Red for Ed Walks
We had a great crew of activists out knocking doors in Detroit and Hamtramck in support of our endorsed candidates this weekend. We spoke with our union brothers and sisters about the allies at the top of the ticket down to our endorsed school board candidates and millages. We need your help to ensure candidates that share our values as a labor movement WIN in November. Please sign up for Red for Ed walks and join the fight to win on November 5th!
https://aftmichigan.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/red-for-ed-walks.pdf
How do we elect people who care about workers and our families? By showing up at the polls. Voting early can be a quick and convenient way to make sure voting fits in your schedule. Figure out your voting plan right now, and make your voice heard for pro-worker candidates in 2024. Find labor-endorsed candidates on your ballot at https://miaflcio.vote/.
Click here to find your polling place
UMMAP Practice Pickets October 7 and 10
The Union of Michigan Medicine Allied Professionals is taking steps toward a potential strike by organizing Practice Pickets next week. The pickets will be outside of the Taubman Center at the University Hospital on Monday, October 7th, 3-5 PM and Thursday, October 10th, 6-8 AM.
Sign up at: https://bit.ly/octinfopickets
UM Flint Tenure-Track Faculty Rally – October 11
Join the UM Flint tenure-track faculty on Friday, October 11, 2024 at 12 noon in front of Wilson Park in Flint! Union members and community supporters will rally to support the faculty as they negotiate their first contract. The rally will feature guest speakers and ways to get involved. Bring a friend, and join the union afterward for open bargaining in the Happenings Room in the Harding-Mott University Center from 1-3:30 pm.
Fall Union Building Institute (UBI)
September 30-October 3, all sessions are 5-6 PM over Zoom
Are you a workplace leader looking to develop your union leadership skills? Wondering where to start when it comes to being a building representative, steward, or union member? Workplace leaders and members are invited to sign up for various virtual sessions designed to support members develop skills and build on existing knowledge and skills around core union capacities throughout the week of September 30- October 3. Sessions are focused on core areas of AFT Michigan’s Power Wheel and include skills you can take back to your workplace the next day around organizing, communicating, and representing your colleagues!
Register today at aftmichigan.org/union-building-events.
Member Organizing Institute (MOI) Registration and Upcoming Orientation
For building representatives and department stewards looking for a community of workplace leaders to learn and grow alongside, AFT Michigan is offering a Member Organizing Institute (MOI) cohort that provides workplace leaders an opportunity to learn more and practice the skills of effective building reps and department stewards.
A member’s ability to draw from personal work and union experience to engage and activate potential members is invaluable. The program seeks to foster a culture of organizing and member engagement by supporting the work of union-building in workplaces throughout our locals. Orientation is on October 5, at the AFT Michigan, David Hecker Building (2661 E. Jefferson Detroit, MI 48207) and is required to participate in the program.
Ongoing training and support is provided by AFT Michigan Thursdays over Zoom, 6 PM-7 PM from October 10- November 21. Workplace leaders who participate in MOI will receive a copy of AFT’s Organizing and Union-Building Model “Powering Up”.
Learn more here! Space is limited. Please reach out to Meenakshi Mukherjee (mmukherjee@aftmichigan.org) with any questions. Register at aftmichigan.org/union-building-events today!
Justice for Fatima
Fatima Al Rimawi, a Palestinian union leader and educator, was arrested by the Israel Defense Forces in January 2024. Ms. Rimawi has been held without trial in Damon military prison, facing harsh conditions and denied access to medical care, family visits, or legal representation. Her imprisonment, based on allegations of aiding terrorism through social media posts, has deeply impacted her family, students, and community. Fatima’s case exemplifies the broader human rights violations faced by Palestinian detainees, particularly women, under Israel’s current hardline policies, but it also highlights the potential for justice through the resilience of the Israeli judicial system.
Please join the AFT campaign for justice for Fatima by going to www.freefatimaalrimawi.com and sending messages via the email/social media links there. Our union is part of a network of 20 international education unions taking action to press their governments and the Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant for Fatima’s release.
AFT Michigan Professional Development Workshop
Equity and Social-Emotional Engagement
Saturday, November 9, 2024
AFT Michigan – David Hecker Bldg.
2661 E. Jefferson – Detroit MI
8:30 am – 4:00 pm
This in-service will introduce attendees to the Building Equity Taxonomy (BET) and its relationship to Social-Emotional Engagement (SEE). It is essential for educators to develop programs that are sensitive to the students’ social and emotional needs.
Participants will receive 6 SCECHs after completion of this in-service.
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
