutions for Kids and Communities. This yearlong campaign seeks to reject the toxic attacks against public education in favor of working to strengthen public schools, making real solutions for kids a national priority.
Sign up for campaign updates and opportunities to get involved.
Join us in our mission to have a positive impact on children’s lives. Discover various ways to get involved, share and learn from success stories about effective programs in communities nationwide, and find more information on great things happening in public schools.
Read the one pager informational sheet here.
Upcoming Webinar September 5: Formative Assessment Practices Around the World: What Works and What Doesn’t?
On Sept. 5, from 8 a.m. – 9:30 a.m., Education International will be holding the first of two webinars in the framework of the “Teacher-Led Learning Circles for Formative Assessment” project.
The project aims to provide teachers with tools and support to identify and establish effective teacher-led formative assessment practices that can be disseminated within and across education unions through 2024. It is implemented in partnership with member organizations in seven countries (CNTE/Brazil, FUMTEP/Uruguay, GNAT/Ghana, NUTP/Malaysia, LCH/Switzerland, KTU/South Korea and SNEPPCI/Côte d’Ivoire) with support from the Jacobs Foundation.
The webinar is an opportunity for project partners to share their experiences and findings in their respective countries about the formative assessment; outline how the learning circles have given teachers the autonomy and ability to reflect on the use of formative assessments in their practice; and discuss the importance of continuing to support teacher leadership by working alongside governments and school leadership to provide adequate time, funding and expert resourcing for effective professional development.
The webinar will take place in English with simultaneous interpretation in French and Spanish. To participate in the webinar, please register here. Upon registration, you will receive additional information about the webinar.
Latina/o Workers Leadership Institute – September 21-23, 2023
The Latina/o Worker Leadership Institute invites all workers, union or non-union, and activists from allied organizations to share ideas and grow skills for responding to the challenges facing Latina/o working persons and learn about Latina/o culture. We welcome participants from all genders and all cultural or ethnic backgrounds. With nine workshops plus a new program for kids, the Latina/o Workers Leadership Institute offers something for everyone.
Click here for more information and to register.
In solidarity,
Terrence Martin
President
