AFT Michigan Higher Education Lobby Day
AFT Michigan leaders came together for our lobby day in Lansing last Wednesday to meet with legislators and ask that our state government adequately fund our higher education institutions, defend immigrant students and workers, and stand up in the face of attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion. Thanks to all our leaders who came out to make the case that our students, institutions and communities are worth the investment!
AFT Michigan Retiree Network Attend The Older Michigan’s Day
AFT Michigan Retiree Network Members from left to right Yvette King, Andella White co-chair and Mary Snyder attended “The Older Michigan’s Day” on Wednesday on May 7th in Lansing at the State Capitol. This event was sponsored by Detroit Area Agency on Aging, a nonprofit focused on assisting older adults, adults with disabilities, and caregivers by removing social, economic, physical, and psychological barriers and creating aging-friendly neighborhoods through nutrition, health and wellness, and senior independence.
Join AFT Michigan’s Retiree Network today! Email AFT Michigan Retiree Network (retirenetwork@aftmichigan.org) to get involved.
AFT President Randi Weingarten Hosts a Powerful Democracy Panel
Join us Tuesday, May 20, at 8:00 p.m.EDT for a must-attend online panel discussion co-hosted with the Albert Shanker Institute: How to Stop a Backsliding Democracy In Its Tracks (and Engineer a Reverse Course): Lessons Learned and What We Need to Do Next.
Democracy is under siege at home and abroad—but history shows that authoritarianism can be stopped and democracy can be rebuilt through courageous, strategic movements and the actions of everyday people. In this online event, AFT President Randi Weingarten will moderate a discussion with experts and strategists of resistance and people-powered movements, exploring how we turn the tide through education, organized labor and strategic coalition-building.
Justice Leaders Collaborative Social Justice Primer – May 28 at 5:30 PM
Join us on May 28, from 5:30-7:30pm, for JLC’s Social Justice Primer! AFT Michigan has been working with the Justice Leaders Collaborative to provide members with the opportunity to learn more about issues of equity, inclusion and social justice. Leaders and members committed to developing their knowledge and skills around social justice issues have gone on to continue building strong, inclusive, and equitable unions across our state. The Social Justice Primer is a brief introduction to key social justice theories and concepts including:
- Social identities such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ability
- Privilege and oppression
- The four levels at which privilege, oppression, and change manifest
- Implicit bias
- Microaggressions
The workshop ends with concrete ideas for how you can show up in more inclusive and socially just ways in your life and work. Register at www.aftmichigan.org/union-building-events today! Please reach out to Meenakshi Mukherjee (mmukherjee@aftmichigan.org) with any questions.
AFT Michigan is Hiring
AFT Michigan is seeking an experienced and energized person to join our dynamic statewide union of educators and healthcare providers as our Healthcare Constituency Coordinator. This position will be one of three focused on our main membership constituencies: Healthcare, Higher Education, and PreK-12 Education. Our team works with approximately 100 local unions across the state to build strong locals, develop leadership, bargain and enforce contracts, organize, and work for social justice. AFT is one of the fastest-growing unions in the country and our Healthcare division is rapidly expanding. AFT Michigan represents more than 7,000 Allied Health professionals, Physician Assistants, and Resident Physicians in facilities across the state. For more information, see the full posting on our website.
Young Worker Conference – June 26-28, Somerset Inn Troy, MI
Taught by young union activists you only need be young at heart to attend this energizing conference. Workshop options run a wide variety from leadership skills to personal finance 201 to workplace mental health to union basics and parliamentary procedure.
Click here for more information and to register
Worker Pride Conference – Special Single-Day Format
The Workers’ Pride Conference invites all union and non-union workers and activists from allied organizations to share ideas and grow skills for responding to the challenges facing working people. The conference draws instructors, facilitators, and coordinators from the LGBTQ+ community. We welcome participants from all genders and all cultural or ethnic backgrounds.
Click here for more information on the six workshop options and to register.
Upcoming Professional Development Workshop
AFT Michigan
Promoting Compassion and Academic Growth Prek-14
Saturday, June 7, 2025
8:30am – 4:00pm
2662 E. Jefferson
Detroit, MI 48207
This in-service is designed to support educators and learners to develop strategies to reduce stress,enhance professional/personal growth and student achievement, through research-based techniques.
Participants will receive 6 SCECHs after completion of the workshop.
Click here to register
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
