Lansing Legislative Session Wrap-Up
The Legislature has adjourned until January, which means all of our amazing accomplishments from this session will go into effect in February 2024. Reviewing some of the highlights of what got over the finish line at the start of November:
- Fixing the Teacher Evaluation System – teacher evaluations are once again subject to collective bargaining and the process in general has been improved.
- Graduate Student Research Assistants’ Right to Organize restored.
- Improvements to the School Employee Retirement System.
- School Debt Cancellation for struggling districts.
- Restoring Public Sector PAC “check off” to level the playing field with the private sector.
- Clean Energy standards to help our state move forward in meeting our renewable energy goals.
That’s on top of everything the legislature accomplished earlier in the year for working families, including restoring many of our bargaining rights, repealing “right to work,” passing a budget with historic investments in education, restoring prevailing wage, protecting against privatization, common sense gun safety regulations, protecting LGBTQ+ Michiganders under the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, quintupling the Earned Income Tax Credit, repealing the Retirement Tax, and strengthening our unemployment system.
All in all, quite a session. I want to thank our friends in the legislature, our hardworking lobbyists – Jenell Mansfield and Todd Tennis, and all the AFT Michigan activists who came up for lobby days, made calls, and sent emails to help make it happen.
UM-Dearborn Labor Leadership Institute
I was honored to give a keynote address at this weekend’s Leadership Institute at the UM Center for Labor and Community Studies. We had a great group of workers from across the labor movement, including many AFT Michigan local leaders – some from here in Metro Detroit and others who came as far as Grayling! It’s always great to see union leaders coming together to learn from each other and develop their skills.
Union-Made Thanksgiving
UMMAP is Looking for a Great Executive Director
United Michigan Medicine Allied Professionals, AFT Local 6739, is seeking an experienced and energized Executive Director to become the first staff member of our innovative and progressive local union of healthcare professionals. See the full posting and instructions how to apply at:
Upcoming Webinar: Helpful Tips for Newcomer Immigrant Students – December 14
You’re invited to join AFT’s Share My Lesson for a free, for-credit webinar, “Newcomer Immigrant Students: Helpful PreK-12 Tips for What to Do First,” on Thursday, Dec. 14, at 6 p.m. EST.
Many schools throughout the country are enrolling newcomer English language learners (ELLs) for the first time, or do not have enough specialized English as a second language or bilingual certified teachers to work with this group of students
Join the AFT, Share My Lesson and Colorín Colorado to hear from expert practitioners about the particular needs of newcomer ELLs and to get tips, resources and strategies you can use right away to help ELLs adjust to their new surroundings successfully.
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!
In solidarity,
Terrence Martin
President
