NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi and Executive Vice President Andy Pallotta joined thousands of other unionists Thursday evening in a march for jobs and economic fairness in New York City’s Union Square, the heart of the Occupy movement. The march — which also drew members of NYSUT’s largest local, the UFT — was organized by the [...]

Here’s a video of the UCATS rally yesterday in support of their fight for a fair contract. Featured speaker is Lorretta Johnson, secretary treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers. There’s lots of labor news coming from Rochester. Click here for a link to news of arrests of protesters. Bruce Popper, a Rochester Area Labor [...]

Phil Cleary is back teaching preKindergartners in the North Syracuse schools today. Yesterday, he sat next to U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and her staffers during a closed meeting with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. “They really wanted to hear our examples of how schools impact the community,” Cleary said. “It was [...]

Early this morning Phil Cleary of the North Syracuse Education Association met with staffers of U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand. He thanked both of them for their support of the American Jobs Act and for the pared-down version to put teachers and first responders back to work. (Both efforts were defeated by Senate [...]

Our national union leaders are not giving up the fight to restore jobs, and neither is Phil Cleary. Phil teaches preschool students with disabilities in the North Syracuse school system. He’s on his way to Washington D.C. to be part of an effort of labor and community activists trying to get information out about the [...]

Tim Brisley is one of the many teachers who are without jobs due to budget cuts. He last taught earth science in the Albany city schools. He went back to school last year to get certified in elementary education as well. He substitute teaches when he can (even though that impacts unemployment.) What he’d really like [...]

Yes, NYSUT officers and AFT officers and NEA officers were among those rallying in Washington D.C. yesterday. The best quote I read came from Cherine Akbari when she told the crowd, “I’d rather be in front of a classroom today, but I am here to urge Congress to pass this bill.” She was laid off [...]

Lots going on this weekend. Saturday is of course the March for Jobs and Justice in Washington, D.C. Lots of folks are getting on buses tonight so they can be there. For you tweeters out there, use a #nysut or #nysutproud hashtag. Also starting tonight are leadership conferences for the North Country, Syracuse and Utica [...]

So the Jobs Act failed in the Senate. President Obama will break it up into smaller bills that have a better chance of passage. We can keep fighting.  Click on this link for the state AFL-CIO has a list of events. The national AFL-CIO has a nationwide list of events you can find here. Here’s a few [...]