Social Security, NCLB top agenda of meetings with members of Congress

Key national issues don’t pack up and go home during congressional recess. That’s why the AFT launched the Activists for Congressional Education (ACE) program, a new effort to help Congress understand how federal law is really playing in Peoria … in Miami ... in San Francisco … and hundreds of other communities.

The heart of the effort involves a series of meetings, held about twice a year, in the home districts of congressional representatives. Rank-and-file AFT members, joined by local union leaders, will meet with elected leaders and their staffs in frank and informal discussions of such issues as Social Security, the No Child Left Behind Act, federal support for schools and other vital domestic concerns. It’s a face-to-face opportunity for members to give politicians a frontline take on the good, the bad and the ugly behind major federal laws and proposals.

Pamela Sue Campbell, president of the Eau Claire (Wis.) School Classified Staff/AFT, was one of the first to participate in an ACE meeting and used the gathering at the home office of Rep. David R. Obey to detail some of the problems that classified employees face under NCLB, including the lack of planning that would allow classifieds to take their “highly qualified educator” status from one district to another. Campbell also stressed that the law’s deadline for Title I classroom aides to show they are highly qualified is a heavy burden.

“Congressman Obey has been receptive to our issues, and I think the meeting helped [his office] understand the finer points of what they already know and what they are supporting,” Campbell reports.

Similar reports of engaging and candid meetings in other districts were received by AFT following the Memorial Day weekend rollout of the ACE program, says AFT political and legislative mobilization director John Ost.

UFT paraprofessionals support contract fight

Nearly 20,000 members of the United Federation of Teachers—-including a healthy contingent of paraprofessionals—turned out for a massive rally in June at Madison Square Garden to mark the union’s two-year anniversary of working without a new contract.

“You earn it every day, and I promise you I will not rest until you get the contract you so mightily deserve,” said UFT president Randi Weingarten, who is also an AFT vice president.

Nearly 60,000 UFT members filled out report cards grading Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein. The results were announced at the rally event, which featured performances by Phoebe Snow, Richie Havens and the G.E. Smith Band. The duo scored “F” in eight of 10 report card categories and got a “D” in the other two. They were graded on such things as reducing class size, school safety, overcrowding and the effectiveness of professional development.

In addition to working with their teacher colleagues on citywide actions to push for progress toward a new contract, the New York City paraprofessionals staged their own events. On May 26, dubbed “Para Action Day,” members were urged to wear black to school and also hand out leaflets discussing the important work of paraprofessionals and the need for a fair contract. The day ended with a celebration at the UFT headquarters.

Labor efforts helping protect Social Security

As we published this newsletter at the end of June, President Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security was rapidly losing support among the public and on Capitol Hill, thanks in great measure to the aggressive opposition of unions and their supporters in Congress. One impressive show of unity took pace in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol in April, when thousands of opponents of privatization were joined by close to 100 members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

“Privatization is just a buzz word for the destruction of Social Security,” said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

The latest proposals circulating in Congress have substantially limited the president’s initial private accounts proposal, which would have added nearly $5 trillion to the deficit in the next 20 years. But opponents are still closely following what happens in Washington, D.C.

Sponsored by Americans United to Protect Social Security, the rally featured speakers from a wide range of groups. AFT members from several states attended.

The news from different states, where pension fights are regularly emerging, is more mixed. AFT public employee unions in Alaska, Colorado and Illinois are working with allies in their states to fend off plans to plunder their pension systems.