AFT

Over 60 behavioral health therapists at Legacy’s Unity Center for Behavioral Health joined the Oregon Nurses Association, strengthening a 120-member bargaining unit advocating for patients and colleagues ahead of Oregon Health & Science University’s acquisition of Legacy. The therapists join other unionized healthcare professionals at Legacy, seeking to improve patient care, staffing and safety. United under ONA, they are committed to addressing issues like short staffing, growing patient demands and the need for stronger support for mental health services.

Banned books have become a rallying cry for educators—and so many others—who want children to have access to a diversity of stories and to see themselves reflected in their books. But at Western Illinois University, there’s another threat to literacy and information access: Every one of the faculty librarians there has been dismissed.

Awareness and Prevention are the Best Medicine: Outbreaks of Mpox (MPV) and Polio have reared their ugly heads in the United States. While there is no need for panic, this is the time to learn the best strategies to protect yourself from exposure. Here you will find factsheets on MPV, including one for healthcare workers, workers within educational settings and workers within correctional institutions. Additionally, here you will find a factsheet on polio, as there have been cases identified in New York State. The good news is that there are preventative treatments for both diseases.

Latinos are the second-largest voting bloc in the nation, with more than 36 million eligible to vote and 17.5 million already expected to turn out for the presidential election.

As the days left before Election Day dwindle, the AFT Votes bus continues its work: It’s already held more than 110 events in 40 cities and 16 states, and traveled thousands of miles to get out the vote—and we’re not the only ones. We’ve crossed paths with GOTV buses from Higher Heights, Black Voters Matter and Unidos. The American Civil Liberties Union has been on the road too, and we’ve done joint events with the Common Ground Over Chaos bus from New York State United Teachers and with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades bus.

A wide range of higher education advocates gathered Oct. 28 to make a final push to get out the vote. While they hailed from different unions and held various elected positions, with different degrees of progressive politics, they all agreed: Winning the presidential election is crucial for democracy, and for our colleges and universities.

From student loan relief to immigration policy, endowment taxes and university accreditation, the next four years of a Trump administration are looking grim for higher education. During a Dec. 3 webinar, AFT Higher Education Assistant Director Nicole Hochsprung led participants through what we might expect, and also encouraged participants to continue engaging their membership, bargaining strong contracts and working for the public good even—and especially—in the face of change.

How Morally Centered Schools Reduce Educators' and Students' Distress

Thousands of frontline nurses, doctors, nurse practitioners, midwives and other providers are gearing up for a historic strike against Providence Health & Services—Oregon’s largest healthcare company. The health professionals are set to hit the picket line on Jan. 10. Caregivers are demanding solutions to critical issues like dangerous understaffing, patient safety and fair wages.

The largest healthcare strike in Oregon history entered its first full week on Jan. 13. Nearly 5,000 physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, certified nurse midwives, and other medical professionals at eight Providence hospitals and six Providence Women’s Clinics are demanding fair treatment and better working conditions. The workers are represented by the Oregon Nurses Association and the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association.