“It’s up to us to make sure the elected leaders hear our voice and act on our concerns.”

Seven years after the Webster Parish School Board froze salaries in the face of a fiscal crisis, the parish school board voted unanimously Thursday to lift the cap and give teachers and employees a well-deserved pay raise.

“It’s been frozen for way too long,” Louisiana Federation of Teachers Representative Charlotte Crawley told KTBS-TV, “and we are very excited and commend the school board and superintendent for making this a priority.”

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The white supremacist terrorism in Charlottesville, Va., exposed a dark turning point in America. Read the statement by AFT President Randi Weingarten, Secretary-Treasurer Lorretta Johnson and Executive Vice President Mary Cathryn Ricker.

NYSUT has posted a Retiree Services Consultant position. The consultant would be assigned to Retiree Councils 9 & 10.

Yesterday, it was announced that there would be dramatic increases to school employee contributions for school staff covered under the School Employee Health Benefits Plan.  Impacted employees will see their contributions go up by 13%, the largest increase in 5 years.

We will meet in 201 Pray-Harrold. Doors open at 10:00, and the meeting will start at 10:30. There will be coffee and doughnuts!

We’ve been at the table for 5 months. EMUFT has been fighting strong for our members, and we think it’s important to remind all of our members what we’re fighting for.

• Job security - we are fighting for our members to have an expectation of reliable work!
• compensation - we are fighting for equitable pay for all members!
• pay schedule - our members should be paid in the first pay period of the semester!
• unpaid medical leave - we are fighting to not be fired in times of medical emergency!

The administration reiterated their positions on Tuesday:

• Job security - they offer none!
• compensation - their position remains a 25% pay cut to new lecturers!
• pay schedule - there is no commitment regarding when they will pay our members.
• unpaid medical leave - admin refuses unpaid medical leave, insisting on firinglecturers for any absences beyond 3 personal days!

Most alarming is the combined effect of the administration's lack of job security with the 25% pay cut, which would allow (and even incentivize) department heads to hire new lecturers over our current members.

EMUFT is committed to bargaining for a fair contract, with job security and equitable compensation for our members!  Our strength is in our membership, and the Bargaining team hopes to count you in at the General Membership Meeting on August 11th.

Please reach out to our staff organizer Tim Allen, emuftorganizer@gmail.com or (313) 633-4487with questions, or for ways that you can help the team!

A mid-state senator plans to push a bill authorizing education savings accounts, which are the latest iteration of school tuition vouchers. AFTPA President Ted Kirsch released a statement opposing this failed privatization strategy.  “Let’s not waste time going down this road again – when 20-years of research has shown privatization schemes such as these fail to raise student achievement," Kirsch said. "All students and communities deserve good, neighborhood public schools with the resources to address children’s needs. That’s where we should focus our attention and invest our tax dollars.”