AFT Michigan Budget Lobby Day
An amazing group of AFT Michigan members, staff and supporters joined us on Wednesday, June 10, in Lansing for AFT Michigan Budget Lobby Day as we work toward a budget that adequately funds education, healthcare and public services.
Members Lead the Way at AFT Michigan’s First Wayne County Candidate Screening
Last week, AFT Michigan hosted its first Wayne County candidate screening, bringing together local union leaders and members for an engaging and informative evening focused on the upcoming election cycle.
The nearly four-hour virtual screening was planned and attended by local presidents and members from Wayne County. Their collaboration and commitment helped make this event a success.
Participants had the opportunity to hear directly from 14 candidates, ask important questions, discuss key issues affecting our communities and schools, and provide valuable feedback. These conversations are critical as we work to ensure that working families, students, educators, and public employees have a strong voice in the electoral process.
We are incredibly proud of this successful first candidate screening and look forward to expanding member involvement in the weeks and months ahead as we continue our work during this important election cycle.
A special thank you goes to Kathi Martin, President of the Dearborn Federation of Teachers Local 681, for serving as moderator for the evening. Her leadership and dedication helped facilitate a productive and meaningful discussion among candidates and attendees alike.
Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this event possible. Together, we are building a stronger voice for our members and our communities.
UM LEO – Flint Ratifies Wage Reopener
On Monday evening, the LEO Flint lecturers bargaining unit at the University of Michigan (LEO – AFT MI Local 6244) voted to ratify an agreement reached during salary re-opener negotiations with the University of Michigan. This agreement covers the annual increases for the lecturers on the UM-Flint campus for the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 academic years. Lecturers on that campus will receive additional 1% annual increases for the remaining two years of the contract, on top of the 3% annual increases previously bargained for in the 2024-2028 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Read more at leounion.org/blog!
Wednesday AFT Townhall: What’s Changing for Student Loan Borrowers and How We Fight Back!
Some of the harshest changes to the federal student loan system in decades take effect on July 1. This is no accident. These rules were pushed through by an administration that decided educators, nurses and public service workers should pay more, borrow less and wait longer for the relief they were promised.
We’ll break down the repayment plans being ripped away and replaced with a costlier system; the new restrictions on Public Service Loan Forgiveness that put years of payments at risk for the people who serve our communities; the elimination of Grad PLUS loans and new borrowing caps that lock working families out of graduate and professional degrees; and the deadlines you cannot afford to miss before July 1. You’ll learn exactly how these changes hit your loans, what you can still do to protect yourself, and how to join the fight to reverse them.
Come with your questions, and hear how the AFT is fighting for you.
The Dismantling of the Voting Rights Act
The U.S. Supreme Court in Louisiana v. Callais struck down Louisiana’s congressional map, ruling that the state’s second majority-Black district was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. That 6-3 decision kicked away the last pillar holding up the Voting Rights Act. “When courts eliminate remedies for racial discrimination in voting, they aren’t just redrawing maps,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “They’re dismantling democracy and setting back the promise of fair, multiracial representation. We will continue to fight for what Americans want and deserve—a fair system of representation, in which every community has an equal chance to choose their leaders and hold them accountable.” Learn how you can join the fight.
Check out AFT President Randi Weingarten’s NYT column about how the Supreme Court gutting the Voting Rights Act disenfranchises voters of color and undermines the right of people to decide who their elected representatives are, not the other way around.
ICE is Out of Control! Congress Must Protect Dreamers!
June 15 marks the anniversary of President Obama establishing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2012. We had hoped that between DACA and widespread support for Dreamers, we’d be able to pass legislation to protect them, but for nearly 14 years, Republicans in Congress and President Trump have blocked any meaningful help for Dreamers, leaving hundreds of thousands vulnerable to detention, deportation and separation from their families. The attack on Dreamers is nothing short of horrific.
While the Trump administration is undermining the DACA renewal process and targeting Dreamers for deportation, Republicans in Congress just approved sending over $70 billion in new funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to expand detention and deportation operations while sowing fear and instability in schools, workplaces and communities across the country.
Combined with the more than $100 billion already available for immigration enforcement, this would bring total federal spending on immigration enforcement to nearly a quarter-trillion dollars—an unprecedented investment in detention, deportation and enforcement rather than solutions that keep families together and strengthen our economy.
In the more than a decade since DACA was established, the policy has enabled more than 825,000 young people who were brought to the United States as children to live, work and contribute to the communities in the only country many of them have called home. Dreamers are teachers, paraprofessionals, nurses, healthcare workers, university staff, public employees, students and essential workers. They help educate our children, care for our patients, strengthen our communities and keep our economy moving forward every day. They are part of our communities, our workplaces and our families. They deserve the dignity of knowing that they can build their futures without fear of being torn away from the only home many have ever known.
ShareMyLesson Webinar: The AI Educator Brain – The Perils of AI “Detection” in Education
Join us Tuesday, June 16, at 5 p.m. EDT for The AI Educator Brain: The Perils of AI “Detection” in Education.
In this free, webinar, Kelly Booz, Sari Beth Rosenberg and Christopher Penn will explore artificial intelligence detection technologies:
- Why they are fatally flawed (and should never be used in a punitive context for any reason in education);
- How they work (and don’t work); and
- How to approach education that doesn’t rely on “catching” students using AI but instead incorporating it as part of learning.
AFT National Academy for AI Instruction Online Trainings
The National Academy for AI Instruction invites AFT members to explore upcoming online training modules designed to help educators understand and apply AI in meaningful, ethical and effective ways. No tech background required. All sessions are eligible for professional development credit.
Critical Thinking in the Age of AI
June 16 and June 30 | 6 p.m. EDT
This 60-minute interactive session focuses on critical thinking in the age of AI. As AI-generated content becomes increasingly common in education, educators must model how to question, verify and refine information before it reaches students. Participants will explore layered prompting and a framework to evaluate claims, investigate sources, identify missing perspectives and consider consequences when interacting with AI tools. You will leave with practical strategies to strengthen instructional integrity while reinforcing the critical thinking skills essential to democracy.
Who’s Doing the Thinking? AI, Cognitive Offloading, and What’s at Stake
June 17 and June 23 | 6 p.m. EDT
This 60-minute session explores one of the most pressing and least visible challenges AI brings to education: cognitive offloading. As we increasingly rely on AI to write, reason and problem-solve, the cognitive muscles that come from genuine struggle, original thought and independent judgment can go unpracticed. Participants will examine what the latest research says about AI’s impact on student cognition, reflect honestly on their own relationship with AI, and leave with concrete strategies to design learning experiences that keep students doing the essential work of thinking.
Order AFT Organizing Materials
All year long we mobilize and organize our members, our communities and the people we serve.
AFT refreshed organizing materials are now available for you to order. You can order them here: go.aft.org/AFTmaterials.
Organizing materials are available year-round. Whenever you are planning an organizing push, union event, back-to-school event or other mobilizing opportunity, you can select the resources you need, including organizing brochures that show prospective members how to amplify their voice, a Value of Belonging poster that highlights our accomplishments, buttons and bumper stickers to show union support, and professional learning options and benefits brochures that reinforce our day-to-day support for our members.
Place your order and spread the word: We’re working together to create a better life for all!
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!
Happy Juneteenth!
Pride Month Lessons & Resources
June is Pride Month—and an opportunity to reflect on how best to support students’ sense of belonging. Explore these classroom-ready resources that help students learn about LGBTQIA+ history, identities and contributions while building understanding and inclusion.
In solidarity,
Terrence Martin
President
