Skip to main content

May 25, 2022

"The murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police should continue to horrify us all. Today, I reiterate this union’s commitment to the fight for racial justice.

"The systems of oppression and racism that we work to dismantle every day remain deeply embedded—in policing, in education funding, and in nearly every facet of our society. Today and often, the loved ones of George Floyd are in my thoughts. Black Lives Matter."

Read our principles of racial justice here.

MORE
May 25, 2022 Dear Members, Like all of you, I can't stop thinking about the 19 students and 2 teachers who went to school yesterday in Uvalde, Texas and never returned home. Because of an eighteen year old with guns, so many lives are forever shattered, and I know you join me in holding the parents, siblings, families, and entire Uvalde community in your hearts. As I shared in a brief statement yesterday, this level of catastrophic gun violence that continues to tear families apart is simply too much to bear.  Just eleven days ago, in Buffalo, New York, a white supremacist with access to guns targeted and terrorized a predominantly Black community, and in his racist massacre took ten innocent lives. I released this statement then, and am shocked and yet unfortunately not surprised that once again, our nation is responding to what should be an unthinkable tragedy. MORE
May 24, 2022 "The news out of Uvalde this afternoon is simply horrifying. Today, because an 18 year old with a gun wreaked devastation on a sacred place of learning, fourteen children and a teacher won’t return home after a day at school—and countless others’ lives will never be whole again. "This level of catastrophic gun violence that continues to tear families apart is simply too much to bear. There are no words that could adequately convey my sadness, my rage and my deepest sympathies for the students, staff, and entire community of Uvalde." MORE
May 19, 2022 PFTHW Director of Environmental Science Jerry Roseman participated in an important hearing called by Councilmember Gym on her bill which would effectively eliminate lead from drinking water in schools through the installation of additional, functional, and maintained hydration stations. Read more about the hearing here. MORE
May 19, 2022 Philadelphia City Council Public Comment on Bill No. 210685-AA by AFT Pennsylvania President Arthur G. Steinberg, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry T. Jordan  “We thank Councilmember Green and his staff for their work on mandatory asbestos testing and the ‘School Building Safety Advisory Group.’ For decades, our union has been demanding the remediation of toxins like lead, asbestos, and mold from our school buildings, and for decades those calls have largely been met with silence, inaction, or even obfuscation from the School District of Philadelphia.  MORE

PRESS RELEASE

May 19, 2022

PHILADELPHIA—For the second time, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT), the American Federation of Teachers Pennsylvania (AFTPA), and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) filed an amicus "friend of the court" brief in support of the landmark school funding trial.

Access our newly filed brief here. Access our 2015 brief here.

Since before the trial's inception and throughout the years of preparation and court hearings, our unions and members have been staunch advocates for the fair funding of public education. Indeed, collectively with the plaintiffs

MORE