STAND IN SOLIDARITY ALL SUMMER LONG! Great Summer Activism Opportunities. You all certainty deserve an enjoyable summer! We hope you take some time to de-pandemic yourself and pursue your favorite pastimes in June and July. Just know that your union’s leadership and staff are still working for you and are available all summer long—we never stop fighting forward. We want to invite all ATF members to stay involved this summer by joining us for one or more of these summer activism opportunities. It’s easy to get involved. When in doubt, contact Dwayne at act@atfunion.org. Let’s have some fun and raise our voices this summer. Represent Albuquerque Teachers Federation at the AFT New Mexico Convention! This year’s AFTNM Convention will be held on Thursday, June 10th, via Zoom. Delegates will elect a new President, Executive Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer of our state union. ATF is allotted 160 voting delegates. If you are interested in becoming a delegate, self-nominations are due to ATF by Friday, May 21st, at 5:00 pm. If there are more than 160 registrations, we will conduct an election. Send self-nominations through this link or email act@atfunion.org. Represent Your Union at the New Mexico Federation of Labor AFL-CIO Biennial Convention This year’s convention will meet on Saturday, June 26th via Zoom. This is a great opportunity to meet with other union siblings from the wide-ranging union constituencies who all converge under the banner of the AFL-CIO in New Mexico. To act on this opportunity, your credentials must be received by the New Mexico Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, no later than Friday, June 11, 2021, by 5:00pm. Self-nominations to be a delegate for ATF are due to ATF by Friday June 4, 2021, at 5:00. Send self-nominations to this link or email act@atfunion.org. Attend the 2021 American Federation of Teachers TEACH Conference This year’s national Together Educating America’s Children (TEACH) conference and professional development sessions will also be held virtually. The events are scheduled Tuesday, July 6, 2021 – 9:00am to Saturday, July 10, 2021 – 5:00pm. Here’s the link to register. The PRO Act is the cornerstone of the AFL-CIO’s Workers First Agenda. Stronger unions mean higher wages, safer working conditions and dignity for all people who work. The PRO Act is our first step to ‘Build Back Better with Unions.’ Tell your member of Congress to vote “yes” on the PRO Act. Ready to be a Union Leader? Apply for ATF Union School. Members of Albuquerque Teachers Federation and all members of unions affiliated with AFT New Mexico are eligible to participate in the ATF/AFT-NM Union Leadership Program. This program is designed to build our members’ capacity for union leadership by:
- Increasing members’ knowledge of major challenges facing the teaching profession.
- Improving union leadership skills.
- Conducting action research based on your areas of interest in public education and unionism.
- Using your educator voice to influence policy on a classroom, school, district, and state level.
- Networking with policymakers to discuss issues from an educator’s point of view.
The program meets one Saturday each month and features dynamic guest speakers. The policymakers who spent time with us in the 2020-21 SY included:
- Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales
- House Education Committee Members & ATF Members: Representatives G. Andres Romero, Sheryl Williams Stapleton, Joy Garratt, and Natalie Figueroa
- APS BOE Member Elizabeth Armijo
- ATF President Ellen Bernstein
- Channel 7 News Anchor Brittany Hope
- Havens Levitt, Member and Organizer for GLSEN
Candidates who successfully complete the program will earn a $1500 stipend from American Federation of Teachers. Download the application here. The deadline to apply is June 15, 2021. Email Dwayne at act@atfunion.org with questions or inquiries. Volunteer to Get Out he Vote: We Need YOU To Win the Congressional District 1 Election! A special election is being held June 1st, 2021, to fill the CD1 Congressional seat. Your union has endorsed Melanie Stansbury! We are conducting socially distanced phone banking and contactless literature drops at our members’ doors to get out the vote. Absentee voting began May 4th, early voting begins May 15th, and Election day is June 1st, so this is a very short window of time to volunteer. Can we count on you to volunteer a couple of hours to elect a pro-public education/prolabor candidate? WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THIS SUMMER!
