AFT Michigan Membership ALL CALL! Lobby with us for a FULLY Funded Budget!
Join AFT Michigan and MEA Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at 10am, for a lobby day in support of passing a fully funded state budget. With the budget deadline looming, we need union members and supporters in Lansing to tell lawmakers to fund our schools, including critical programs like free school meals and mental health supports, higher education institutions, and Medicaid. We will meet at Central United Methodist Church, 215 N Capitol Ave, Lansing, MI 48933 to ensure our students, families and communities are Michigan’s top priority and every available dollar is supporting their success.
REGISTER HERE!
Saginaw Fed of Teachers Welcomes and Signs Up New Members
After attending the Northern Leadership Conference this summer and consulting with their Field Representative to develop a contract campaign, the leadership of Saginaw Federation of Teachers Local wasted no time by setting up a “recommit to the union” table on the first day of the work year to engage non-paying members.Great work!
Michigan’s Students Can’t Wait While Republicans Play Games With Our Schools
Read my op-ed in the Detroit MetroTimes discussing why Michigan educators and families can’t wait; Lawmakers must pass a fully-funded, equitable state budget now!
AFT Michigan Fall Leadership Summit – September 27
AFT Michigan’s Fall Leadership Summit will take place on September 27th, 8:30am-3:30 PM, at Fairlane South, UM-Dearborn. We’ll be joined by Todd Wolfson, AAUP President, to discuss partnering for power in our workplaces. There will be three tracks to select from when registering:
1. Leadership Team Planning
The Leadership Team Planning track consists of an AM constituency committee meeting (Higher Ed, Healthcare, and PreK-12) and a PM session focused on setting goals and priorities for the upcoming year. Local teams will have an opportunity to meet with AFT Michigan staff specialists and hear about resources and tools as well as ask questions to support their local’s planning.
Leaders should register for this track if they are a local president, vice president, data administrator, contract enforcement coordinator, political coordinator, executive board member, or other local officer.
2. Workplace Leader Skill Building
Our Workplace Leader Skills Building track is for department stewards, building reps, and local activists ready to dive into using lists and maps to organize colleagues, understanding effective tools for communication at the workplace, and becoming skilled at the 1:1 organizing conversation.
We’re excited to offer this 1-day version of our popular Union Building Institute (UBI). This is a great opportunity to develop leaders at your locals who are excited about building a stronger union starting at their workplaces! We recommend sending a group of workplace leaders to go through this track together.
3. AFT Michigan’s Retiree Network Activists never retire!
AFT Michigan’s Retiree Network will be holding their September meeting at Leadership Summit. Retirees are welcome to join us for breakfast starting at 8:30 with the general retiree network meeting starting at 10:40 AM and lunch afterwards
!If you have any questions about the Fall Leadership Summit, please contact your Field Rep or Meenakshi Mukherjee (mmukherjee@aftmichigan.org). Learn more and Register on aftmichigan.org/events.
Forgotten: The Murder at the Ford Rouge Plant –A Compelling Musical Play about Detroit Workers
The labor jazz opera “Forgotten: The Murder at the Ford Rouge Plant” will run at Detroit’s Marygrove Theatre October 10-12, sponsored by the Michigan Labor History Society.
High school students are free to attend the dress rehearsal on Thursday, October 9, at 8 p.m. at Marygrove. This is an opportunity for students to learn about the struggles of their grandparents and great-grandparents to build a strong labor movement in the 1930s that helped turn Detroit into a Union Town.
Regular performances will be on Friday and Saturday, October 10 and 11, at 8 p.m., or on Sunday, October 12, at 3 p.m. Tickets are available at Eventbrite.com or MichiganLaborHistorySociety.com.
AFT Civil, Human and Women’s Rights Conference, October 10-12 in Detroit!
As the threats of fascism, authoritarianism and political violence intensify across the U.S., the urgency for action has never been clearer. In the face of book bans, anti-democratic policies, and attacks on historically marginalized communities, educators and unions must once again rise as democracy’s first responders.
The 2025 AFT Civil, Human and Women’s Rights Conference marks a critical turning point. With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, we recognize this moment as the first major national inflection point to turn the tide on policy, reclaim public institutions, and push back against the growing infrastructure of repression. This conference will equip AFT locals with the tools to meet that moment head-on—with strategy, solidarity, and a commitment to long-term power-building.
Participants will engage through three core training tracks that reflect the challenges and opportunities of this moment:
- Communications Training—Disrupting disinformation and reclaiming public narrative, by use of social media tools
- Political Training—Advancing democracy at the ballot box and building durable civic power
- MOVE (Mobilize. Organize. Vote. Empower.) Training—for grassroots resistance, cross-sector coalition-building, and union-based movement work
Click here to register for the 2025 AFT Civil, Human and Women’s Rights Conference.
‘No Kings Day’ – Saturday, Oct. 18
As the Trump administration escalates its attacks on our rights, including our basic civil rights and our rights to vote and to govern ourselves, millions are rising up again to say: “No Kings.” On Saturday, Oct. 18, the growing No Kings movement will take to the streets once more to demand dignity, defend our communities and reject authoritarianism in all its forms.
Take ThisFREE Online Safety Training – Sept 24
Cyber safety and security training can help you increase your security awareness about online threats, equipping you to protect your personal information online and help respond to digital crises. This outstanding training will provide specific tools and tips to defend against digital threats, as well as provide action steps and insights on how you can increase your privacy both online and offline. This free evening training will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 24. Register now.
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
