American Federation of Teachers

Campaigns

• Healthcare Workers Need Protective Equipment Now

  I’m a nurse in Alaska. Nurses and other healthcare professionals are on the frontlines of fighting the COVID-19 outbreak and caring for our patients, but we're running out of personal protective equipment (PPE) in states across the nation. We don’t have the right kind of N95 respirator masks to keep us and you safe. We don’t have enough ventilators to keep the very sickest patients alive. We don’t have the ear or the attention of the president, who make promises and then walks away does nothing. This is scary. Our job is to treat and care for people, and we will not leave our patients behind. If we run out of equipment, healthcare providers and the patients we care for will die. Let's be clear: If we get sick and if people die, it’s because policies that go all the way to the top have failed us. We should have been producing the needed respirators, masks and ventilators long before this. The administration should have taken the outbreak seriously when it started three months ago. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention keeps lowering the guidelines for healthcare workers to be safe; the CDC just said that we can use bandanas as masks. The CDC is putting my life and the lives of other nurses at risk by telling us to use scarves rather than producing enough masks that will keep us safe. And it’s not just respirators, masks and ventilators we’re running low on. Hospitals are reporting shortages of gowns, gloves and other PPE that we need to keep ourselves safe as we care for the sick. Trump has said he’ll use the Defense Production Act to make masks and tests, after weeks of us pressuring him, but he has not said he’ll use it to ensure there are enough ventilators to keep patients from dying. And he’s still not releasing the stockpile of PPE that he has, which could fill the gap until enough n95 masks are made. Here's what we need right now: • The administration must make the production of N95 respirators and other PPE a top priority. • The President must use the Defense Production Act to make ventilators for patients. • The federal government has a stockpile of personal protective equipment, but has released less than 10 percent of the stockpile: We’re still running low. The federal government must release more of it immediately to keep us safe. • All healthcare workers should have immediate, free access to being tested to ensure that we are safe and not endangering non-infected patients. • The federal government needs to stop watering down guidelines that keep us safe. The minimum standard should be N95 respirators. Telling us to use bandanas puts our lives at risk. Will you please help us by telling the administration that we need this now.

  164,774 of 200,000 Signatures

  Created by David Walrod
• Tell DeVos: Arm Schools with Resources, Not Guns

  I pray that there will never be another school shooting like the one we lived through in Parkland, Fla. Even just earlier this year, it never occurred to me that we’d be in a situation where we might have a secretary of education consider diverting resources that are used to support poor kids in order to flood schools with more guns. However, that’s exactly what we’re up against right now, since the news broke that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is considering a plan that would allow states to use federal funds to purchase guns for teachers. As the New York Times reported, such a move would reverse a long-standing position taken by the federal government that it should not pay to outfit schools with weapons. And it would also undermine efforts by Congress to restrict the use of federal funding for guns. As recently as March, Congress passed a school safety bill that allocated $50 million a year to local school districts but expressly prohibited the use of the money for firearms. The $1 billion student support program, part of the Every Student Succeeds Act, is intended for academic and enrichment opportunities in the country’s poorest schools, and it calls for school districts to use the money toward meeting three goals: providing a well-rounded education, improving school conditions for learning, and improving the use of technology for digital literacy. Instead of after-school programs or counselors, which are critical for creating safe and welcoming schools and addressing the mental health needs of kids, DeVos wants to turn schools into armed fortresses and make kids and educators less safe. Educators, students and parents have made clear that they don’t want more guns in schools; teachers want to teach and students want to learn. Rather than disregard the demands and needs of the people who know what our schools require, the Department of Education should use Title IV funding to: ● Provide a well-rounded education (examples include expanding AP courses and access to such courses, arts education, civics education, more college and career counseling, environmental education, expanding foreign language options, STEM, and social-emotional learning); ● Ensure safe and healthy students (including asthma management, bullying prevention, drug and violence prevention, indoor air quality, safe schools, mental health, and suicide prevention); and ● Provide effective use of technology. Arming teachers is a bad idea. We know that states with the strongest gun laws see less gun violence. And we know that educators, students and parents want a safe, welcoming place for students to learn, with adequate resources to make this a reality. Stand with the education community now. Send a message to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos that this plan is reckless, dangerous, and will have long-lasting effects on our students and our schools.

