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Photo of AFT President Randi Weingarten addressing TEACH 2023

The AFT has always been a solutions-driven union, and our new campaign, launched during TEACH on July 21, proves it once again with a fresh, practical approach to strengthening public education. As AFT President Randi Weingarten pointed out during her keynote speech, the $5 million, yearlong campaign, “Real Solutions for Kids and Communities,” stands up against attacks on public schools and offers real-world solutions to build up, rather than break down, our communities.

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Randi Weingarten at a Massachusetts high school

Summer is upon us, and parents, children and teachers are winding down from what has been an exhausting and fully operational school year—the first since the devastating pandemic. The long-lasting impact of COVID-19 has affected our students’ and families’ well-being and ignited the politics surrounding public schools. All signs point to the coming school year unfolding with the same sound and fury, and if extremist culture warriors have their way, being even more divisive and stressful.

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What unions do

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In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times  column, she describes what it is exactly that unions do. Though unions are the most popular they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives in red states and across the nation. “Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: ‘Union Membership: Very Sexy,’” Weingarten writes in the column. “The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security—all associated with union membership—boost one’s chances of getting married. Belonging to a union doesn’t actually guarantee happily ever after, but it does help working people have a better life in the here and now.” Click through to read the full column.

Randi Weingarten and NYC teacher Tamara Simpson

Attacks on public education in America by extremists and culture-war peddling politicians have reached new heights (“lows” may be more apt), but they are not new. The difference today is that the attacks are intended not just to undermine public education but to destroy it.

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Cleveland officially became a Say Yes to Education city. Find out the latest news on this partnership below:


Cleveland's New "Say Yes to Education" Program Can Find Encouragement from Buffalo's Experience. via WKSU on January 25, 2019


Why Say Yes to Education is a game-changer for not just CMSD students, but all of Cleveland via Fresh Water on January 24, 2019


Crain's editorial: Yes to opportunity via Crain's Cleveland Business on January 20, 2019


Say Yes to Education off to good start in Cleveland, but challenges remain via Cleveland.com on January 20, 2019


Mentoring is key piece of Cleveland

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Labor, business and community leaders are working hard to convince General Motors to reverse its decision to close its plant in Lordstown, Ohio. The community, including many AFT members and their families, fear what this closure could mean for their town. MORE
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"Other support services that will be offered by Say Yes to Education Cleveland include school-based family support specialists, mental health services and legal clinics. Say Yes to Education requires programs to be rolled out to all students within six years. According to the release, Cleveland has a plan to complete that within four years, starting in the 2019-2020 school year. The city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, the Cleveland Council of Administrators and Supervisors, the Cleveland Teachers Union and the Cleveland Public Library will be working

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"The Say Yes foundation cited efforts from several local entities beyond the school district that worked to win the foundation’s support. Those included the city of Cleveland, the Cleveland Teachers Union, Cuyahoga County, the Cleveland Foundation, College Now Greater Cleveland, United Way of Greater Cleveland and the Cleveland Public Library."


Link to full article: https://www.cleveland.com/education/2019/01/cleveland-schools-selected-…

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CTU Member Danyele Andrews, Academies 101 teacher at MLK is quoted in the article below. Our members work everyday to make a difference in our students' lives! 


To read the whole article and learn about this great opportuntiy for Cleveland's students, visit the following link: https://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2018/09/academies_mix_college_career_l_1.html

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