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AFT

A ‘Nice Experience’ or a Job? Lecturers at Michigan School Say Part-Timers Need a Union, Too

Contract lecturers at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti are fighting a hostile administration over the right for part-time adjunct lecturers to join the lecturers' union. They're part of one-third of teachers not on the tenure track nationally who've been on the job at least five years but are treated like short-term employees just seeking "a little money and a nice experience," as EMU's union-busting lawyer put it.
DC Teachers Could See Shakeup in Union's Spring Election

An outspoken critic of D.C. schools Superintendent Michelle Rhee has entered the race to lead the Washington Teachers Union (WTU). Nathan Saunders, the union’s current vice-president, says the May election is a chance for teachers to take a different direction in contract talks with Rhee, which have dragged on for three years.
Reform Caucus Jolts Chicago Teachers Union

Kenzo Shibata

Jan 29 2010 - 12:37pm

Four hundred education activists joined the Caucus of Rank and File Educators in January to map strategy for battling the next round of school closures in Chicago. CORE's also vying for control of the Chicago Teachers Union this spring.
Race to the Top: Unions Asked to Play Ball for Education Dollars

With all eyes on Obama’s fraught health care push, his plans to overhaul public education have sped along with relative ease. The first leg of the federal "Race to the Top" competition finished January 19 when 40 states sent applications for a piece of the $4.35 billion in stimulus funds.
Labor Notes Conference: Home-based Workers Swelling Labor's Ranks, Still Struggling for Dignity and Power

One unique aspect of the Labor Notes Conference is the special meetings that allow far-flung activists to gather and share information on a rare cross-union basis. This year's April 23-25 conference in Detroit will feature a daylong meeting of those involved in organizing and representing home-based workers—challenging work undertaken in the absence of a common workplace.
With Members Angry, Unions Sue to Stop Mandatory Vaccinations

Mischa Gaus

Nov 11 2009 - 1:17am

A feverish anger rose this fall among New York's health care workers, the first in the nation required to take a flu shot. Health care union activists said union leaders were too timid responding to the mandate.
Teacher Reformers Prepare for Battle over Public Education

Paul Abowd

Oct 13 2009 - 10:39pm

When President Obama laid out a plan to reshape public education this summer, he wasn’t subtle with his symbolism: he was introduced by an eighth-grader from a charter school. Soon after, teachers nationwide met in Los Angeles.
Chicago Charter Teachers Score First Win

Paul Abowd

Jul 17 2009 - 3:09pm

It’s an oxymoron no longer: charter schools are unionizing. Pioneering teachers and staff sealed an overdue victory in June at three Chicago International Charter Schools, the largest charter operator in Illinois.
Health Care Wars Prompt Oregon AFT Trusteeship

Mischa Gaus

Sep 10 2009 - 9:49pm

Seizing on procedural grounds to stop local leaders moving rapidly to disaffiliate, the AFT took over an Oregon health care local in July. Ousted leaders had floated the possibility of going independent, or joining with another AFL-CIO nurse union.

Rap: ‘If we can change the White House, we can change the hog house’

Gene Bruskin

March 18, 2010
Mexico: Union Strikes and Blockages Back Fired Electrical Workers

Jane Slaughter

March 17, 2010
Women in the Trades: They've Got Stories

Jane Slaughter

March 16, 2010

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Labor Notes' Mark Brenner discusses the state of the labor movement on Pacifica's Behind the News with Doug Henwood.