  79,947 of 100,000 Signatures

  Created by Anna Fusco, Broward Teachers Union president
• Center for Individual Rights: Stop Attacking Working People

  The Koch brothers are once again attacking our freedom to join together in unions to improve the lives of all working people, and we want them to stop! In my over 20 years of teaching, I’ve seen America’s economy swing out of balance in favor of corporate CEOs and wealthy special interests who manipulate the rules to benefit themselves at the expense of the rest of us. It’s already way too hard for many Americans to get by, let alone get ahead. Now there’s a new case before the U.S. Supreme Court that threatens to make things even worse. A group called the Center for Individual Rights, which the American Prospect recently revealed has been funded by the Koch Brothers, other right-wing one-percenters, and even white supremacists, is trying to make it even harder for public service workers – teachers like me, as well as nurses, social workers, firefighters and others -- to band together at work in order fight for benefits and wages we can use to provide for our families This Koch Brothers-backed group is asking the Supreme Court to impose the same kind of radical agenda we’ve seen hurt everyday people in states like Wisconsin and every state in the country. Worse yet, just like in Citizens United, this all-out attack on everyday Americans would be enshrined in the Constitution. When I began teaching at a California community college in 1992, it never even crossed my mind not to join a union, and it’s a decision I’ve never regretted. We’ve all seen the research showing that strong unions benefit the middle class. Being a union member has allowed me to speak in one voice with my fellow teachers for things that matter and benefit the community – better training, smaller classes, and wages and benefits that can sustain families. But if the groups behind this case get their way, it will be another major blow to the middle class. Tell the Center for Individual Rights: Enough is enough! It’s time to stop attacking working people -- the teachers like me and other public service workers who work to make our communities better. Sign this petition and join us as we tell the Center for Individual Rights that we will not let corporate CEOs and the wealthy special interests stop us from banding together and forming unions to make our lives better. Lacy Barnes, College Instructor, California Federation of Teachers, Local 1533

  40,996 of 45,000 Signatures

  Created by Lacy Barnes
• Support teachers' right to organize a union without fear at ASPIRA Charters

  ASPIRA was originally founded in 1961 by social justice advocate and union activist, Antonia Pantoja, to address the high drop-out rate and low academic achievement of Puerto Rican youth. Their staff is dedicated to upholding that mission and seeks the board’s recognition of their hard work. In the spring of 2013 a committee of concerned educators at ASPIRA launched their campaign to form a union. The board of ASPIRA and its administration immediately launched an anti-union campaign in response. They threatened to terminate several key members of the union committee. The community rallied around the educators and charges were filed against ASPIRA at the National Labor Relations Board. Thankfully no members of the union committee were terminated. The NLRB charges were settled, and ASPIRA considerably toned down their anti-union rhetoric. Over a hundred staff members at ASPIRA schools have courageously and publicly declared their support for a union. However there are still members of the staff who are hesitant to openly support the union effort because of the chilling effect of ASPIRA’s initial anti-union campaign. That is why we are now asking for the board to publicly declare that they will not interfere with the staff’s right to organize, and agree to provide a peaceful and unobstructed pathway to union recognition. Please sign this petition demanding the ASPIRA board respect the rights of their staff by pledging to remain neutral during the unionization effort at ASPIRA. Spanish Translation: ASPIRA fue fundada originalmente en 1961 por el defensor de justicia social y activista sindical, Antonia Pantoja, para hacer frente a la alta tasa de deserción escolar y el bajo rendimiento académico en la juventud puertorriqueña. Su personal está dedicado a la defensa de esa misión y busca el reconocimiento de la mesa directiva por su ardua labor. En la primavera del 2013, un comité de educadores interesados de ASPIRA lanzaron su campaña de formar un sindicato. La mesa directiva de ASPIRA y su administración inmediatamente lanzaron una campaña antisindical en respuesta. Amenazaron con despedir a varios miembros clave del comité sindical. La comunidad se reunió en torno a los educadores y presentaron cargos contra ASPIRA ante la Junta Nacional de Relaciones Labores (NLRB por sus siglas en inglés). Afortunadamente ningún miembro del comité sindical fue despedido. Los cargos de la NLRB se resolvieron y ASPIRA moderó considerablemente su retórica antisindical. Más de un centenar de miembros del personal en las escuelas ASPIRA han declarado valiente y públicamente su apoyo al sindicato. Sin embargo, todavía hay miembros que no se atreven a respaldar públicamente el esfuerzo sindical debido al efecto de enfriamiento de la campaña inicial antisindical de ASPIRA. Es por eso que ahora estamos pidiendo a la mesa directiva que declare públicamente que no va a interferir con el derecho del personal a organizarse y que esté de acuerdo en proporcionar una vía pacífica y sin obstáculos para el reconocimiento del sindicato. Por favor firme esta petición exigiendo a la mesa directiva de ASPIRA que respete los derechos de su personal mediante la promesa de permanecer neutral durante el esfuerzo de sindicalismo en ASPIRA.

