Over the past year, APS educators have time and again demonstrated your willingness and ability to move mountains. The initiative and flexibility it took to transition to exclusive remote learning in March 2020 is rivaled only by the recent implementation of in-person learning. These efforts are a testament to your indispensable role in our community and society.
Solidarity is key to safety. ATF Leadership and Staff continue working at the negotiating table with APS to ensure the safest working conditions possible. Over the Spring Break, we also supplied medical grade face shields to all members along with three-ply face masks for extra protection in this trying time.
These face shields are not replacements for the mandated masking. They are an additional safety measure to protect educators from particles that may enter the body through the eyes and protect our students by minimizing the amount of potentially harmful droplets that we emit.
Along with members, we included enough face shields in each mailing to cover nurses and educators working with SpEd in the Red populations who may not yet have joined their union because wearing the shields can be especially important if you work with mask-averse students.
The masks were packaged by ATF volunteers (see below) and mailed out with full instructions for assembly and a letter explaining the contents of the packages. The shield is reusable but should not be cleaned with alcohol wipes. When you are finished with the shield, the plastic portion is recyclable. If you need a replacement shield, or did not receive enough at your school, please contact your union at act@atfunion.org and we will get one out to you.
Your local union, Albuquerque Teachers Federation, was able to supply these shields through a partnership with AFT, our national union, and AFTNM, our state union. The face shields were purchased from Little Lives PPE, a business owned and operated independently by women of color.
Instructional Assistants, nursing assistants and bus drivers received face shields from their union, the Albuquerque Federation of Classified Professionals (AFCP).
Please make sure to wear your ATF union sticker with pride.
Once again, we thank you for all of the work you are doing. We will accomplish this monumental task of reopening our schools to in-person learning through our solidarity.
Thank you to those who volunteered to package and mail the face shields:
Roberta Greenberg, LBJ MS
Rose Schiowitz, Eugene Field
Phillip King, Valle Vista ES
Katrina Garcia Spillman, Edward Gonzalez ES
Margaret Matteucci, Desert Ridge MS
Tracy Nichols, John Baker ES
Chelsea O-Connell, John Baker ES
James Urbany, Social Worker
Barbara Gonzales, ATF Secretary
Arlene Maestas, ATF Secretary
Deena Burnett, ATF Staff Repss
Joseph O’Connell, ATF Staff Rep
Jerry Thorn, ATF Staff Rep
