Recent News
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Call it "Arne Duncan Unplugged," an unscripted Monday afternoon exchange at QuEST between the U.S. education secretary and AFT members on the issues that matter most to education's frontline. The July 13 session began with a drum roll: AFT members' handwritten questions for the education secretary were collected in advance and placed inside an onstage sweepstakes drum. After a few turns, AFT president Randi Weingarten reached in and selected a handful at random, and Duncan took the stage to provide some answers.
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QuEST 2009 Highlights
Highlights from the recently concluded 2009 AFT QuEST conference in Washington, D.C., included AFT president Randi Weingarten's keynote address, a town hall meeting with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, a panel on community schools and remarks from U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. Daily updates from the conference, as well as video highlights, can be found on the AFT's QuEST 2009 Web site.
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If you need assistance with a membership update or help with one of our membership programs, please let us know by contacting SASDesk@aft.org or phone 1/800/238-1133, ext. 4504. We are here and happy to assist you! Another reminder will be sent to you at the end of the summer and again prior to our actual mailing. Thank you and have a wonderful summer! |
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A May 5 webinar put out the welcome mat to AFT affiliates and urged them to turn their biggest dreams into action by applying for grants under the union's new Innovation Fund. This $2.8 million joint venture is designed to put the resources of some the nation's largest foundations behind "bottom-up" approaches developed by teachers and the unions that support them—and, in doing so, to underscore how the best ideas in education begin with frontline buy-in. |
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An analysis of the most recent 10 years of national data presents a troubling picture of disinvestment in the higher education teaching profession-notably, a reduction in the proportion of full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty, and an increased reliance on employing "contingent" faculty and instructors such as part-time faculty, full-time nontenure track faculty and graduate employees.
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The AFT marked Worthy Wage Day, held each year on May 1, with a variety of activities to recognize and honor the hard work of early childhood educators and staff, and to draw attention to their low wages and minimal benefits. |
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State And National Dues Increases Go Into Effect September 1, 2008
AFT and AFT-Missouri have both passed dues increases in July. Please see the AFT Missouri Dues Structure inside the Join AFT-Missouri tab to the left in order to see the new rates. If you have any questions, please contact us at 1-800 238-1133. |
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The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released the state MAP scores on August 17, 2007. Click here to view the DESE news release of the results of 2006-07.
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The American Federation of Teachers has just released a report, titled "The 'Faculty Bias' Studies: Science or Propaganda?" which examines eight "studies" that purport to demonstrate how the political beliefs of faculty are disproportionately liberal and influence what is taught, learned and professed on college campuses. The report concludes that these studies are severely flawed in their methodology, and make sweeping assumptions that invalidate the "findings."
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AFT Missouri, along with members of the Missouri Education Roundtable and People for Public Schools, is opposing the appointment of Donayle Whitmore-Smith to the Missouri State Board of Education. Whitmore-Smith has a long history for advocating for school choice programs such as school vouchers, and the union is asking members to take action to urge their elected state senators to oppose her appointment. Click here to download an important member flyer.
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Mold, extreme temperatures, overcrowding, poor air quality, vermin infestation and other deplorable conditions in too many public schools throughout the United States must be addressed immediately as a top educational priority, the American Federation of Teachers concludes in a report released December 4, 2006. Click here to watch an important video.
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On Nov. 16, AFT members from across the country attended a rally in support of raising the minimum wage on Capitol Hill. Participants were able to congratulate Senators Edward Kennedy, Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton and AFL-CIO President John Sweeney for taking the lead in this important issue. Click here to watch a video clip from the rally.
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Folks from the Kansas City Federation of Teachers may feel tired—but it's a good kind of tired. Not only was the local able to help mobilize the vote successfully behind Democrat Claire McCaskill in her pivotal bid for the U.S. Senate, the federation also inked a new contract on Oct. 31 that offers some of the healthiest pay increases in the region.
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AFT members across the country are ready to make a difference on Tuesday, November 7. On Election Day, members of AFT Missouri will be a part of the national Count me IN! campaign to mobilize union members to vote for pro-education and pro-labor candidates. Click here to watch a video showing AFT members taking action. Take action today and sign up for Labor 2006 volunteer activities!
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AFT Missouri awarded Ron Berry of the Missouri Progressive Vote Coalition with the 2006 Presidential Award of Merit honoring him for his dedication to Missouri’s public education system and to the labor community.
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The St. Louis Public School District (SLPS) continues to outperform charter schools in every content area tested according to an analysis of the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test scores. Click here to read more and to download charts provided by the St. Louis Public School District.
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Salaries for state-employed professionals registered a modest increase over the previous year but still lagged behind the inflation rate, according to the 2006 AFT Public Employees Compensation Survey, the only national survey that tracks such trends.
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As part of the national Count Me IN! campaign, AFT Missouri has launched a short online survey to ask members' opinions about the 2006 U.S. Senate race between Claire McCaskill and Jim Talent. Click here to participate in this brief survey.
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AFT convention delegates have directed that union to create a national campaign demonstrating the. dangers represented by a full-time/part-time faculty ratio of 30:70.
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The AFT has negotiated new savings for AFT locals that participate in the union's occupational liability insurance program. The premiums have now been reduced to 60 cents per member, per month, from 75 cents per member, per month, effective July 1.
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For the 2006 Summer Learning Calendar, Jacob GirAFT returns to embark on a globe-trekking mission. Your children or students can join Jacob’s “Globetrotting Adventure,” learn new geography facts and enjoy a summer full of fun activities and projects. This summer the AFT is working in conjunction with the National Geographic Society and the My Wonderful World campaign to put together the calendar’s geo-facts, games and activities.
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Members of the Wentzville Federation of School-Related Personnel, Local 4894, approved the local’s executive council’s recommendation to take legal action and sue the Wentzville School District for imposing the 2005-2006 employee agreement. Last summer, the Wentzville Board of Education ratified a modified version of the employee agreement and imposed changes to bereavement leave and payroll policies.
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The Missouri Federation of Teachers & School Related Personnel (MFT-SRP) launched yesterday radio ads opposing House Bill 1783 & 1479 and Senate Bill 962 which are tuition tax credit "voucher" initiatives.
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Approximately one thousand educators, parents, clergy, civil rights advocates, and concerned citizens joined the People for Public Schools coalition as it traveled across the State of Missouri and sponsored three important “pro-public school” rallies to oppose House Bill 1479 & 1783 and Senate Bill 962 in St. Louis, Columbia, and Kansas City. These legislative initiatives are tuition tax credit “voucher” bills, which People for Public Schools oppose because initiatives such as these take public dollars out of public schools to fund private and religious schools.
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The State Federation presented three outstanding members the union’s top honor, the Albert Shanker Award. The 2005 Albert Shanker Awards were presented at the State Federation Fall Conference, which was held November 4th and 5th at the Embassy Suites Hotel in downtown St. Louis.
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On Tuesday, November 15h, the Kansas City Federation of Teachers and School Related Personnel, Local 691 held its second annual legislative reception inviting local lawmakers, school board officials, and state officials.
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