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In focus are five of the glass Education Champion Awards, presented to AFTPA members on Saturday, July 12, 2025. Each award is inscribed with the AFTPA logo at the top, the award name in cursive below, the recipient's name in large capital letters in the center, and a description of the award at the bottom. The awards are octagonal, and are set on a table with a black tabletop. The background is blurred.

Our tradition every year is to honor the outstanding work of local union leaders, educators, paraprofessionals, and school staff with awards recognizing their excellence. In 2023, we hosted our first-ever AFT Pennsylvania Education Champions Awards Celebration, and the 2025 awards were presented on Saturday, July 12, 2025. Read more about the awards here.

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On Tuesday, along with the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers and March for Our Lives, we held a vigil in front of Senator Pat Toomey's office to demand commonsense action on gun safety policies.

Below is a round up of the coverage we received. Special thanks to AFT PA Executive Vice President Nina Esposito-Visgitis, March for Our Lives Co-Founder David Hogg, Allegheny/Fayette Labor Council Chaplain Reverend Torrey Johnson, and PFT400 VP for Middle Schools, Robert Mitchell for assembling our group and speaking so powerfully.

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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, lawyers, advocates, and so

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White, all caps text reads, "Online Courses for K-12 Educators" over a blackboard background with colorful school supplies -- including colored pencils, paper clips, push pins, paints, and chalk -- are around the border. At the bottom is VESi's logo and information, reading, "VESi develops online education courses for professionals that are convenient, relevant, and affordable."

Did you know you can take discounted online courses to meet your professional development needs? For $275, you can take up to three online graduate courses (nine credits) per year, offered through a partnership with Misericordia University and Virtual Education Software (VESi).

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Plymouth Meeting, PA, February 8, 2022—On behalf of its 36,000 members and 64 locals, AFT Pennsylvania President Arthur G. Steinberg on Tuesday released a statement on Governor Wolf’s proposed 2022-2023 budget:

“Once again, Governor Wolf has shown that he is serious about fully and fairly funding public education in Pennsylvania, and we applaud his proposals for his final year in office. Substantial increases in funding are needed for basic and higher education in our commonwealth, and the Governor’s budget makes huge investments toward those goals.

“With potentially once-in-a-lifetime funding

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**PRESS RELEASE**

AFT PENNSYLVANIA URGES CAUTION ON REOPENING SCHOOLS

Plymouth Meeting, PA, January 8, 2021—On behalf of its 36,000 members and 61 locals, AFT Pennsylvania President Arthur G. Steinberg on Friday released the following statement urging the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Health and Department of Education to use caution after new guidance issued by Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine encourages districts to resume in-person learning.

“It is troubling to see Pennsylvania’s chief public health official, and someone whom I greatly respect, issue guidance encouraging

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Report non-compliance here

Plymouth Meeting, PA, December 21, 2020—On behalf of its 36,000 members and 61 locals, AFT Pennsylvania on Monday released a webform for educators, staff, students, parents, and community members to report non-compliance with the Pennsylvania Secretary of Health’s November 24, 2020 Order Directing Public School Entities in Counties with Substantial Community Transmission to Attest to Health and Safety Protocols.

“While Pennsylvania’s largest school districts have responsibly moved to a fully remote instruction model, it is imperative that districts continuing in-person

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Millions of Pennsylvanians have already requested a mail in or absentee ballot, and many have already even completed them and have cast their vote. And we hope you're one of them! If not, we've got you covered.

Option 1: Vote by Mail

We're sure you've heard plenty about voting by mail this election. But, despite the lies and disinformation surrounding Vote By Mail, it's safe, secure, and your vote will be counted (albeit not until 8pm on November 3rd). And, given that there will be fewer polling locations open than in years past, there may be long lines. Avoid the lines and vote by mail!

The

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List as of October 18, 2020.

Statewide Endorsements

Auditor General: Nina Ahmad

Congressional Endorsements

United States Congress District 1: Christina Finello
United States Congress District 2: Brendan  Boyle*
United States Congress District 7: Susan Wild*
United States Congress District 8: Matt Cartwright*
United States Congress District 10: Eugene Depasquale
United States Congress District 16: Kristy Gnibus
United States Congress District 17: Conor Lamb*

Pennsylvania General Assembly Candidate Endorsements

Pennsylvania House District 7: Mark Longietti* (Mercer County)
Pennsylvania House District 9
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Context

The unrest unfolding across the nation is borne out of centuries of a society founded on racism, a society rooted in the notion that black and brown people have to, time and again, prove their humanity. The murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police is another searing example of the criminalization of blackness in America, and it is emblematic of the profound injustice that permeates nearly every aspect of our society. The story of this unrest is not the broken windows. We cannot and will not be distracted from the root cause, from the cries of pain.

The story of this

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