PA Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati dropped his challenge to and seated Sen. Lindsey Williams as the elected senator of the north Pittsburgh suburban 38th District. Williams was one of three AFTPA members elected to the state legislature.
Teachers and support staff at New Foundations Charter School in Philadelphia ratified their first union contract unanimously after 11 months of negotiations. The faculty and staff voted to join the Alliance of Charter School Employees, Local 6056 of the American Federation of Teachers, AFT Pennsylvania, in 2017.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary and rerelease of “Schindler’s List,” Steven Spielberg joined AFT President Randi Weingarten to discuss the legacy of the movie, its impact on Holocaust education and how to teach kids to understand and respond to hatred in our communities.
A class-action suit filed in federal court sets out serious allegations that student loan servicer Navient has misled borrowers in public service professions from accessing a loan forgiveness program to boost its own profits. The landmark complaint, which seeks millions in damages and class-wide injunctive relief, details a spate of systematic misrepresentations, untruths and misdirection pedaled by Navient to stop borrowers from enrolling in Public Service Loan Forgiveness, a 10-year payoff plan administered by rival servicer FedLoan.
The Janus decision is behind us, but some PA lawmakers want laws on the books weakening unions. House Bill 2571 would require employers to notify workers every two weeks that they can drop their union membership.
“A Decade of Neglect: Public Education Funding in the Aftermath of the Great Recession” details for the first time the devastating impact on schools, classrooms and students when states choose to pursue an austerity agenda in the false belief that tax cuts will pay for themselves. The comprehensive report offers a deep dive into the long-term austerity agendas and historic disinvestment that sparked the wave of nationwide walkouts this spring.
Lobbyists were banned, diversity reinforced and a three-year registration minimum added to the Senate’s prime redistricting bill Monday as it was prepared for a final vote by lawmakers.
AFT Pennsylvania President Ted Kirsch congratulated three AFT members who won their Primary Elections on Tuesday and pledged to work to elect pro-education, pro-worker candidates in November.
Governor Tom Wolf gave his fourth budget address today before the PA General Assembly and called on legislators to work together to increase PA's investment in education and programs that ensure that Pennsylvanians have "21st Century skills." His 2018-18 budget would invest an additional $225 million in education and make significant investments in workforce development.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court threw out the Congressional District maps approved by the Republican-controlled legislature in 2011, ruling on Monday (Jan. 22) that the voting districts were gerrymandered to give GOP lawmakers an electoral advantage. "The court's decision is a huge victory that protects voters from being marginalized by a dominant political party. AFTPA is proud to have played a role in protecting the rights of thousands of Pennsylvania voters." AFTPA President Ted Kirsch said.