American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on President Donald Trump's Executive Order on Free Speech

by: American Federation of Teachers

Washington, D.C. - March 21, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement after President Trump signed an executive order on free speech on college and university campuses:

“President Trump’s concept of free speech is speech that he agrees with, which is, in fact, the antithesis of what the First Amendment seeks to protect. He has repeatedly indicated his interest in ‘shutting down’ journalists and media outlets that criticize him, and he uses hateful and many times inciteful words on a daily and public basis. With a track record like this, there is no reason to believe that the speech he wants to ‘protect’ on college campuses won’t both suppress speech and enable incitement. If the framers of the Constitution were alive today, they would tell President Trump: ‘No, no, no, sir. You can’t use executive orders to suppress the speech of those with whom you disagree.’

“As educators, we are staunch supporters of a free exchange of ideas, the free expression that is crucial to intellectual discourse, and the responsibility that all speech must be coupled with an ability to reject that which will incite hatred or violence. Free and unfettered speech is supposed to be exactly that—free and unfettered—not subject to executive branch policing and interference.

“This order also sets a dangerous precedent that makes public activities at our nation’s colleges and universities susceptible to punitive action if they don’t meet a predetermined, purposefully ambiguous benchmark set by a White House with a very obvious political agenda. When schools are committed to civilized discussion and debate, we should be investing in more research to defend those democratic ideals, not denying them resources.”

AFT Joins NAACP Lawsuit to Stop Trump’s Termination of DACA

Source: American Federation of Teachers

Washington, D.C. - October 24, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- The 1.7 million-member American Federation of Teachers has joined the NAACP’s landmark lawsuit against the Trump administration’s cruel and callous cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Today, the AFT formally joined the suit as a plaintiff, filing an amended complaint in federal court to bring its organizational resources and experience to the fight to defend Dreamers attacked by the administration’s decision to end DACA. DACA permits undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children to work and live free from the threat of deportation.

The suit argues that that the termination of the DACA program violates the Constitution and other laws of the United States, and as such calls for an immediate halt to the rescission and requests an order prohibiting the government from using information to identify, detain or deport DACA recipients.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union also joined the case.

AFT President Randi Weingarten said: “We are joining this lawsuit because the pain and frustration caused by the Trump administration’s decision to attack DACA recipients in the only country they have ever known cannot be allowed to stand. DACA recipients embody the hope and aspiration that unites this country; they work hard and play by the rules to build a better life.

“By terminating DACA, President Trump is exploiting fear, pandering to those who want to scapegoat immigrants and using DACA recipients as a political football. The AFT will use every legal and practical tool at our disposal to ensure Dreamers continue to thrive in the country they proudly call home.”

AFT members throughout the country have received work permits through the DACA program and serve the public in healthcare and education. Furthermore, AFT members teach students who have received DACA status. DACA students contribute to the diversity of experience and perspectives in classrooms, engage in valuable research projects, and play key leadership roles in student life.

The AFT has a long-standing history of supporting and advocating for the civil rights of our members and the communities they serve.

The AFT and the NAACP will be represented by Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC in the matter. The NAACP filed its initial suit on Sept. 18.

AFT on the Passage of the House Budget Resolution

Source: American Federation of Teachers

Washington, D.C. - October 5, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten released the following statement on the passage of the House budget resolution:

“Republicans passed a budget resolution that decimates public education, Medicare and Medicaid to give tax breaks to the rich and corporations. This isn’t a budget; it’s a setup for a massive tax break for those at the top and will further rig our economy against working people while simultaneously hurting kids, seniors and the poor. Today’s budget action is more proof that President Trump and congressional Republicans continue to govern for the powerful at the expense of the vulnerable.

“The underlying tradeoff that runs through this budget—providing massive tax cuts to the wealthy while slashing programs that support the most vulnerable among us—reflects the absolutely wrong priority and puts key K-12 and higher education programs at risk. This is especially evident as we need to invest and rebuild after the recent hurricanes. It is no time to have to cut services to American citizens in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Texas and Florida to provide a tax cut 80 percent of which will benefit the top 1 percent.

“The AFT will encourage tax reform that improves working people’s lives, makes the tax system fairer and ensures adequate revenues for vital government services.”

Man Shoots Kansas IRS Agent

Source: American Federation of Teachers

Washington, D.C. - September 22, 2017  (The Ponder News) -- Statement by Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers; Lisa Ochs, president of the Kansas Organization of State Employees and president of AFT-Kansas; and Robert Choromanski, executive director of the Kansas Organization of State Employees, on the shooting of Kansas Department of Revenue agent Cortney Holloway allegedly by a man facing a warrant for unpaid taxes:

“Every employee has a right to work in a safe, secure environment. Some public employees experience an almost constant sense of vulnerability and fear, such as those entrusted with collecting unpaid taxes and seizing property to pay a tax lien. Kansas state agencies are housed in both public and privately owned buildings, and security or other protective measures vary from building to building. And public employees who work in the field can be especially vulnerable. Employees’ fears turned into reality this week when tax agent Cortney Holloway was shot multiple times in his office, allegedly by a disgruntled man facing a warrant for nearly $200,000 in unpaid taxes. Adequate security measures, not currently used in the privately owned building housing the Department of Revenue, might have prevented this tragedy.

“We call on the state to immediately prepare a vulnerability review/threat assessment for every state government building—public or privately owned—and fieldwork environment to ensure that all employees and others are properly protected. This ultimately could provide a uniform set of security policies that include installation of metal detectors and having armed security guards. A possible model would be the review process for identifying and assessing the safety, security and preparedness of Kansas school buildings and grounds. We also request on-site active shooter training for all public employees.

“KOSE members have complained to management that they fear for their safety, but nothing was done. Something must be done. Our goal is to ensure there is adequate security and protection for state employees and everyone who visits state facilities. We send our thoughts and prayers for Cortney Holloway’s full recovery and for the people who witnessed the unspeakable violence in their workplace.”