It’s not a question of whether you’ll vote
We know that you’ll vote, but will your members, friends and family? This fall’s elections have taken on an urgency the nation hasn’t experienced in generations. Instead of being a voice for working people, our president has pushed an agenda for the rich—from ripping away healthcare from millions of people to signing a tax scam that gives 83 percent of the benefits to the top 1 percent. But unions are built for times like these. And we have tools to help you advocate for the candidates and issues you care about. It’s not too late to rally your community.
AFT poll finds Trump tax cuts increasingly unpopular
People want more spending on healthcare, education and infrastructure, not cuts to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare to pay for the tax cuts the American people opposed. “There is now a 12-point gap in support for the GOP tax law, according to a pre-election poll conducted by Greenberg Research and Democracy Corps for the American Federation of Teachers. … It’s another alarm bell that Republicans may not be able to win the midterm elections on what they hoped would be their signature legislation of this Congress.” Working people don’t see themselves as beneficiaries of the Trump economy, instead they see their wages stagnating while the rich get richer.
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AFT and partners sue Department of Education
The Department of Education is violating federal law by not releasing records, requested by the AFT and others under the Freedom of Information Act, related to its decision to allow schools to purchase firearms using federal funds. We’ve partnered with the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence to force the department’s hand.
Donate to AFT members affected by Hurricane Michael
By now you’ve seen the devastation that Hurricane Michael left in its wake. Many communities still stranded without power, while others were totally wiped out. We’ve reached out to members in the area to make sure everyone is safe, and are in contact with local union leaders and staff to organize relief efforts in our schools. You can help support your union sisters and brothers by donating to our Hurricane Michael Relief Fund.
Fight continues for grads in Chicago
Graduate employees at Brown University and Georgetown University are on their way to historic union elections. Rejecting the Trump-dominated National Labor Relations Board, they have convinced their universities to recognize union elections supervised by the American Arbitration Association. University of Chicago grads are also eager to unionize, but as one Ph.D. candidate explains, their administration is employing union-busting techniques to prevent them from winning recognition.
Stand with the University of Chicago grads on Twitter and Facebook.
Voters could unlock $2 billion in education funding
This November, education is on the ballot in a big way. A new report from the Center for American Progress finds that voters have the power to usher in significant funding for public education. “In 15 states across the country, there are 20 confirmed ballot measures that could generate more than $2 billion in revenue for public education and represent public referendums on important education policy issues, such as private school vouchers.”
Chipping Away at Voting Rights
In the last decade, nearly half of states have put in place regulations that make it harder for Americans to exercise their constitutional rights. This episode of NPR’s “On Point” goes deep into the issue.
Where and When
AFT President Randi Weingarten will be in Albuquerque, N.M., on Oct. 20 for an early vote kickoff rally and march. She will address the Student Gun Violence Summit in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 21. Weingarten will be in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 23, where she will meet with members, participate in get-out-the-vote activities and visit an AFT student debt clinic. She will address the ABC West Coast Labor-Management Institute in Buena Lake, Calif., on Oct. 24. Weingarten will deliver the keynote address at the Northeast Ohio Science, Technology, Recreation, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (NEOSTREAM) Conference hosted by Rep. Marcia L. Fudge in Cleveland on Oct. 25. She will be honored at the Fourth Annual Hispanic Educational Leadership Awards Luncheon hosted by the Hispanic Education Coalition of Palm Beach County, on Oct. 26 in West Palm Beach, Fla.
AFT Secretary-Treasurer Lorretta Johnson will speak at a Color of Change event in Atlanta on Oct. 20 in support of Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. She will chair an Institute for Women’s Policy Research executive committee call on Oct. 22.
AFT Executive Vice President Mary Cathryn Ricker will speak at the Student Gun Violence Summit on Oct. 20 in Washington, D.C. Ricker will phone bank with AFT staff on Oct. 23 and 24 in Washington, D.C. On Oct. 25, she will rally to protest the privatization of the Department of Veterans Affairs with the Minnesota AFL-CIO and the American Federation of Government Employees in St. Cloud, Minn.