News from AFT Public Employees

How we celebrated Public Service Recognition Week

Since 1985, the first full week of May has been set aside as Public Service Recognition Week to honor those who serve our nation as federal, state and municipal public employees. Last week, the AFT honored our members’ dedication to the common good. See the AFT’s Facebook page, read this new column for AFT Voices and learn more about Public Service Recognition Week.

Humans, not AI, should make important decisions about humans

In a new column for AFT Voices, Mike Miller, a program manager with the Alaska Child Support Service Division and member of AFT Public Employees, explains exactly why humans—not robots or any other form of artificial intelligence—should always be the ones making important decisions about their clients. Last week, we celebrated human-powered decision-making by our federal, state and local public employees during Public Service Recognition Week.

Register for your free AFT Affordability Clinic

Medical bills, student loans and credit cards are pushing too many working families to the brink. That’s why the AFT is hosting free Affordability Clinics as part of our Fight for Affordability campaign. Learn how to reduce, dispute and manage your debt—and understand your rights. Register for an upcoming clinic.

The dismantling of the Voting Rights Act

The U.S. Supreme Court in Louisiana v. Callais has struck down Louisiana’s congressional map, ruling that the state’s second majority-Black district was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. That 6-3 decision kicked away the last pillar holding up the Voting Rights Act. “When courts eliminate remedies for racial discrimination in voting, they aren’t just redrawing maps. They’re dismantling democracy and setting back the promise of fair, multiracial representation,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten. “We will continue to fight for what Americans want and deserve—a fair system of representation, in which every community has an equal chance to choose their leaders and hold them accountable.” Learn how you can join the fight.

Webinar: Facing the fentanyl era

Today’s landscape of illicit drugs is evolving rapidly, with fentanyl now part of a broader mix of synthetic and often unknown substances. Join AFT President Randi Weingarten, Dr. Vin Gupta and addiction medicine expert Dr. Yngvild Olsen on Monday, June 1, at 6 p.m. EDT for a webinar on what families and communities need to know. This session will provide clear, science-based guidance on overdose risks, prevention strategies and how to talk about substance use with care and accuracy. Register and share.

Weingarten demands scrutiny of SpaceX IPO

AFT President Randi Weingarten has called upon the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to subject SpaceX’s upcoming initial public offering to “extraordinary scrutiny” to safeguard the retirement security of the AFT’s 1.8 million members, whose pensions and investments are deeply exposed to the public equities market. Weingarten warned of risks related to the company’s unprecedented scale, opaque financial practices, and governance red flags. She said, “This IPO is a test of the SEC’s commitment to investor protection in an era of unchecked corporate power.”

The fight to save SUNY Downstate

The State University of New York Downstate is a crucial academic medical center and safety net hospital that serves a predominantly Black and Latino community in New York City’s central Brooklyn neighborhood. When SUNY Chancellor John King announced plans to shut down the hospital in 2024, Downstate’s unions and a broad community coalition fought back. In the spring issue of AFT Health Care, find out how the hospital’s champions eventually won $1.1 billion to upgrade Downstate’s facilities and services.