AFT President Reacts to Trumpcare 3.0

For Immediate Release

July 13, 2017

Contact: Michael Heenan

202-585-4371

mheenan@aft.org

www.aft.org

AFT President Reacts to Trumpcare 3.0

WASHINGTON— The American Federation of Teachers is the second-largest nurses’ union in the country and represents more than 130,000 health professionals who practice in a variety of disciplines and settings. AFT President Randi Weingarten responds below to the latest version of the Republican healthcare bill:
 
“By revising their healthcare bill, Senate Republicans have only succeeded in making a bad bill worse. First they tried to rip healthcare away from millions to give tax breaks to the wealthy and decimate Medicaid as we know it—a lifeline for seniors, children with disabilities, and families—and now they are destabilizing the entire health insurance market.

“This new GOP leadership bill not only continues to strip healthcare away from those who need it, but structurally destroys private insurance by allowing those who think they are invincible to pay virtually nothing while driving up costs for everyone else. The only way an insurance model works is if it includes both those who are healthy and those who are not, so people who feel invincible today have the healthcare they will need tomorrow. By destabilizing the insurance market, it’s almost as if those who wrote this bill secretly want a single-payer system, since that’s the only thing that will be able to fill the gap if private insurance is destroyed.

“Nurses, educators, doctors, hospital leaders and the American people have been clear: Tear up this bill, stop the secrecy, and work to mend, not end, the Affordable Care Act. Nothing short of that will suffice.”

Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http//twitter.com/rweingarten

AFT on Education Department’s Actions on Campus Sexual Assault

Immediate Release

July 13, 2017

Contact: Marcus Mrowka

202-879-4733

mmrowka@aft.org

www.aft.org

AFT on Education Department’s Actions on Campus Sexual Assault

WASHINGTON—Statement by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on Title IX investigations of campus sexual assaults, including statements and actions by the Department of Education and its acting assistant secretary for the Office of Civil Rights, Candice Jackson, who said she disavows most accusers’ claims:
 

"Sexual assault is nothing to be flippant about. It is irresponsible and downright dangerous for the top enforcer of Title IX to make such an unsubstantiated statement that minimizes the very real crisis of campus sexual violence.

"Jackson’s statement is the latest in a troubling history of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her department abandoning their responsibility to uphold the civil rights protections of all students. Our duty to protect students from campus sexual assault and to stand up for victims and survivors should never be up for debate. But for months, DeVos’ Education Department has sent a chilling message to students and survivors by openly questioning Obama-era rules to protect students. DeVos’ meetings today with so-called men’s rights groups, and other fringe groups that want to silence sexual assault survivors’ voices, legitimatize those efforts. As a survivor of sexual violence, I will not sit back in silence while Betsy DeVos pretends that rape deniers have something useful to say about this topic.”

Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten

New Waiver of Medical Coverage Option

Effective July 1, 2017, all employees eligible for the full employer contribution may waive medical coverage by signing and dating a form and providing proof of other coverage. This new waiver provision, enacted by the 2017 legislature, was included in the State Government Omnibus bill (2017 First Special Session, Chapter 4, Article 2, Section 26).

The following FAQs and the accompanying forms provide information on how to administer this new policy. The first form is Waiver of Medical Coverage. This is the form that an employee who receives the full employer contribution must submit in order to waive medical coverage. The second form is the Proof of Medical Coverage Through Another State Employee. This form states that one employee intends to cover the other and serves as the proof of other coverage that is required.

https://mn.gov/mmb/segip/news-and-updates.jsp?id=301134 (THIS IS THE FAQ PAGE LINK)

AFT Applauds Bipartisan Bill to Enhance Career and Technical Education

For Immediate Release

June 22, 2017

Contact: Michael Heenan

202-577-3941

mheenan@aft.org

www.aft.org

 

AFT Applauds Bipartisan Bill to Enhance Career and Technical Education

WASHINGTON—American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten released the following statement on the bipartisan passage of H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, the vehicle to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act:

“We fight every day for working folks to have good jobs that provide livable wages to sustain families. That is the purpose of high-quality career and technical education programs, and that is why we support this bill and are grateful that, at least in this one public education arena, there is real bipartisanship. High-quality CTE trains students for well-paying jobs and equips teachers with resources to provide students with the skills and education they need to succeed. 

“As we confront new challenges, like rebuilding the nation’s broken infrastructure, we need to cultivate the next generation of designers and engineers. It’s essential to give students the skills and knowledge they need to be able to immediately enter the workforce and help grow the economy.

“H.R. 2353 reflects the AFT’s recommendations for strengthening CTE programs, including a commitment to high-quality professional development for educators, supportive partnerships that link school districts and teachers with industry partners, and an emphasis on career guidance.

“We are thankful for the bipartisan leadership of Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) in introducing this important bill, and for the commitment of House Education and the Workforce Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and ranking member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) in moving this legislation through the House. We look forward to working with the Senate to ensure this bill becomes law.”

Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten