Under the new administration in DC, we have already witnessed a volley of executive orders and other actions that undermine the institutions that support dignity for working people across this country. From ICE raids, to cuts to federal funding for research & healthcare, to overt attacks on queer & trans people, it is easy to feel trapped by uncertainty and fear.
All of our members deserve respect, freedom, and rights and we will continue to fight for each other through organizing, building relationships of care, and winning strong contract protections. During tough times, it’s important to remain mindful of AFT Michigan’s core values: choosing hope over cynicism and courage over fear. When we stick together and fight injustice, we build communities of strength through solidarity.
If you are ready to get involved, connect with others, and learn how a strong union can protect us all, we invite you to check out our Union Building Institute workshops and AFT Michigan caucuses (Queer Caucus, BIPOC Caucus, International Workers Caucus). Contact Leadership Development & Internal Organizing Coordinator Meenakshi Mukherjee mmukherjee@aftmichigan.org for more information on our workshops, caucuses, or other opportunities to get involved.
End the Funding Freeze
Last Monday, the Trump administration froze all federal aid to communities, but after pushback from people like us they walked back their freeze on things like school breakfast and Medicaid.
We need to remind everyone in Congress—Democrats and Republicans—that what happened is not OK. Not only is the new president violating the law by pausing funding that Congress already passed, he’s also hurting people in every corner of the country, including in our state.
Let’s be clear about the chaos and harm Trump’s freeze will do unless Congress stops him:
- Medicaid portals have been shut down, jeopardizing healthcare for people across the country, and they will continue to be unreliable.
- Kids who rely on school meals will go hungry and families who rely on SNAP will face even steeper challenges to break free from poverty.
- Students and adults with disabilities could lose critical funding.
- Essential services like public safety, disaster relief and food inspections are at risk.
- Programs like Head Start, K-12 and higher education supports, and child nutrition are also on the chopping block.
- National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health grants to universities and medical schools fund important research on curing cancer, fighting diabetes and reducing opioid addiction. This research benefits all Americans.
The new president and his party rode to power promising to lower the cost of living for Americans, but by cutting off vital services, they are doing the exact opposite. Families will suffer, communities will struggle, and our kids will pay the price.
MSU Extension Faculty & Staff Voting Union Yes!
After three years of trying to work with the university administration to achieve recognition of their union under the MSU Board of Trustees’ policy, employees of Michigan State University (MSU) Extension have filed with the State of Michigan to form a union of two units under UNTF/AFT 1855, the non-tenure track faculty local at MSU.
MSU Extension employees play a vital role in providing educational resources and support to communities across Michigan. Barslund Judd, an extension employee working as a consumer horticulture educator in Genesee County, says, “I’m incredibly proud of the work we do at MSU Extension, and unionizing is the best way to ensure we have the resources, support, and respect we deserve to continue serving our communities.”
Ballots were mailed out this past Friday and are due back to the Detroit MERC office on February 21. Because of the fact that this group is scattered across the state, UNTF and MSU Extension employees need your help in contacting those people who have pledged to vote yes to be sure they get their ballots in the mail. If you can help out at a virtual phone bank, please contact msueunited@gmail.com.
Detroit Resident Physicians Picket Outside Detroit Receiving Hospital
Resident physicians and fellows employed by Detroit Education & Research (DER) and working at Detroit Medical Center (DMC) hospitals held an informational picket on Thursday, January 30, outside of Detroit Receiving Hospital to call out their employer’s pattern of anti-union behavior and refusal to bargain in good faith.
Despite a 508-8 vote last year to unionize, and the National Labor Relations Board certifying the bargaining unit on January 10 this year, resident physicians and fellows are still not being heard by DER and Tenet Healthcare, the corporation that owns DMC. The union has submitted a demand to bargain over two weeks ago, yet DER has refused to respond to the bargaining request.
“After months and months of trying to get recognized by our employer, they’re using delay tactics instead of coming to us with solutions,” said Justin Bria, president of ARP. “Tenet refuses to hear the resident physicians who are working to improve patient outcomes at DMC. It’s a shame that Tenet continues to delay working directly with their doctors and other employees to come up with solutions to the problems it has created. Let’s get real and work together instead of trying to dismantle our collective union power.”
The residents originally filed for union recognition in March 2023 with the NLRB. The union is working towards improving morale and preventing burnout from regular shift schedules, fair wages, improving benefits, and expanding participation in decision making.
We Are the Union: How Worker-to-Worker Organizing is Revitalizing Labor and Winning Big
“How can bottom-up workplace organizing defeat Trumpism and the billionaires? Eric Blanc’s new book, We Are the Union: How Worker-to-Worker Organizing is Revitalizing Labor and Winning Big, shows that recent struggles from Starbucks, to Amazon, to southern auto plants, have developed a new organizing model — worker-to-worker unionism — which builds scalable power by giving rank-and-filers an unprecedented degree of leadership. As UAW president Shawn Fain puts it, “We Are the Union is an urgently needed blueprint for how we beat the billionaire class. Every worker should read this book.”
AFT Michigan members can get a 50% discount on the book — just click this link, press on the UC Press button under the Buy menu, then include this discount code: UNION50
Black History Month Lesson Plans and Resources
Are your students familiar with Bayard Rustin, Coretta Scott King or Shirley Chisholm? Check out this lesson collection, inspired by this year’s theme: African Americans and Labor. Teaching about Black History is an essential and important part of any history curriculum and an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of Black people throughout history, and also serves as an opportunity to acknowledge and learn about the struggles and injustices of the past and present. By incorporating these lessons into our curriculum, we not only acknowledge the diversity of our society, but also gain a deeper understanding of our shared history and the ways in which it has shaped our world today.
Review sample resources from AFT Share My Lesson curriculum-spanning collection of free preK-12 lesson plans and activities, then begin your lesson planning here.
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