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The American Federation of Teachers Local 212 at Milwaukee Area Technical College responded to President Trump’s decision to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that protects from deportation more than 800,000 young, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.

Dr. Lisa Conley, Local 212 president and Life Sciences instructor, said, “The Trump administration’s decision to throw 800,000 young people out of this country is an outright betrayal of our nation’s democratic values. The young people targeted by this action are American in

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Yesterday, in response to Charlottesville, AFT President Randi Weingarten called on US Attorney General Jeff Sessions and all state attorney generals to use their powers to ensure the safety and security of all communities.  In her letter to Wisconsin Attorney General, Brad Schimel, Weingarten calls for "a clear plan of action that will ensure that bias-motivated violence and harassment is prosecuted swiftly and agressively."  

AFT-WI President, Kim Kohlhaas, joined Weingarten's calls for clear and decisisive action from AG Schimel.  "We cannot allow hate and intolerance to go unchecked in

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For Immediate Release:  May 2, 2017

The University of Wisconsin has faced cuts in five of the last six budget cycles. In fact, since 2011, cuts to the UW have totaled $795 million. This comes at a time when most states, under both Democratic and Republican control, have decided to reinvest in their colleges and universities.

Cuts to the UW have resulted in fewer and bigger classes, fewer advisors, and more time to a degree for students. Because the state has cut the UW budget while freezing tuition, our students have suffered more than ever, and the quality of our world-renowned university is at

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For Release:  Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Madison – Once again, faculty and staff at technical colleges across the state have voted to re-certify their unions at increasingly large margins, despite repeated attempts by the Walker administration to discourage unionization.  Act 10, which was written to undermine public sector unions, also requires an annual vote to re-certify the union.

Dr. Michael Rosen, President of Milwaukee Area Technical College AFT Local 212 noted, “MATC educators have once again rejected Governor Walker’s attempt to strip educators of their right to organize and have a voice

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Eau Claire, WI: Faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire voted overwhelmingly in support of a resolution of no confidence in UW System President Ray Cross and the Board of Regents.  Members of AFT local 6481, United Faculty and Academic Staff of UW-Eau Claire, collected signatures from one-third of campus faculty to call for a special meeting of all faculty on the resolution, the first such meeting at the university in nearly fifty years.  The resolution, which passed by a landslide margin of 227-98, is the latest in a wave of no confidence resolutions across the UW System, a nationally unprecedented event.

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A nationally unprecedented series of votes of no confidence in UW System President Ray Cross and the Board of Regents, led by AFT-Wisconsin Higher Education Council and American Association of University Professors members, has spread rapidly across the UW System. The first such resolution was passed by the UW-Madison faculty senate in late April, followed quickly by faculty senates at the River Falls, La Crosse, Green Bay, and Stout campuses, and at the 13 two-year institutions comprising the UW Colleges; by the academic staff senate at UW-Milwaukee; and by a historic, unanimous vote of the

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Kathy Evert, an elementary school teacher in the Wisconsin Heights district, was one of a group of teachers from across the United States invited to participate in President Barack Obama’s celebration of National Teacher Appreciation Day at the White House. Evert, the co-president of AFT local 1917, represented the AFT at the May 3rd event honoring the national Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes.

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As the school year began, members of the Whitnall Area Federation of Teachers were discussing two disturbing trends. Class sizes had started high and were continuing to grow as the district accepted many open enrollment students. At the same time, many experienced teachers were either finding jobs elsewhere or considering leaving because of the district’s extremely slow progress in implementing a compensation plan. With many classes exceeding 30 students and as they faced the loss of highly qualified teachers, WAFT members were concerned about the impact on their working conditions and student learning conditions.

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Kathy Evert, a fourth grade teacher at Mazomanie Elementary in the Wisconsin Heights School District, is one of a group of teachers from around the country invited to the White House for President Barack Obama’s celebration of Teacher Appreciation Day on Tuesday, May 3.  At the event, according to the White House, President Obama will recognize the National Teacher of the Year as well as other outstanding educators from across America.

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Following the introduction of a UW-Madison faculty senate resolution of no confidence in UW System President Ray Cross and the Board of Regents, faculty around the UW System were vocal in their call for accountability at the top of the System.

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