Article
- Locals
New Foundations Charter High School teachers join AFTPA
PHILADELPHIA – Teachers and professional support staff at New Foundations Charter High School in Northeast Philadelphia voted for union representation by the Alliance of Charter School Employees, an affiliate of AFT Pennsylvania and the American Federation of Teachers.
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Article
- Press
Proposed education savings accounts are vouchers. Period.
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.”
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Article
- Legislation
PA House approves charter 'reform' bill
Changes to Pennsylvania's charter reform bill are long overdue, but House Bill 97 misses the mark by a long shot. The House approved the bill, which AFT Pennsylvania opposes, and sent it to the Senate.
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Article
- Legislation
AFTPA opposes eliminating school property taxes
AFT Pennsylvania's Executive Council has approved a resolution opposing legislative efforts to eliminate school property taxes across the commonwealth. The resolution was approved unanimously by the Executive Council March 10. The property tax elimination bill has not been introduced yet.
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Article
- News
Arthur Steinberg elected to represent AFTPA members
AFT Pennsylvania elected Arthur Steinberg president of the statewide teachers union on Sunday at the conclusion of the union’s biennial convention here. Nina Esposito-Visgitis, president of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, was elected executive vice president.
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Article
- Legislation
Bill raising teachers' salaries stalled
A push to raise the state's minimum teacher salary has become a bipartisan effort, but it appears to not be enough to ensure a key piece of Gov. Tom Wolf's budget proposal will make it into the final version of the spending document.
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Article
- Locals
Scranton teachers fight for fair fundiing
After years of declining state funding, waste and corruption, the Scranton School District has been made a "recovery district" by the state. With a recovery plan due in May, there's talk of closing schools in the financially struggling, impoverished district. But members of the Scranton Federation of Teachers have joined with community leaders to demand adequate and fair funding. Read more and sign a petition here.
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Article
- Locals
Solidarity wins! CCP faculty, staff OK contracts
Congratulations to the amazing Faculty and Staff Federation of Community College of Philadelphia, Local 2026, which reached tentative agreements on three contracts Wednesday night, averting a strike that could have disrupted learning forf 27,000 students. Solidarity wins!
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Article
- News
TAUP president makes the case for PA Promise
PA legislators, college students and union leaders rallied in the Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday urging lawmakers to approve a plan that would provide free college education for thousands of students. PA Promise would create a grant program to cover up to four years of tuition at a state owned or state related university or community college for families who make $110,000 annually or less and it would cover tuition, room and board for students whose families make $48,000 or less.
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Article
- Legislation
Labor blocks vote on bill weakening PA unions
A Janus-related bill (House Bill 785) aimed at weakening public employees' voices and smothering unions in Pennsylvania was voted out of committee but blocked from a vote on the House floor. More post-Janus, anti-union bills possible this session.
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Article
- News
AFTPA endorses Pam Iovino for PA Senate
AFT Pennsylvania has endorsed U.S. Navy Captain (Ret.) Pam Iovino for the PA Senate District 37 seat formerly held by Republican Guy Reschenthaler. Iovino is running in a special election called after Reschenthaler was elected to the U.S. Congress.
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Article
- Press
Kirsch applauds Gov. Wolf's budget
AFTPA President Ted Kirsch applauded the vision and funding in the Governor's 2019-2020 budget proposal.
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Article
- Legislation
PA House-Senate appoint committee chairs
The Pennsylvania House and Senate have named the following legislators as majority and minority chairs of their committees. The retirements and election losses brought major leadership changes to several committees.
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Article
- News
Senate leader drops challenge to Lindsey Williams
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.
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Article
- News
New Foundations Charter School ratifies first union contract
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.
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Article
- Press
AFT leaders offer condolences to Pittsburgh synagogue attack victims, community
AFT leaders in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Washington offered their condolences in the wake of the mass shooting of 13 congregants at a Pittsburgh synagogue Saturday morning.
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Article
- News
Post-Janus bill would discourage workers from joining unions
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.
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Article
- Legislation
Post-Janus, PA lawmakers float bills attacking unions and their members
The Janus decision has emboldened PA lawmakers to propose a several bills aimed squarely at taking down public employee unions and disempowering school and state workers.
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