News from AFT Retirees Archive

In her quick weekly update, AFT President Randi Weingarten talks about how, by breaking up and dispersing the U.S. Education Department, the Trump administration is simply making it harder to access services like Title I, special education and career tech. "Our students are paying the price," she says. Weingarten also takes note of record-high grocery prices and the work of the AFT and our allies to provide families some relief by lowering the cost of healthcare and passing a cost-of-living tax cut. Weingarten signs off with thanks to our members and a wish for all to enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving.

 

 

 

In the recent fight over our country’s budget, Republicans weaponized hunger and healthcare for political leverage. Meanwhile, immigrants are being yanked off the streets, educational institutions are being attacked and millions of people are being pushed into deeper economic insecurity. But Americans are standing up—from the ballot box to the No Kings protests—to defend their future. In her latest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten describes why we must continue to fight against power-hungry elected officials and work to elect people who will lower the cost of living, treat people with dignity and strengthen public schools.

 

 

AFT members have fought hard to stop a healthcare crisis, which is why Congress’ failure to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits is unacceptable. If these credits expire, millions will face higher costs or lose coverage entirely. The House of Representatives can still force a vote if enough members sign on to override leadership and bring the bill to the floor, and your voice is what will push them to do it.

 

 

President Donald Trump has announced a plan to dismantle the Department of Education, moving major parts of the agency to other federal departments and leaving America’s students and educators in the lurch. This move is neither streamlining nor reform—it’s an abandonment of America’s future. Rather than show leadership in helping all students succeed, it walks away from our kids. We need our members of Congress to reclaim their authority over education during the upcoming funding battles and stand up to protect public education. We can’t allow the federal government to shirk its responsibility. Write to your elected officials now and urge them to protect public education.  

 

Every day, millions of Americans are not sure how they’ll afford their next meal. For hospital dietitians like Laura Cordwin and Courtney Iwanicki, the ripple effects of that uncertainty are felt daily in the lives of their patients. At Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor, Mich., both women see the direct link between access to food and the health outcomes of the people they serve. As members of United Michigan Medicine Allied Professionals, they’ve built stronger networks across departments to better support patients navigating hunger, chronic illness and a system that sometimes fails to meet their most basic needs.  

 

 

Thousands of immigrant families are going to the New York City immigration courts for routine check-ins; yet, even when a judge has granted them legal status, many are nabbed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers waiting in the hallways to detain and attempt to deport them. Members of the Professional Staff Congress, the faculty-staff union for the City University of New York, are showing up every week to support these vulnerable individuals in any way they can, providing needed information, communicating with their loved ones if they are arrested and being a supportive presence during a terrifyingly, trying time.