LAMPHERE FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
AFT Michigan #1614
April/May 2007
Bargaining Team--The following individuals have graciously agreed to be on the LFT Bargaining Team for 2007: Chris Anderson (Lessenger), Barb Buczynski (Page), Michelle Lass (Lessenger) and Beth Sabo (Page). Liz Duhn of AFT Michigan will also be on the bargaining team. No dates have been set at yet. Please check this web site. New information will be posted here as it is available.
Contract Study Surveys-- If you have not returned your Contract Study Surve and would still like to do so please return it to me via interschool mail or to your building rep. Your opinions are important!
Lansing--The latest cut to the Education Budget for this school year is $125 per pupil. The governor is sending out letters to school superintendents on Monday, April 30th to inform them of this proration in funding. Further defects are predicted in next year's budget. Contact your legislator to share your opinion. Check out the activist page at the AFT Michigan website, http://www.aftmichigan.org.
Lobby Day--AFT Michigan hosted a Lobby Day in Lansing on April 18th. Thanks to Donna Bush, Ross Cardew, Denise Jackson, Michelle Lass, Beth Sabo, Doren Steckler and Dave Wrobel for attending.
Postal Workers Food Drive--The Letter Carriers Food Drive is scheduled for Saturday, May 12th. They will be collecting non-perishable food items. We are asked to support their efforts by leaving items by our mailboxes. Last year more than 70 million pounds of non-perishable food was collected. For more information go to www.nalc.org/commun/foodrive.
Building Minds, Minding Buildings--Thank you to members who took the time to fill out this survey for the AFT. The story below explains the purpose of the survey in greater detail.
The research is unequivocal: Poor school building conditions are a serious threat to
the health and academic performance of students. Achievement is significantly lower in
schools with poor conditions, studies show. Likewise, asthma induced by mold and other
indoor air quality problems is an increasingly prevalent school health issue and a major
contributor to student and staff absenteeism.
Things don't have to be this way. Schools can be modernized or built from scratch using
proven, cost-effective and eco-friendly solutions. Many schools already are meeting these
high standards, serving as models to others.
Unions need to play a vital role in making schools the best possible learning
environments. Teachers and school staff have first-hand knowledge of the elements that
foster student achievement. The men and women of the construction trades have the know-how
needed to build high-quality buildings that stand the test of time. That’s why the
Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO, has joined the AFT as a partner in
our national "Building Minds, Minding Buildings" campaign.
The campaign aims to improve the conditions in school buildings through concerted and
immediate action at the federal, state and local levels. Many of our recommendations can
be found in our recent report, "Building
Minds, Minding Buildings: Turning Crumbling Buildings into Environments for
Learning."
We urge policymakers and elected officials to make these recommendations a top priority.
We also urge school staff, parents and concerned community members to get involved in the
decision-making process at every level. (Parents and school employees are invited to take
our school building survey.)
The AFT believes that healthy, well-maintained schools that are conducive to learning
cannot be reserved for select communities; they must be part of the academic agenda for
every American student.
We cannot put off action for another day. The cost of continued neglect is too great.
America's students deserve safe and healthy schools, and they need them today.
Congress Reintroduces Child Nutrition Legislation--Good nutrition
is important to the well-being and academic success of students in schools, which is why
food in the school breakfast and lunch program must meet specific guidelines. Competitive
foods—chips, cookies, candy and soda usually sold outside the
cafeteria—don’t meet those same standards. Recently, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)
reintroduced the Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act (S. 771), with
bipartisan support that included Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio). Rep. Lynn Woolsey
(D-Caliph.) reintroduced a House version (H.R. 1363).
The legislation revises the definition of "foods of minimal nutritional value"
to correspond with current nutrition science. The bill also expands the time and place
rule, giving the secretary of agriculture authority over all food and beverages sold on
school campuses during the course of the school day. The School Nutrition Association and
other organizations (including the AFT) have been advocating that all foods served in
schools should be held to an appropriate and consistent standard. Failure to apply the
same rules to all foods sold or served in schools throughout the school day erodes the
efforts schools are making to ensure the high nutritional quality of the meals they offer.
Contact your members of Congress and ask for their support of S. 771 and H.B. 1363.
Protect Your Rights in the Workplace during Times of Illness--The U.S. Labor Department is considering new rules for the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) that would substantially restrict the ability to take time off from work to care for family members or yourself during a time of illness. It is important that policymakers know that these rights are important to us all. Please take a moment to tell the U.S. Department of Labor and the Bush administration how important these protections are to you and your family.
GRANDMA IN COMBAT BOOTS NEEDS YOUR CHILDREN'S BOOKS
Respectfully submitted,
Judy Schram
LFT President