News

Smears vs. solutions

Randi Weingarten at a Massachusetts high school

Summer is upon us, and parents, children and teachers are winding down from what has been an exhausting and fully operational school year—the first since the devastating pandemic. The long-lasting impact of COVID-19 has affected our students’ and families’ well-being and ignited the politics surrounding public schools. All signs point to the coming school year unfolding with the same sound and fury, and if extremist culture warriors have their way, being even more divisive and stressful.

In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times column, she describes what it is exactly that unions do. Though unions are the most popular they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives in red states and across the nation. “Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: ‘Union Membership: Very Sexy,’” Weingarten writes in the column. “The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security—all associated with union membership—boost one’s chances of getting married. Belonging to a union doesn’t actually guarantee happily ever after, but it does help working people have a better life in the here and now.” Click through to read the full column.

In defense of public education

Randi Weingarten and NYC teacher Tamara Simpson

Attacks on public education in America by extremists and culture-war peddling politicians have reached new heights (“lows” may be more apt), but they are not new. The difference today is that the attacks are intended not just to undermine public education but to destroy it.

Supreme Court of the United States

Here is a link to the decision on the Janus Case.

Call for Papers for publication in the Journal of Academic Freedom

Please visit this link to read and respond for the Call for Papers and express your thoughts to help innovate, progress and thrive.

2013-2014 KUAFF Committee and Vacancy Appointments- Deadline, noon on Saturday, Sept. 21st

Pursuant to the KUAFF Constitution, the President of the KUAFF is required to submit recommendations to the KUAFF Executive Board for their approval of all 2013-2014 Vacancies, Committees and Special Appointments. The deadline to make your wishes known is Saturday, Sept. 21 at noon.....

Newspaper Column on "Death of an Adjunct" Stirs up Emotion and Debate

The KUAFF could right a book on the stories of adjuncts here at Kean who have found themselves in similar, if not worse situations. This article does speak to an epidemic problem in this Country within Higher Education, which is not going to go away anytime soon without Equity in Pay being resolved, and the ACA regulations impacting adjuncts being addressed. Check out this article....

Kean's VPAA cancels Orientation for New Adjunct Faculty for a Third Semester....

In keeping with the Cougartown tradition of Administrative Communication breakdowns, the Human Resources Department and the VPAA's office did not communicate with each other and share names of all the 60++ new adjunct faculty who were hired for this Spring Semester to teach at Kean. The result, notices concerning the Orientation never went out to "all" new adjuncts.

This is the third continuous semester new adjuncts received absolutely no employer training. Just an email link to a handbook. The Union did negotiate with the Kean Management compensation for this meeting of $75.00 for each new

CNJSCL State College Delegates Vote Unanimously to Endorse Gubernatorial Candidate

The Council of New Jersey State College Locals (CNJSCL) KUAFF Delegates, on Friday, Feb.15^th, joined with the other 10 Local Unions in the State College Council to unanimously to endorse State Senator Barbara Buono for State Governor.

Tentative 2011-2015 Contract Agreement Finally Reached with State for Adjuncts

After over two years of difficult negotiations with the State and the State College/University presidents, the Council of New Jersey State College Locals (represented by the 8 State College Union’s), reached a tentative agreement late Friday, January 25, 2013.

What unions do