As we all know, public education is under assault here in New Hampshire.  Yesterday, though, we won three important victories, and it is time to take a moment to celebrate and to reflect. Days like today don’t come about too often, especially when opponents of public education control seemingly control every branch of NH government.  But, through the hard work of thousands of people testifying in Concord, protesting outside the State House, writing letters and emails and calling their senators and representative, you won some important victories.  So congratulations, rest up for a day, and get ready for the battles yet to come!

Attention Healthcare workers! On Friday, May 5th, join the fight for safe and effective nurse to patient ratios! #NursesTakeDC is a nurse-driven movement to make safe nurse to patient ratios a reality for all nurses in the United States. This year, nurses will gather in Washington, DC for a National Rally to raise public awareness regarding the importance of safe nurse-to-patient ratios and to support pending legislation.

Attached you will find the form if you would like to appeal the decision made by your Mangaer for Clinical Ladders. The instructions are on the first page. Click on the link below ending in .pdf.

http://unit47.ct.aft.org/files/clinicalladderappeal.pdf

Faced with massive unfunded liabilities, the State Teachers Retirement Board in April voted to eliminate cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) starting July 1. Health care premiums for those covered by STRS are expected to increase as cost trends continue to go up. 

Keep up with the action as Governor John Bel Edwards and the Louisiana Legislature try to reconfigure our state’s finances in the 2017 Regular Legislative Session.

AFT Michigan President David Hecker and DFT President Ivy Bailey attended the annual Detroit branch NAACP Fight for Freedom Dinner held on April 23 at Cobo Convention Center in downtown Detroit. 

The keynote speaker was U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts. 

If we are serious about improving public education for all children, we should invest in their schools and their educators. That’s why it is essential that we take a critical look at the resources we have available and how those resources are being allocated. 

In terms of public activity, this was a relatively quiet week at the State House, but be assured, wheels are turning.  The House met in session yesterday for only two hours, passing a number of smaller or less important bills, while work continues on the big pieces of legislation.  Probably the most noteworthy moment was the brief set of comments offered by Representative Kat Rogers in commemoration of the Columbine school shooting.  Her remarks were brief, pointed, and applauded by many, but not all (you can imagine what ideological element of the House refused to honor her efforts).  In similar fashion, the Senate also met and rendered decisions on a number of pieces of legislation, each important to certain constituencies but none of major, state-wide importance.  The big issues and the controversial legislation is yet to come forth; likewise, work continues on the Senate’s budget proposal. 

Colleagues,

1)     Contract Update: The NTU Negotiations Committee met several days over vacation to work around some roadblocks to the contract's progress. For the entire week this week, internal meetings amongst committee members, and negotiations meetings with NPS were held. As of now, we can only firmly state that we have reached tentative agreements on the following:

1. We have reviewed and cleaned up language that was conflicting in the previous CBA.

2. We have a tentative agreement language and terms for the new CBA.

Abbreviated BESE meetings sidestep ESSA issue

Faster than a speeding bullet, the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education sailed through its slate of meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday in record time. Committee hearings that generally last until the sun goes down (or later) were gaveled to a close with hours to spare, leaving onlookers puzzled more about what did not happen than what did.