Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Educators learn early in our careers that it’s not what is said that counts, it’s what is heard. …

Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: “Union Membership: Very Sexy.” The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security — all associated with union membership — boost one’s chances of getting married. …

This letter was initially sent to AFT leaders. Why? Why did this happen? Why did police continue to beat Tyre Nichols as he complied with their instructions? Why didn’t they stop? Why did yet another Black family needlessly lose a loved one with the world watching in horror? Those are…

As educators and families have grappled with the challenges of teaching, learning and reconnecting during the COVID-19 pandemic, you would hope that elected officials would have done all they could to help educators and families cope, recover and thrive. Instead, over the past three years, legislators in 45 states proposed…

In the leadup to the midterm elections, pundits predicted a red wave, even a tsunami, based on polls, historical precedent, and steep gas and grocery prices. But I had my doubts. I spent the weeks before the elections talking to voters and traveling on the AFT Votes bus, rolling through…

American teachers have a long history of offering support and solidarity to their sisters and brothers around the world in times of crisis. Earlier this month, I traveled to Lviv, Ukraine, to visit schools and meet with internally displaced teachers, labor leaders, education officials and children. After being bombed, brutalized…

As a teacher, I like to think people are capable of learning lessons in life, not just from the distant past, but from what goes on around us in the here and now. And what just happened to former Prime Minister Liz Truss in Great Britain, and to the political…

Back-to-school time is a time for fresh starts: new teachers, new classrooms, maybe even a new school. It’s a time to reconnect with old friends and make a few new ones. At the AFT, we love back-to-school season. This year, back-to-school season feels especially important. The past few years have…

For many people, August brings the dog days of summer, with last-minute trips, barbecues and downtime. But for educators and support staff from pre-K through college, the end of summer is a whirl of activity and anticipation as they prepare for a new school year laser-focused on students’ recovery. And…