Click here for Update!

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In this issue:

1) Another huge legal victory!

2) NTU Coat and Toy Drive

3) Scholarship opportunities

and much more

Your Union had to delete the Constitution and By-Laws because additions had been made without the approval of the Executive Board.  These changes will be reviewed by the board during our January meeting.  We hope to be prepared to vote on the Constitution and By-Laws during our February meeting.

Teachers and support staff at New Foundations Charter School in Philadelphia ratified their first union contract unanimously after 11 months of negotiations. The faculty and staff voted to join the Alliance of Charter School Employees, Local 6056 of the American Federation of Teachers, AFT Pennsylvania, in 2017. 

Celebrating one of our own! The new Baltimore County executive John Olszewski Jr. has named BCFPE President and AFT-Maryland Vice President John Ripley to his transition team. Ripley has been assigned to the public safety workgroup.

2019 General Membership Meetings
Save the Dates

The BCFPE Executive Board has approved the following dates for the 2019 General Membership Meetings:

• February 27, 2019 at 6:00 pm.
• May 22, 2019 at 6:00 pm.
• September 25, 2019 at 6:00 pm.

Click to read 

Click here for the printable AFT Vermont Lobby Days 2019.

Wednesday, January 30: 11a-5:30 (4p Reception for Legislators)

Wednesday, February 20: 7:30a-1p (8a Coffee for Legislators

Wednesday, March 20: 10a-2p

For all Legislative Action Days

* Orientation/Update
* Meet with your State Senators and Representatives
* Noon: Working Vermont Legislative Caucus

Dear Brothers & Sisters:

Chris Cerf and his charter school advocates have lost their bid to have seniority removed from each and every one of you.  This has been a long battle, and it is not yet over as the Cerf allies are still trying to destroy your right to have a strong Teacher's Union by filing these cases throughout the country hoping that they someday will arise to the United States Supreme Court. 

On December 9, the Seattle Times Editorial Board published an opinion piece supporting better funding at the State level for community colleges across Washington.  The board acknowledged that while k-12 funding has been appropriately addressed, the community colleges have been left behind, while stll doing the heavy lifting for employment training. They call the SBCTC's $189 million request "relatively modest"

Dear Members,

As the summer has come to a conclusion and the weather has gotten colder, I know you have all been anxiously anticipating the retro check for summers 2016, 2017, and the recently concluded 2018.  Over the past few weeks I have been in contact with UUP trying to get a better idea of when we are going to see this payment.  I do not want anyone to get wrong information or get their hopes up for a check in the next few weeks. 

AFT-Maryland Professional Employee Council members turned out on Saturday, December 08, 2019 and VOTED 100% YES to support the 2020 Economic Re-Opener agreement that garnered its members a second consecutive year of wage increases.  MPEC's President Jerry T. Smith and the contract negotiation's team are committed to "getting wage increases how they can get it".