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2012 Alabama Organized Labor Awards Foundation Essay Contest for scholarships. |
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The AFL-CIO has launched its 2012 AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch site—now called CEO Pay and the 99%—which includes the most comprehensive data available on 2011 executive pay. All the data available is searchable by industry, by state and by the top 100 highest-paid CEOs.
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To Innovate, Look to Those Who Educate
 In her latest column appearing in the New York Times, AFT president Randi Weingarten describes how the AFT Innovation Fund is providing an alternative to school reform efforts that ignore the expertise of educators and their unions. The fund supports AFT affiliates that engaged in collaborative efforts that focus on promising ideas and proven programs that can be scaled up. Read the full column. |
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According to our source in Vestavia Hills, HB251, sponsored by Love and SB143, sponsored by Waggoner, passed both house and senate committees yesterday morning. |
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Senate First Readings 4th Legislative Day |
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House First Readings - 4th Legislative Day |
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The JCAFT and BAFT will need help from all educators during the 2012 legislative session. We need your help fighting the tough issues ahead. |
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One of the most pressing issues we find ourselves facing is the impending legislation to allow charter schools in Alabama. AFT Alabama does not support charter schools here while the bill is in its’ current form.
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See a Bully, Stop a Bully, Make a Difference
Bullying is a serious problem that affects kids and teens throughout the nation. It can happen anywhere: face-to-face, on the web or over the phone. As serious as this problem is, the good news is that we can join together to stop it.
Bullying awareness is an issue that AFT and our members feel strongly about. To show our commitment to anti-bullying, we are providing list of resources, including this Power Point presentation, that offers tools and information regarding bullying. The Birmingham Federation of Teachers also has materials to help you spread the word that bullying is not ok. If you have questions or would like to schedule a workshop on bullying through AFT, please contact our office: Birmingham Federation of Teachers at 205-933-3333, visit our website at http://al.aft.org/bft/, or email us at Bft2115@Bellsouth.net. |
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Many studies over the years have documented the need for smoother transitions from prekindergarten to the elementary level. A new AFT report reinforces that conclusion—and does it in a manner that puts frontline voices at the heart of the dialogue.
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The citizens of Ohio took back their state with a historic vote on Nov. 8 to repeal Senate Bill 5. The vote, which marks the first time that the collective bargaining rights of public employees have been upheld on a statewide ballot, sends a clear signal that Ohioans will not sit idly by while politicians scapegoat hard-working public employees for an economic crisis they did not create.
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President Obama's bold plan—the American Jobs Act—is the right antidote to help solve our persistent economic problems, AFT president Randi Weingarten says.
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Two longtime union activists and education reformers are assuming new roles in AFT's leadership, AFT president Randi Weingarten announced on Sept. 9.
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Every day, educators and other public employees, and the services they provide our communities, are being attacked. From challenging collective bargaining rights, to undermining the quality of public education and higher education, to decimating pensions and trying to put healthcare coverage further out of reach, working men and women across the country are under assault. And if this has taught us one thing, it's that Elections Matter.
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Calling Young Teachers
The AFT is looking for young teachers to join our Generation Y online community. This supportive network of young professionals is a place to discuss issues that affect you and your work. You can interact with other members through the forums and member pages, learn more about what is going on in schools across the nation, and find out about upcoming events and activities you can attend.
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Generation Y teachers—those in their mid-30s or younger—say that to keep them in teaching, schools should be transformed into workplaces that support high-quality teaching and learning, so eager but nearly overwhelmed novices will stay in the profession and can become highly effective, according to a new report by the AFT and the American Institutes for Research.
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In a March 28 speech sponsored by the Commonwealth Club, AFT president Randi Weingarten challenged those who have blamed public employees and their right to collectively bargain as a cause of their states' fiscal problems.
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AFT Members Will Stand Together for 'We Are One' Week of Action
Workers' fundamental rights are under attack in a growing number of states. But as we have seen in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and elsewhere, those attacks have inspired and motivated tens of thousands of union members to stand together for their rights. The challenge now, as AFT president Randi Weingarten put it in a recent e-mail to more than 1.5 million AFT members and allies, is to take this moment and turn it into a movement. One step in that direction is a "We Are One" Week of Action, starting April 4, that will bring together members from the AFT and other unions, along with our allies, to participate in events around the country. First, take the pledge to help make a difference. Once you take the pledge, you'll see lots of ideas for how to join in the week of action.
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AFT president Randi Weingarten on Feb. 24 proposed a new way to align teacher development and evaluation to due process for tenured teachers. Weingarten laid out a three-step process consisting of clear standards for what teachers should know and be able to do, a time-limited improvement and support plan for teachers deemed to be unsatisfactory according to the evaluation standards, and a hearing process that can take no longer than 100 days, which in many cases would be even more expedient.
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On Jan. 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy captured and crystallized a moment in history when he told America, "the torch has been passed to a new generation." To mark the 50th anniversary of this landmark inaugural address, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has created a new website filled with groundbreaking multimedia that invites young visitors to explore the JFK legacy through such core themes as public service, civil rights and innovation.
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AFT affiliates in Alabama recently announced a multifaceted campaign to address the very serious issues facing the state's public school students and its communities. In the coming months, union members will be engaging elected officials and community members in a variety of initiatives designed to improve conditions and provide much-needed financial resources for Alabama's public schools. |
A Movement is Born When PEEHIP and the Teachers Retirement System announced deep, painful cuts to health and retirement benefits, Birmingham-AFT mobilized to fight. Thousands of teachers and paraprofessionals have met, signed petitions and reached out to their brothers and sisters across the state of Alabama. A movement has been born. The voice of educational professionals is being heard in Birmingham. |
We must join together to fight proposed changes that will significantly affect the quality of education for Alabama children as well as the future of the educational profession. Education healthcare and retirement are the focus of drastic changes that will be detrimental to the employees, in turn resulting in losing quality teachers. For these reasons, we call on you to prevent the PEEHIP and TSA Boards from making these proposed changes without consulting those whom it affects. |
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Following the U.S. Senate's Dec. 24 passage of a healthcare reform bill, both chambers of Congress now have an opportunity to craft a historic piece of legislation that insures the uninsured and makes high-quality health care affordable to all Americans, AFT president Randi Weingarten says. |
Educators across the nation report that they are witnessing hunger among their students despite government and private nutrition programs intended to ensure children have enough to eat in and out of school, according to a new survey of classroom instructors. |
In poll after poll, parents, teachers and school staff say that school safety and order are their highest school priorities. Educators know that other efforts to improve schools will not be effective without an orderly and safe learning environment. |
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The average salary for traditional public school teachers increased 4.5 percent in 2006-07 to $51,009, according to the AFT's latest teacher salary survey, marking the first time average teacher pay exceeded $50,000 and the first time since 2003 that teacher salaries surpassed the annual rate of inflation. |
Play the Game—A Year in the Life of a Teacher |
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Council of the Great City Schools Report for Birmigham City Schools
This the full report of the latest report and set of recommendations from the Council of the Great City Schools to the Birmingham Board of Education. This June report updates recommendations made in January to the Birmingham board. Download file |
Photographs and illustrations, as well as text, cannot be used without permission from the AFT.