  1,096 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by ASPIRA Teachers
• Fox and Facebook: Ask the GOP Candidates Why They Advocate for Profits, not Students

  Fox News and Facebook, in preparation for the Republican presidential debate they are holding Aug. 6, are taking questions for the moderators to ask the candidates. Sign the petition below if you want Fox and Facebook to ask the candidates to discuss their support of for-profit colleges, which leave too many students out in the cold with useless degrees and unsustainable debt, and raise nearly all of their revenue—and make most of their profits—through taxpayer-financed federal student aid.

  13,484 of 15,000 Signatures

  Created by Gerardo Sandoval
• Tell the White House: Revoke Gateway Pundit's Press Credentials

  In the aftermath of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward Country, Florida., students who survived the attack have bravely stood up to demand action for safe schools and safe communities. But now, right-wing blogs are pushing wild conspiracy theories about the students who survived, claiming they are plants, are actors, or are being manipulated by politicians. I know these students. I have worked with these students. These courageous young people survived a horror beyond what any person should have to face, and now they stand with moral courage and strength to call us all to action. It is outrageous enough that outlets like the Gateway Pundit are spreading these lies and driving attacks on these students. But it is even more outrageous that an outlet that peddles lies and conspiracy theories holds a White House press credential and the authority that carries. By giving the Gateway Pundit press credentials, the White House is validating the site and these attacks. President Trump and this administration must make it clear that these attacks are unacceptable by pulling the Gateway Pundit’s credentials and permanently banning the site and its publishers from the White House. These students deserve our praise and our support. Their advocacy in the face of horror and violence is what makes America great. Instead, the Gateway Pundit is driving vicious personal attacks by peddling conspiracy theories. The White House must show that there are consequences for this kind of behavior. Jim Gard has been a math teacher for 36 years. During the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, he shielded his students in his classroom.

  76,616 of 100,000 Signatures

  Created by Jim Gard, Stoneman Math Teacher
• Protect Ohio Taxpayers and Students from Charter School Operator Raided by the FBI

  When Ohio charter schools are closed, taxpayers often have to cover costs. The attorney general’s office recouped only $422,000 of $30 million from failed charter schools. As a spokesperson for the state’s attorney general has said, “The charter school book of business is a very difficult book of business to collect on.” The petition asks state officials to take two steps permitted under Ohio law. First, Section 3314.015 Oversight of sponsors allows the State Board of Education to determine that the Concept sponsors are not complying with the requirement to oversee the schools. The board can then revoke the sponsors’ authority and transfer sponsorship to the Ohio Department of Education’s Office of School Sponsorship. Second, once the Office of School Sponsorship has become the schools’ sponsor, Section 3314.029 Ohio school sponsorship program empowers the Department of Education to require each of the 19 Ohio Concept schools to post a “bond payable to the state or to file with the state superintendent a guarantee, which shall be used to pay the state any moneys owed by the community school in the event the school closes.” Further background information can be found at: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/education/2014/07/30/fbi-raid-horizon-charter-school-cincinnati/13364593/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/07/charges_of_cheating_and_sexual.html http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/06/21/1217868/-Ohio-School-Bans-African-American-Hairstyles-For-Girls http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/07/15/19-charter-schools-to-be-investigated.html http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/3314.015 http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/3314.029 http://www.nbc4i.com/story/24778722/nbc4-investigates-taxpayers-left-holding-bill-for-charter-schools

