PreK-12 Budget Lobby Day Report
Thanks to all the leaders who joined us in Lansing last Tuesday for our lobby day in partnership with the Michigan Education Justice Coalition. It’s crucial that legislators hear from all of us on the front lines about how the budgets they pass are reflected in our classrooms everyday.
Student Debt Webinar – May 8
On Thursday, May 8, at 6 p.m. EDT, join AFT President Randi Weingarten, along with Mike Pierce, executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center, AFT members and a special guest for an AFT student debt webinar: After months of economic uncertainty, hear from experts about how to navigate the student loan system and the fight for affordable repayment plans and access to Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
For more than a decade, the AFT has been fighting to fix the broken student debt system and stop loan servicers from preying on our members. After hosting dozens of debt clinics, and reaching major settlements with Navient and the Department of Education, we have seen more than 1 million teachers, police officers, firefighters and healthcare workers get the life-changing promise of Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Teachers and nurses who put their lives on hold are buying homes, starting families and sending their own kids to college.
This is union work, and the AFT will not stop until every public employee has access to affordable payment plans that count toward PSLF and all young people have affordable paths to opportunity. In July, when it became clear that loan servicer giant MOHELA cared more about profits than people’s economic future, the AFT filed a lawsuit. Last month, when we saw that the Trump administration had taken the application for the only affordable plan, Income Driven Repayment, off the Financial Student Aid website, we went straight to court. Within weeks, the application was back online, and FSA promised to begin processing applications this week.
But the fight continues. The proposed reconciliation bill, which is making its way through Congress right now, takes a hatchet to American opportunity by slashing $330 billion in college affordability. The AFT is fighting to ensure kids don’t lose the opportunity of middle-class, working-class and impoverished Americans to go to college so that billionaires can get tax cuts.
USU Demand to Bargain Rally & March – May 13 12-1pm at Ingalls Mall
Last month, a USU member in Student & Instructional Services was fired from her job at UM for exercising her free speech during a protest 6 months prior to being hired at UM. Despite their legal obligation, University management has refused to bargain with USU over this and other individual cases of discipline, changes to remote work policies, or other changes to our working conditions. A threat to one member’s rights is a threat to all of our rights!
Sign this open letter to show your support for protecting our labor rights. Then join USU members and colleagues, as well as union members from across the University, for a rally at Ingalls Mall on May 13, from 12-1pm to demonstrate our commitment to the bargaining process. RSVP here: tinyurl.com/DemandtoBargainMarch
Higher Education Budget Lobby Day – May 14
Join us in Lansing on May 14. The day will run from 10am-3pm with lunch provided.
We will meet at the Michigan AFL-CIO office around 10am to go over the schedule and training for conversations with legislators. You will be split up into teams and be assigned Michigan Representatives and Senators to meet with (or their staff). Additionally we will attend committee hearings, House and/or Senate sessions.
AFT Michigan members are asking for our state government to adequately fund our higher education institutions, defend immigrant students and workers, and stand up in the face of attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion. We need members like you to make the case that our students, institutions and communities are worth the investment.
Join the Michigan Nurses’ Association Capitol Action Day – May 15
Healthcare members! The Michigan Nurses’ Association has invited us to join them in Lansing on Thursday, May 15, 2025, from 8 a.m. to approximately 3 p.m. for the 2025 MNA Capitol Action Day!
At MNA’s Capitol Action Day in Lansing, you will:
- Learn and practice legislative advocacy skills with your peers
- Get tips and insight from legislators
- Take a group photo on the Capitol steps
- Participate in lunch on the Capitol lawn and meetings with elected officials
Continental breakfast, lunch, a T-shirt and 1 contact hour will be provided. The registration deadline is May 2.
If you have any questions, please contact Caleigh Hunt at caleigh.hunt@minurses.org
REGISTER HERE! Please select “Bargaining Unit or associate member – free”.
Bipartisan Push to Protect Health Workers From Workplace Violence
Nurses and health professionals face soaring rates of workplace violence, yet no enforceable federal standard exists to protect them. The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to mandate safety plans developed with frontline staff. Long championed by U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) and supported by the AFT, the bill aims to prevent violence before it happens and ensure safer working conditions for the health professionals who care for us every day.
New ‘Union Talk’ Episode: ‘Higher Education Under Attack’
President Donald Trump has declared war on America’s colleges and universities. The administration has launched investigations into dozens of colleges and universities and stripped billions in research grants from schools. It’s also disappearing students who are in the U.S. legally, for exercising their First Amendment rights. Three professors and union leaders join AFT President Randi Weingarten to provide a view from the frontlines of Trump’s war on knowledge and discuss how we can fight back.
Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week
Share this with school leaders and parents for ways to show gratitude with creative and heartfelt appreciation ideas. From personalized gifts to classroom activities, this blog will spark inspiration.
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
Maternal Health Issues & Disparities – Special Zoom Event
Why does our state and nation have such disparities when it comes to mortality and health among mothers? What can we do about it? Join the conversation on May 17, at 10am with five experts and activists from diverse backgrounds around issues of maternal health.
Click here to register for the zoom link and to download the flyer.
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.
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
