Privatization

Taking Our First Stand to "Keep Us Covered"

Wed, 01/25/2017 - 12:30pm
Tens of thousands of advocates, caregivers and elected officials earlier this month rallied in cities across the country to stand up to renewed threats to gut Americans' healthcare coverage. The nationwide protests were the first step to oppose attacks by congressional Republicans and the new president on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and vital supports like Medicare and Medicaid. Members of AFT Connecticut-affiliated unions braved the cold on January 15 for a demonstration quickly organized at the State Capitol in Hartford.
 

Standing Up to Unprecedented Threats to Schools

Fri, 01/06/2017 - 6:00pm
By choosing billionaire political donor Betsy DeVos to lead the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), President-elect Donald Trump has shown he is serious about decimating our nation's public schools. Congress has scheduled her nomination hearing for next Wednesday, adding urgency to the defense of our shared mission of a high-quality learning experience for all students. Members are encouraged to sign and share an open letter demanding the secretary of education and every elected official respect and uphold this vision.
 
Click here to add your name to the letter.
 

Building the Movement to Reclaim Our Schools

Wed, 08/10/2016 - 12:30pm
Nearly 3,000 delegates to our national union's convention last month heard advocates share their conviction in the value of building community-level coalitions to achieve true educational justice in America. It's an approach long-embraced by members of AFT Connecticut-affiliated unions — which will again be demonstrated in October during coordinated local actions to "reclaim our schools" across the state.
 
Click here for more on the October 6 "walk-ins."
 

Response to Governor's Threat of "Very, Very Substantial" State Employee Layoffs

Thu, 03/31/2016 - 2:30pm
Union leaders in the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) made the following remarks today in response to Governor Dannel P. Malloy's comments yesterday regarding anticipated workforce layoffs:
 

Response to Republican Legislators' State Budget Reduction Proposals

Tue, 03/15/2016 - 4:30pm
Union leaders in the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) made the following remarks today in response to Republican legislators' latest proposals for current and future state budget reductions:
 

Comments on Legislature's Action to Increase Charter School Oversight

Tue, 06/02/2015 - 8:00pm
Melodie Peters, president of AFT Connecticut, made the following remarks on passage of legislation to improve transparency and increase accountability for schools operated by charter management organizations (CMOs) in the state:
 

"Fast Track:" Bad for Our Economy

Tue, 04/21/2015 - 12:00pm
The so-called "Fast Track" bill on trade promotion authority introduced last week in the U.S. Senate will hurt everyday working people and stack the deck in favor of corporations. The legislation threatens to limit the ability of labor unions, environmental advocates, and all Americans to have meaningful input on our nation’s trade policy.
 
Click here to tell Congress to stop Fast Track.
 

Holding Charter Management Companies Accountable

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 6:30pm
AFT supports a reform plan released today by open government advocacy groups In the Public Interest (ITPI) and The Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) that would ensure charter schools fulfill their role in education as originally envisioned. The proposed "Charter School Accountability Agenda" also supports AFT Connecticut's current advocacy efforts to strengthen our state's laws governing schools operated by outside charter management organizations (CMOs) with public tax dollars.
 
Click here for a presentation on the national proposal.
 

Teacher Prep Regulations Reinforce "Test-and-Punish" Model

Wed, 11/26/2014 - 5:00pm
There's no evidence that new teacher preparation regulations released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) will lead to improvement and plenty of reason to believe they will cause harm, AFT President Randi Weingarten says.
 
Click here for the DOE's proposed regulation.
 

Donna Brazile Announces "Democrats for Public Education" at AFT Convention

Mon, 07/14/2014 - 9:30am
Los Angeles - Addressing more than 3,500 members of the AFT at its national convention, Democratic strategist Donna Brazile announced the formation of a new group that she will co-chair called Democrats for Public Education, which will focus on uniting the vast majority of Democrats, who believe in the promise of public education.
 
Click here to watch Brazile's convention speech.
 
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