Solution-driven unionism may have been the overarching theme of the 2013 joint conference of the AFT Healthcare and AFT Public Employees divisions, but the importance of community engagement was the biggest takeaway message for the 450 AFT members and guests who gathered in Baltimore, April 25-27. Read more.
AFT president Randi Weingarten on April 30 called for a moratorium on assessment-driven sanctions tied to Common Core State Standards until solid implementation plans are embedded in schools and proven effective through a year or more of field testing.Read the complete article, including Common Core resources, and view a video of the speech.
Three-quarters of public school teachers surveyed support the Common Core State Standards, yet just 27 percent said their district has provided them with the tools and resources necessary to teach the standards, according to the results of a new AFT poll.
AFT-Maryland/BTU President Marietta English addressed attendees at the educational town hall meeting, “Diversifying the Nation’s Teacher Workforce,” held on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C., last week.
In her latest column appearing in the New York Times, AFT president Randi Weingarten talks about the accomplishments to date of the Affordable Care Act, even in its early stages. And she discusses the vital role that nurses and healthcare workers—the AFT is one of the largest unions of nurses in the country—play in enhancing patient care and improving the healthcare system. Read Weingarten's column.
Every year on April 28, the unions of the AFL-CIO observe Workers Memorial Day to remember those who have suffered and died on the job and to renew union efforts for safe workplaces.