News and Advocacy

Cleaning House: The End of CPS's Contract with Aramark

As the custodial management contract with Aramark inside Chicago Public Schools (CPS) comes to an end, there’s a palpable mix of anticipation and reservation.The decision to bring management back unde

AFSA Joins Hands with Italian School Leaders

AFSA has embarked on an official collaboration with the largest network of school leaders in Italy, Senza Zaino.

Data-Driven AP Lifts Up Students, Teachers

Lizzy Crispin headed the committee that led Leonardo da Vinci High School to become the first and only Blue Ribbon high school in Buffalo, New York.

Unionization Cut Poverty Rate

It may be stating the obvious, but a new study of U.S. wage data over decades reveals unionization cuts poverty rates by more than two-thirds. Only 5.9% of families with at least one union member lived in poverty, compared with 18.9% of families without union members, it says.

AFL-CIO Elects New President

The AFL-CIO Executive Council elected current Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler, the federation’s acting president, to hold the top job through its convention next year. 

Shuler, an Electrical Worker from IBEW Local 125 in Portland, Oregon, becomes the first woman to officially head the nation’s largest labor federation. In its Aug. 20 session, the council elected Steelworker Vice President Fred Redmond to succeed her as secretary-treasurer.

Universal Masking a Must for Now

Based on the evolving variants and the new findings of science, we are in full support of all mitigation methods recently recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka Dies at 72

The labor movement, the AFL-CIO and the nation lost a legend today.

New Survey of Parents on Return to School

RAND researchers surveyed 2,015 parents of children age 5–18 in May 2021 about their willingness to send their children to school in person in fall 2021. They also asked parents about their support for various health and safety practices at school, including getting their children tested for coronavirus disease 2019, and whether they would get their children vaccinated if a vaccine were available. The results are intended to inform school districts' and health officials' planning for operating schools in fall 2021.

Some Thoughts About Independence Day

By the time you read this editorial, Independence Day will have come and gone. Nevertheless, the date, July 4, should occasion thoughts—which we hope persist in your minds.