Making a Difference
As states deal with the continuing fallout from the recession, the most promising strategies to get the economy moving are balanced, commonsense approaches that include investments in vital public services, creative ways to find new revenues, shared sacrifice where cuts are necessary, and, above all, a focus on creating good jobs. Unfortunately, the leadership that swept into power in many states last fall has turned to approaches that are anything but balanced. A common theme has been to attack long-standing worker protections, slash the modest public employee pensions that workers have contributed to for years, and cut funding for vital public services such as public safety, healthcare and education—all while maintaining tax breaks for corporations and wealthy individuals.
Despite the toxic political environment, AFT state and local affiliates across the country are making a difference by restoring balance to policy debates and presenting their own solutions for how to work cooperatively to move the economy forward.
On the map below, click on the orange states to see what's happening in those locations and how the AFT and its allies are responding.
Featured Story
From threatened layoffs of more than 10,000 school employees in New York to efforts to pass right-to-work legislation in Michigan, and calls for rollbacks of even the most basic elements of workplace fairness and professional voice in Florida and Illinois, AFT members and affiliates are fending off devastating blows from elected officials and from well-funded, well-coordinated fringe organizations.
Watch the video: Indiana Teachers Fight for Public Education.
Great Public Schools
AFT members are making the public schools where they work great places for children to learn and for teachers to teach and for school staff to support the learning process. See our profiles of some of those great public schools.
AFT Members Making
a Difference Every Day
Read our profiles highlighting some of the outstanding AFT members who have gone above and beyond—both in and outside the workplace