2016 Presidential Election

Standing Up to Unprecedented Threats to Schools

Fri, 01/06/2017 - 6:00pm
By choosing billionaire political donor Betsy DeVos to lead the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), President-elect Donald Trump has shown he is serious about decimating our nation's public schools. Congress has scheduled her nomination hearing for next Wednesday, adding urgency to the defense of our shared mission of a high-quality learning experience for all students. Members are encouraged to sign and share an open letter demanding the secretary of education and every elected official respect and uphold this vision.
 
Click here to add your name to the letter.
 

The Challenge of Precarious Labor in Higher Ed

Fri, 12/23/2016 - 2:00pm
The landscape of America's working world continues to shift, with the number of unstable — and, often, part-time — jobs, low pay and exploitative conditions increasing at a rapid rate. At a daylong Washington, D.C., conference earlier this month, union leaders, policy experts and academics examined the contingent labor force and how to ensure fair working conditions for all. Much of the discussion centered on the issues impacting higher education adjunct faculty and graduate student employees; two groups participating in a "day of action" next month here in Connecticut.
 

Standing Up to the Swindle of Public Services

Fri, 10/14/2016 - 5:30pm
The now-infamous scheme by pharmaceutical firm Mylan to squeeze profits from patients through predatory price hikes on its life-saving EpiPens is widely known. Less well known is the company's tax avoidance scam two years earlier, part of a growing trend among corporations to exploit loopholes and enable politicians to push harmful austerity policies.
 

The True Meaning of the So-Called "Pathway to Sustainability"

Thu, 09/22/2016 - 6:00pm
Connecticut House Republicans last week released a "Five Point Plan for a Pathway to Sustainability" during a press conference launching their 2016 legislative election campaign. Its wonky, vaguely-worded language avoids the true impact of their proposals — so leaders of our state employee unions coalition took the liberty of uncovering and exposing the plan's truths. 
 
Click here for an annotated version of the House GOP plan.
 

A Supreme Court Vacancy: No Time to Rest Easy

Mon, 02/15/2016 - 4:30pm
The news of Justice Antonin Scalia's sudden passing on Saturday has raised important questions about cases currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. The unjust Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association (CTA) lawsuit no longer appears headed to a likely defeat for our unions and the wider labor movement in America. Still, some legal experts are predicting it to be re-argued once the vacancy on the high court is filled.
 
Click here for the latest update from a high court analyst.
 
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