  1,706 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Ohio Federation of Teachers and Cashing in On Kids
• We Stand with Our Teachers and Support Staff in Their Fight for Better Volusia County Schools

  Our teachers and support staff work hard every day to ensure our students in Volusia County get a high-quality public education. We ask that you respect Volusia County teachers, support staff and parents by providing a clean learning environment for our children; by investing in sufficient teaching resources; and by ensuring our schools are competitive with surrounding districts in terms of compensation. I am so grateful my child attends a school where the educators care so much about their students’ future. It is clear to me that they love working with my child, and it only seems logical that the county’s school board would be fair and supportive of the work educators do for my family and our community. When I heard that Volusia educators were standing up to address problems in our schools—the lack of learning materials, the insufficient amount of time available to engage students individually, the lack of support staff to do things like keep schools clean—I knew it was my responsibility to join them. I believe both teachers and parents play an important role in educating our children. That is why I have participated in walk-in protests with other parents and educators to show our solidarity and to show the school board and our county that we care about the conditions provided to teach our kids. The school board’s responsibility is to support educators in the teaching of our children and to provide sufficient resources for our schools—and it has the opportunity to address some of these issues during bargaining sessions happening right now. But until the school board does, we will continue marching every morning into our schools. Our school district’s vision statement says, “To make that vision a reality, we should be attracting and keeping hardworking employees by offering better wages, and we should be providing the materials and learning environments all students need to be successful.” To make that vision a reality, we should be attracting and keeping hardworking employees by offering better wages, clean learning environments and the materials all students need to be successful. Please join me today and tell the School Board of Volusia County that you support our teachers and school staff in our fight to improve our schools. This means recruiting and retaining the best while providing full resources and clean schools for our kids. Let’s reclaim Volusia County and provide the best education for all. Sincerely, Joanna Kaney Olivari

  3,931 of 4,000 Signatures

  Created by Joanna Kaney Olivari
• Stop the Attack on Ohio Teachers!

  Teachers in Ohio welcome evaluations that provide feedback and identify opportunities for professional growth. The House sub-bill shifts the focus of evaluations from thoughtfully and thoroughly identifying such opportunities to a process that puts the majority of teachers on an improvement plan as a way to falsely indicate they are not performing well in their jobs. This is untrue and unfair to teachers and students. Stop the attack on teachers and focus on what works in Ohio. Urge your legislators to reject the House sub bill and support the Senate version of SB 229 for a fair and valid teacher evaluation process. For more information, visit http://oh.aft.org/take-action/house-eliminates-collective-bargaining-evaluations-act-now.

  2,763 of 3,000 Signatures

  Created by Melissa Cropper, President, Ohio Federation of Teachers
• Tell Detroit Public Schools: Our Kids Deserve Better

  For too long, Detroit students and educators have been learning and teaching in deplorable conditions. From serious health and safety hazards such as mold, asbestos and mice infestations, to classrooms with no heat, these unacceptable conditions have been ignored. The floor of the gym at one school has buckled from water damage and is covered in black mold. In at least one school, classrooms even have bullet holes in the walls. Teachers and support staff are expected to teach in overcrowded classrooms without textbooks or support. Students with health issues are suffering due to the lack of school nurses. Educators in Detroit’s public schools come to school every day despite these disgusting conditions and do the best we can to give our students a great education. Enough is enough. Students, parents, educators and the Detroit community are demanding real answers from Gov. Rick Snyder and Emergency Manager Darnell Earley. It’s time to fully fund Detroit’s public schools. Our students deserve nothing less.

  31,825 of 35,000 Signatures

  Created by Detroit Federation of Teachers