Spring 2023 Election
We’re excited to announce AFT-Wisconsin’s endorsement of Judge Janet Protasiewicz for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
Eau Claire support staff mobilize for special ed assistant reclass
Public school support staff perform work that keeps their schools running, work that is essential to the educational mission of Wisconsin’s public school system. Unfortunately, this work is too often undervalued by school district administrations, who frequently ignore pressing issues that make it hard to recruit and retain the best school staff. So, after five years of pay freezes, reduced take-home pay, and declining benefits, members of AFT local 4018, the Eau Claire Schools Classified Staff Federation, decided they’d had enough, and made plans to take their issues directly to the school board.
Ashland educators organize to form handbook committee
The first version of the employee handbook for the Ashland school district was created with extensive input from members of the Ashland Federation of Teachers (AFT local 1275) and the Ashland Federation of Paraprofessionals (AFT local 4232), with representatives of each union sitting on a handbook committee with the administration. However, the following year, union members were surprised to see substantial changes made without any opportunity for employee input. Members of both locals met to discuss the issue, and decided to organize their coworkers and take the issue to the next district school board meeting, where they would petition the board to re-form the handbook committee as a permanent working group.
State employee coalition hosts teach-in on civil service
When Wisconsin Republicans introduced legislation to remove key components of the civil service system, members of AFT-Wisconsin state employee unions quickly mobilized alongside other supporters of clean government, forming the Wisconsin Coalition to Save Civil Service. Alongside their AFSCME union sisters and brothers, AFT-Wisconsin activists organized building meetings to spread the word about the importance of civil service to clean government and effective state agencies.
AFT-Wisconsin endorses Russ Feingold
AFT-Wisconsin is proud to announce that it has endorsed Russ Feingold in his campaign for the US Senate. President Kim Kohlhaas sent the following letter to Mr. Feingold to announce the endorsement:
Dear Mr. Feingold,
It is with great pleasure that I, on behalf of the AFT-Wisconsin Executive Board and our thousands of members across the state of Wisconsin, offer our full support to your campaign and endorse you in your bid for the US Senate.
UW System faculty, staff, graduate employees, and students rally for academic freedom
Faculty, staff, graduate employees, and students from across the University of Wisconsin System gathered on Friday, February 5, to rally in defense of tenure, quality education, and academic freedom before the Board of Regents gathered to review draft policies on faculty tenure.
AFT-Wisconsin/AAUP statement on proposed UW System tenure policies
As members of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents gathered to consider new tenure policies for the UW System, AFT-Wisconsin and the American Association of University Professors issued the following joint statement (PDF):