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Photo of AFT President Randi Weingarten addressing TEACH 2023

The AFT has always been a solutions-driven union, and our new campaign, launched during TEACH on July 21, proves it once again with a fresh, practical approach to strengthening public education. As AFT President Randi Weingarten pointed out during her keynote speech, the $5 million, yearlong campaign, “Real Solutions for Kids and Communities,” stands up against attacks on public schools and offers real-world solutions to build up, rather than break down, our communities.

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Randi Weingarten at a Massachusetts high school

Summer is upon us, and parents, children and teachers are winding down from what has been an exhausting and fully operational school year—the first since the devastating pandemic. The long-lasting impact of COVID-19 has affected our students’ and families’ well-being and ignited the politics surrounding public schools. All signs point to the coming school year unfolding with the same sound and fury, and if extremist culture warriors have their way, being even more divisive and stressful.

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A Year Like No Other

While there are a lot of different feelings and opinions about the upcoming school year, without question the 2020 academic year will be like no other we have experienced in our careers, or even our lifetimes.

We know the beginning of the academic year will not be without transitional challenges, especially since local districts and higher education institutions have wide discretion in the approaches they are able to take to educate students during the fall semester. Some districts and higher education institutions have already chosen to continue remote learning through the fall term, and some are waiting for further guidance from our Governor to plan their next steps towards increased hybrid, in-person instruction.

Our union, at a national, state, and local level, has been fighting to ensure local decisions are being made which not only balance your needs, but also the needs of the students and families we serve. We remain steadfast that all local educational decisions must prioritize the health and safety of the educational community. This prioritization is underscored by recent reports that almost three dozen separate educational sites across New Mexico have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 – even before many educational sites opened their doors to students.

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What unions do

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In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times  column, she describes what it is exactly that unions do. Though unions are the most popular they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives in red states and across the nation. “Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: ‘Union Membership: Very Sexy,’” Weingarten writes in the column. “The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security—all associated with union membership—boost one’s chances of getting married. Belonging to a union doesn’t actually guarantee happily ever after, but it does help working people have a better life in the here and now.” Click through to read the full column.

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American Federation of Teachers and American Federation of Teachers New Mexico

Applauds Progress of COVID-19 Response Toolkit

Science-Informed Best Practices and Adequate PPE, Sanitation, and Ventilation Safest for Reentry


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                            
September 9, 2020                                                                                                                              

Contact:  Shane Youtz   

                 505-244-1200

Albuquerque – American Federation of Teachers President Randi

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American Federation of Teachers New Mexico 
Seeks Temporary Restraining Order 
Against Gallup-McKinley County Schools

Petitioners Seek District Compliance with NM Public Education Department Order

 


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                              

August 7, 2020  

Contact:

John Dyrcz | 505-554-8679
Shane Youtz | 505-980-1590

Albuquerque – American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers New Mexico President Stephanie Ly, and McKinley County Federation of United School Employees (MCFUSE) President Patrice Carpenter and Executive Vice President

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American Federation of Teachers New Mexico 
Granted Temporary Restraining Order Against Gallup-McKinley County Schools
 
District Judge Prevents Gallup-McKinley Schools from Forcing Staff to Violate NM PED Order


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          
August 7, 2020                                                                         

Contact: 
John Dyrcz | 505-554-8679
Shane Youtz | 505-980-1590


Gallup – American Federation of Teachers New Mexico President Stephanie Ly, and McKinley County Federation of United School Employees (MCFUSE) President Patrice Carpenter and
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Randi Weingarten and NYC teacher Tamara Simpson

Attacks on public education in America by extremists and culture-war peddling politicians have reached new heights (“lows” may be more apt), but they are not new. The difference today is that the attacks are intended not just to undermine public education but to destroy it.

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By Dr. Kathy Jenkins, President of the NMHU Facutly & Staff Association 

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On January 20, 2014, hundreds of education advocates filled the Roundhouse in support of a collective vision for education reform. AFT President Stephanie Ly, Santa Fe Mayor David Coss, Las Cruces student Jacqueline Parr Sanchez, and parent and community activist Raquel Roybal introduced the group's efforts to reach out to educators, parents, students and communities around the state to develop a statewide vision for education. 

AFT President Randi Weingarten also addressed the crowd reminding them of Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that educational justice was inextricably tied to economic

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