American Federation of Teachers New Jersey, AFL-CIO

Month: December 2012

Higher Ed News
AFTNJ

TCNJ employees claim health issues from chemical odor, as college officials dissuade relocations

By David Karas/The Times

EWING — “I’m not feeling too good, if you can send someone over here,” an out-of-breath Marisa Hutton told the 911 dispatcher at The College of New Jersey Police Department on Oct. 20, 2011. “I’m having a hard time breathing. There is some kind of smell over here.”

Campus police officer Julia Verwers was the first to arrive at Hutton’s office in Armstrong Hall, which houses offices and classrooms for the School of Engineering.…

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Pre-K to 12 News
AFTNJ

The War Against Teachers

By Henry A. Giroux

If the US is to cease its slide into a violent, anti-democratic state, we must rethink the relationship between education and democracy, and the very nature of teaching.

A little learning is a dangerous thing.– Alexander Pope

The tragic deaths of 26 people shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.,…

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Higher Ed News
AFTNJ

Report: N.J. college enrollment growing more diverse

By Diane D’Amico, AP/The Press of Atlantic City

ATLANTIC CITY — Minority students now make up the majority of college undergraduate students in New Jersey.

College officials said the increase in Hispanic, black and Asian students reflects both the increasing diversity of the state and increased efforts by colleges to recruit more nonwhite students so that their enrollment reflects the state’s population.…

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Higher Ed News
AFTNJ

Middlesex County College, faculty union asks mediator to intervene in contract dispute

By Sue Epstein/The Star-Ledger

EDISON — Negotiations between Middlesex County College in Edison and its full time faculty have broken down and both sides are asking for a state mediator to help them reach a new contract.

Patricia Payne, the president of the Middlesex County College Faculty Federation, Local 1940, of the American Federation of Teachers, said after the last session, “we declared an impasse.”…

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Sandy Relief
AFTNJ

FEMA Extends Registration Deadline For New Jersey Hurricane Sandy Survivors

TRENTON, N.J. — Survivors of Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey now have until January 30, 2013 to register for disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

People with storm losses in all counties can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov.

Survivors also can register by phone or 711/VRS by calling 800-621-3362, TTY 800-462-7585.…

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Political Education
AFTNJ

Ready to Run New Jersey

March 22-23, 2013
Pre-conference programs for women of color on Friday, March 22

Douglass Campus Center, 100 George Street
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ
Featured speakers include:
Tara Dowdell, Internet Strategies for Candidates, Campaigns, and Advocates
Michael DuHaime, Mercury Public Affairs, Launching Your Campaign
(Saturday morning)
Celinda Lake, Lake Research Partners, What Women Candidates Need to Know
Christine Jahnke, Positive Communications, Conquering the Camera: An Interactive Media Training

Register online
Program Overview
2013 Agendas
• Ready to Run™ (3/22-23)
• Elección Latina (3/22) and Ready to Run™ (3/22-23)
• Rising Stars (3/22) and Ready to Run™ (3/22-23)
• Run Sister Run (3/22) and Ready to Run™ (3/22-23)

Ready to Run™ program attendees walk away with…
“How to” instructions on running for office
Fundraising and media skills
Real-world advice and best practices from experts
Strategies for positioning yourself for public leadership
Inspiration to launch a campaign
A better understanding of party politics
Internet strategies for political campaigns

More…

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Newark Teachers UnionPre-K to 12 News
AFTNJ

In Failed Jersey City RTTT Application, a Glimpse of Tensions Between Teachers and Administrators

For head of teachers union, Race to the Top grant read more like a contract than an application

By Carly Berwick

[…]

Greco’s refusal may offer insight as to how contract negotiations between teachers and the administration might proceed in other districts, after the landmark Newark Teachers Union agreement this fall. The NTU OK’d key terms sought by the state, chiefly a two-tiered salary system based on performance pay.…

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Higher Ed NewsMerger
AFTNJ

Costs Skyrocket for Rutgers U. Merger With N.J. Medical School

By Eric Kelderman

When Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey initially proposed merging much of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey with Rutgers University, no cost estimate was available. A price tag of about $50-million was eventually attached to the plan, which drew sharp criticism over a doomed recommendation to merge Rowan University and the Rutgers campus at Camden.…

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AFTNJ News
AFTNJ

AFTR of NJ 2013 Elections

As the new year begins, the AFT Retirees will focus on elections to be held this spring. Pam Hartkopf has been the organization’s president since April 2003 and will complete her fifth term this coming June. Members are urged to consider a position on the board, which meets approximately once a month. Responsibilities are shared among the various officers and members-at-large as we discuss what issues and current events are important to bring to our membership through our website, newsletter and at our general meetings.…

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Pre-K to 12 News
AFTNJ

Private education grant tied to Gov. Christie staying in office

By Bob Braun/Star-Ledger Columnist

A recent grant from a California-based foundation includes this unusual stipulation: Gov. Chris Christie must stay in office in New Jersey.

What passes for educational reform in New Jersey has relied heavily on private foundation money — millions from the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, among others — and a common complaint of critics is that the public is rarely made aware of the conditions of those grants.…

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Higher Ed NewsSandy Relief
AFTNJ

RUSA looks at workers’ pay­ after Sandy

Members want overtime compensation, vacation days for employees

By Alex Meier, Correspondent

Rutgers University Student Assembly voted to approve a proposal last night that aims to bring University President Robert L. Barchi’s attention to University employees’ pay during Superstorm Sandy.

Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency on Oct. 29 because of the storm, yet staff members were required to come into work, said Darlene Smith, vice president of the Union of Rutgers Administrators-American Federation of Teachers.…

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Higher Ed News
AFTNJ

Adjuncts Sponsor Solidarity Conference

Ninety-Five Adjuncts met on November 17 at the Rutgers Labor Education Center to hold a Solidarity Conference, sponsored by United Adjunct Faculty of New Jersey (UAFNJ), a state-wide federated local representing 3,600 adjuncts at 10 New Jersey community colleges. In addition to UAFNJ members, adjuncts from Rutgers, College Council state college and university four-year schools and some unaffiliated colleges attended.…

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Newark Teachers UnionPre-K to 12 News
AFTNJ

Two futures for NYC’S schools

By Micah C. Lasher

Where will the next mayor take the city’s public schools? The candidates have said as little as possible on the subject. But recent news in two other cities reveals the possibilities.

Teachers in Newark just OK’d one of the nation’s most progressive collective-bargaining agreements. It rewards great teaching and treats educators as true professionals, whose effectiveness in the classroom makes a big difference in the futures of their students.…

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