The AFL-CIO has launched its 2012 AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch site—now called CEO Pay and the 99%—which includes the most comprehensive data available on 2011 executive pay. All the data available is searchable by industry, by state and by the top 100 highest-paid CEOs.

In her latest column appearing in the New York Times, AFT president Randi Weingarten describes how the AFT Innovation Fund is providing an alternative to school reform efforts that ignore the expertise of educators and their unions. The fund supports AFT affiliates that engaged in collaborative efforts that focus on promising ideas and proven programs that can be scaled up. Read the full column.

Notice from FISE President

Date:    February 1, 2012

To:       FISE Membership and Bargaining Unit employees

 

Greetings FISE members.  I am very pleased to announce and present the signed Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Federation of Indian Service Employees Union and the Department of Interior’s Office of Indian Affairs, which includes the Bureau of Indian Education, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Office of Special Trustee for American Indians and the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs.  This agreement was approved after approximately 18 months of negotiations between representatives of all four agencies from management and from the Union. 

This CBA is in alignment with President Obama’s Executive Order 13522, Interior Secretary Salazar’s Policy on Labor-Management Cooperation memo, dated July 2, 2010, and Assistant Secretary Echohawk’s endorsement of both, for labor and management to work collaboratively in addressing workplace issues. 

Rollout of this CBA will be provided jointly by management and the Union at Regional Offices throughout the country beginning this spring.  Hard copies of the document will be provided to all FISE Stewards and Chief Stewards, with electronic versions available to all employees on the Employer’s intranet and on the FISE website.  FISE legal department will also provide training to stewards and chief stewards on the new CBA by region, after the rollout. 

I believe that this new contract is a major improvement over the old CBA.  The improved working relationship between management and labor, and a contract that is clearer to understand will improve the working life of our union membership.  If there are any questions or clarifications needed regarding this document, employees should address them to the local steward or chief steward, their regional representative or the national office.       

 

Sue Parton

President, Federation of Indian Service Employees

Many studies over the years have documented the need for smoother transitions from prekindergarten to the elementary level. A new AFT report reinforces that conclusion—and does it in a manner that puts frontline voices at the heart of the dialogue.

The citizens of Ohio took back their state with a historic vote on Nov. 8 to repeal Senate Bill 5. The vote, which marks the first time that the collective bargaining rights of public employees have been upheld on a statewide ballot, sends a clear signal that Ohioans will not sit idly by while politicians scapegoat hard-working public employees for an economic crisis they did not create.

 

President Obama's bold plan—the American Jobs Act—is the right antidote to help solve our persistent economic problems, AFT president Randi Weingarten says.

Two longtime union activists and education reformers are assuming new roles in AFT's leadership, AFT president Randi Weingarten announced on Sept. 9.

Every day, educators and other public employees, and the services they provide our communities, are being attacked. From challenging collective bargaining rights, to undermining the quality of public education and higher education, to decimating pensions and trying to put healthcare coverage further out of reach, working men and women across the country are under assault. And if this has taught us one thing, it's that Elections Matter.

The AFT is looking for young teachers to join our Generation Y online community. This supportive network of young professionals is a place to discuss issues that affect you and your work. You can interact with other members through the forums and member pages, learn more about what is going on in schools across the nation, and find out about upcoming events and activities you can attend.

Generation Y teachers—those in their mid-30s or younger—say that to keep them in teaching, schools should be transformed into workplaces that support high-quality teaching and learning, so eager but nearly overwhelmed novices will stay in the profession and can become highly effective, according to a new report by the AFT and the American Institutes for Research.

In a March 28 speech sponsored by the Commonwealth Club, AFT president Randi Weingarten challenged those who have blamed public employees and their right to collectively bargain as a cause of their states' fiscal problems.

Workers' fundamental rights are under attack in a growing number of states. But as we have seen in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and elsewhere, those attacks have inspired and motivated tens of thousands of union members to stand together for their rights. The challenge now, as AFT president Randi Weingarten put it in a recent e-mail to more than 1.5 million AFT members and allies, is to take this moment and turn it into a movement. One step in that direction is a "We Are One" Week of Action, starting April 4, that will bring together members from the AFT and other unions, along with our allies, to participate in events around the country. First, take the pledge to help make a difference. Once you take the pledge, you'll see lots of ideas for how to join in the week of action.

AFT president Randi Weingarten on Feb. 24 proposed a new way to align teacher development and evaluation to due process for tenured teachers. Weingarten laid out a three-step process consisting of clear standards for what teachers should know and be able to do, a time-limited improvement and support plan for teachers deemed to be unsatisfactory according to the evaluation standards, and a hearing process that can take no longer than 100 days, which in many cases would be even more expedient.

On Jan. 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy captured and crystallized a moment in history when he told America, "the torch has been passed to a new generation." To mark the 50th anniversary of this landmark inaugural address, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has created a new website filled with groundbreaking multimedia that invites young visitors to explore the JFK legacy through such core themes as public service, civil rights and innovation.

Sue Parton                      President

David Garza                    Executive Vice President

Neaita Eagle Tail            OST Representative

Polly Kalich                     AS-IA Representative

Michael Ashley               BIA Representative

Lorene Williams             BIE Representative

Michael Jennings           Executive Director

Weingarten Rights are the rights of a worker to union representation when being questioned by management on a matter that could result in disciplinary action.  The workers must ask for such representation; the employer is not required to tell the worker of his/her rights.  The term derives from a 1975 U.S. Supreme Court decision. 

 

BUT YOU, AS THE EMPLOYEE, NEED TO INVOKE YOUR RIGHTS, I.E., YOU MUST INFORM YOUR SUPERVISOR THAT YOU NEED YOUR UNION REPRESENTATIVE TO BE PRESENT.

 

PLEASE NOTE, the Federal Government acknowledges that unions are needed by workers.