LAMPHERE FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
AFT Michigan #1614
December 2006
Happy Holidays -- Shop Union!--This holiday
season shop union. This is a perfect opportunity for you to help protect union jobs. When
preparing for the holidays, buy union-made goods and services. Below is a helpful list of
union-made products and services. Keep this list handy when preparing for the holidays.
Holiday Candy Ghirardelli Chocolate, Phone: 888/402-6262, Web site:
www.giftprogram.com/ghirardelli Hershey Chocolate U.S.A, Phone: 800/454-7737, Web site:
www.hersheygifts.com Russell Stover Candy, Phone: 800/777-4028, Web site:
www.russellstover.com See's Candy, Phone: 880/347-7337, Web site: www.sees.com World
Candies, Phone: 718/855-5538
Clothing
Union Jean & Apparel Company, Phone: 877/692-8009, Web site:
www.unionjeancompany.com Justice Clothing, Phone: 412/661-0620, Web site:
www.justiceclothing.com/thereis/justice/index.html No Sweat Apparel Company, Phone:
877/992-7827, Web site: www.nosweatapparel.com New Era Cap Company, Phone: 800/989-0445,
Web site: www.neweracap.com Excelled Sheepskin & Leather, Phone: 800/466-6663, Web
site: www.leathercoatsetc.com Weinbrenner USA, Phone: 800/826-0002, Web site: Alden Shoe,
Phone: 508/947-3926, Web site: www.aldenshoe.com
Artwork, Posters, Books & Gifts
Northland Poster Collective, Phone: 800/627-3082, Web site:
www.northlandposter.com
Syracuse Cultural Workers, Phone: 315/474-1132, ext. 2, Web site:
www.syrculturalworkers.com
Powell's Books, Phone: 866/201-7601, Web site: www.powells.com Union Communications
Services (UCS), Phone: 800/321-2545 Really Big Coloring Books, Incorporated, Phone:
800/244-2665 The Union Shop, Phone: 888/864-6625 To view a more complete list of products
including bedding, china, telephone and internet providers, holiday figurines and
ornaments and much more, visit http://www.ShopUnionMade.org.
Shop union and help keep union jobs strong.
Shop union grocery stores--Meijer, Kroger, Hollywood Supermarket and
Farmer Jack. Avoid Wal Mart. Their management actively and vigorously opposes
unionization.
AFT GETS READY FOR A NEW CONGRESS
The newly elected Congress has an opportunity to chart a new course for America by
implementing campaign priorities into legislation and programs—and the AFT already
has the structure in place to offer ideas on key issues. The union's ACE (Activists for
Congressional Education) program, which connects lawmakers with AFT constituents back home
in frank, substantive and regular discussions, will become more crucial than ever as the
new Congress convenes in January. And while the AFT celebrated campaign victories earlier
this month, now "it's time to establish ACE committees" in districts where there
are none, AFT president Edward J. McElroy told state federation leaders on Nov. 10 (see
McElroy's video clip). Currently there are about 200 ACE
committees established in congressional districts, but there should be about 350 (this
represents districts where AFT has membership of 300 or more), says John Ost, director of
the union's political and legislative mobilization department. "We can't assume that
the new members of Congress know everything about our issues. This is an opportunity to
educate them." The union will likely focus on a number of key issues, says AFT
legislative director Tor Cowan, including the No Child Left Behind Act; a minimum wage
increase; worker rights; school modernization and repairs; retirement security; expanded
college access; and affordability of prescription drugs under Medicare. "We look
forward to working with ACE committees and other AFT activists to help us push the new
leaders in Congress—Republicans and Democrats alike—to enact laws that serve the
common good," says Cowan.
SCIENCE SCORES FOR URBAN DISTRICTS STILL LAGGING
A trial assessment of academic performance in science among fourth- and eighth-graders in
10 urban districts showed that students performed about the same or better than comparable
students—based on ethnicity and income—in large central cities, but still scored
below the national average for all students, according to the Nation's Report Card, which
reports the findings of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The 2005
NAEP Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA), released Nov. 15, looked at how students
performed in three fields of science: earth science, physical science and life science.
Participating school districts were Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Charlotte, N.C.;
Chicago; Cleveland; Houston; Los Angeles; New York City; and San Diego. TUDA found that
all 10 districts except Austin scored below the national average in grade 4 and all scored
below the national average in grade 8. The NAEP results "tell us there is much more
work to be done in our nation's urban schools," said AFT executive vice president
Antonia Cortese in a statement. "Laws like No Child Left
Behind are narrowing the educational curriculum to the point that crucial subjects are in
danger of being left behind." Upward trends in NAEP reading scores among
disadvantaged students, however, she noted, show that "given the right supports,
students in urban districts do succeed." For details of the assessment, go to http://nationsreportcard.gov/.
COALITION REPORT CRITICIZES U.S. ON CHILD LABOR PROTECTIONS
The U.S. government has become increasingly indifferent to protecting working children,
says the Child Labor Coalition (CLC) in a new report to the International Labor
Organization. Based on data acquired by the CLC from the U.S. Labor Department (DOL) under
the Freedom of Information Act, the CLC report, Protecting Working Children in the United States: The
Government’s Striking Decline in Child Labor Enforcement Activities, shows
a persistent decade of decline in child labor enforcement and penalties. This includes a
31.5 percent decline in the number of child labor investigations between fiscal years 2004
and 2005, and a 20.2 percent decline in time DOL spent conducting child labor
investigations during the same period. Further, the average civil money penalty assessed
per violation of child labor laws in 2005 was just over $1,000—while the maximum
penalty allowed under law is $11,000 per violation. AFT executive vice president Antonia
Cortese serves as co-chair of the CLC, along with National Consumers League president
Linda Golodner. This month, the CLC forwarded a copy of the report to the Geneva-based
International Labor Organization, questioning whether the United States is in compliance
with ILO Convention 182, which calls for immediate action to eliminate the worst forms of
child labor. The United States ratified the convention more than six years ago. Cortese
and Golodner also sent the report to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao and have requested a
meeting on the issue.
Respectfully submitted,
Judy Schram
LFT President
