Are you tired of the excuse that “there is no money” for our schools?

On May 8th, City Council is hosting a public hearing on raising money for our city and schools- and we are going to show City Council the conditions that Philly’s students and educators endure every day!

There IS money for schools, but only if we stand together to demand it. We are inspired by the educators all over the country, who are sharing photos of dismal conditions and flooding their state capitals in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Arizona. These teachers are fighting. And they’re winning­ BIG.

(Building condition photos from Oklahoma and Detroit)

Submit photos and video of the building and learning conditions in your school, such as crumbling books, packed classes, and unhealthy buildings (feel free to get creative!). We will put together a video for May 8th to make it clear to City Council that our students and schools deserve better! 

Email photos and video to [email protected] by Friday, May 4th. We welcome all educators, parents, and students to submit, and anonymity will be respected if requested.

Then help us take the fight to City Council’s public hearing on May 8th- and demand the money our students and schools deserve! The Our City Our Schools coalition has a plan to bring up to $300 million to the education budget by demanding that corporations, developers, and big non­profits pay their fair share, instead of increasing property taxes for everyday Philadelphians.

Next: Join us to PACK CITY COUNCIL FOR SCHOOL FUNDING on May 8th

Learn more about the Our City Our Schools plan budget plan and the May 8th hearing at this link. If you are interested in testifying, you can email [email protected].

Philly Teachers, It’s Our Turn to Fight for Public Schools!

All over the country, teachers are in the spotlight - flooding the capital in West Virginia, sharing photos of dismal conditions in Oklahoma, walking out and shutting down twenty school districts in Kentucky. These teachers are fighting. And they’re winning-- BIG.  In Philly, we face the same problems - crumbling buildings, crowded classrooms, students with overwhelming needs, and the tired excuse that “there is no money” for our schools.

What: City Council Hearing where educators, parents, and students will PACK THE ROOM to demand funding for Philly Schools!

When & Where: May 8th, 5pm- City Council

Why:  It’s our turn! We have a plan to bring up to $300 million to the education budget - not by overtaxing working people but by demanding that corporations, developers, and big non-profits like Penn pay their fair share.

For more information on May 8th, contact [email protected] or check out the facebook event.

Help us show City Council the conditions that Philly’s students and educators endure every day:

Submit photos and video of the conditions in your school, and we will put together a video to make it clear to City Council that our students and schools deserve better. Email photos and video to [email protected] by Thursday, May 3rd. All educators, parents, and students are invited to submit. Click here for more info.

Download the flyer

The Caucus of Working Educators is pleased to endorse the following candidates for election on May 15th:

JOHN FETTERMAN (Lt. Governor)

KEVIN JOHNSON (3rd Congressional District)

RICH LAZER (5th Congressional District)

MIKE O’BRIEN (175th Pennsylvania House District)

ALEX DEERING (181st Pennsylvania House District)

ELIZABETH FIEDLER (184th Pennsylvania House District)

JAMES ROEBUCK (188th Pennsylvania House District)

These candidates have shown that they are not only staunch public school advocates, but are also committed to the labor movement, full funding for our schools, and societal reforms that promote social and racial justice.

WE’s Political Committee held two open Meet-the-Candidates events where all PFT members and our allies were able to conduct interviews with potential endorsees. Candidates also submitted detailed questionnaires, which can be viewed by clicking here or the links above. Finally, the Political Committee made suggestions to the WE Caucus’ Steering Committee, who voted on those final endorsement recommendations.

The Caucus of Working Educators encourages our members and allies to help elect these candidates into office. We look forward to working with them in order to ensure our shared goals are well represented both in Washington and Harrisburg.

We need as many of our allies to help volunteer get these candidates elected through phone banking, canvassing, etc. Please reach out the current WE Political Secretary, George Bezanis, at [email protected] to find out how!

Last Friday, Working Educators' Political Committee hosted the first of two "Meet the Candidates" Happy Hours. Primary Candidates from across the city were invited to come talk with educators and community members- and face the tough questions about how they will fight for our schools and communities. 

Do you want a chance to talk to politicians one-on-one about the needs of Philly's public schools? This Friday, April 20th you'll have another opportunity! 

All PFT Members, WE Members, and WE Supporting Members are welcome to participate in the interviews- especially if you live in the candidate's district...

Working Educators Meet-the-Candidates!

Friday, April 20th 2018 / 4-6pm

St. Stephen's Green

1701 Green St, Philadelphia PA 19130

RSVP on Facebook

Candidates RSVP'd for this Friday: Brendan Boyle, Kevin Johnson, Michael Doyle, Malcolm Kenyatta, Alex Deering, JR Rowan, Tom Wyatt, Jeff Curry, Jim Roebuck, Mike O'Brien's Chief of Staff Mary Issacson 

Candidates who attended last week's event: Michele Lawrence, Richie Lazer, Larry Arata, Nina Ahmad, Joe Hohenstein, Sean Kilkenny, Lewis Thomas, Gilberto Gonzalez, and Elizabeth Fiedler.

Want to get involved in political organizing or planning more events like this? Email [email protected] to join WE's Political Committee. All PFT Members and WE members are welcome to join.

This year, Working Educators is taking a deep, hard look at how working conditions in our buildings are affecting women and families.  To celebrate Women’s History Month we are taking March 27th to acknowledge the sacrifices our hard-working, largely female union has made to ensure that the children of Philadelphia receive an excellent education.  

After leading a series of focus groups with PFT members about how to improve working conditions for families, the following wishes emerged:

The Political Committee of the Caucus of Working Educators will be embarking upon its endorsement process for the upcoming May 2018 Primary Elections.

All members of the Caucus and PFT are welcome to participate in the process and sit on the interview committees, especially if they live in a candidate's respective district, in an effort to keep everything as transparent as possible.

Our two Meet-the-Candidate interview events are scheduled for April 13th and 20th (Fridays) from 4pm to 6pm at St. Stephen's Green (1701 Green St.), so please plan on attending! All are welcome!

All interested candidates should complete one of the questionnaires below (click link for survey) and RSVP for one of the dates above:

PA State Legislature

PA Lieutenant Governor

US Congress

Contact: WE Political Secretary, George Bezanis, at [email protected] or 267-625-0616

On February 11th, 1973, thousands of educators rallied outside the prison where PFT president Frank Sullivan and chief negotiator John Ryan were being held for being in contempt of court.

By Sonny Richman and John Ryan

Retired PFT Members

With today's student actions and the strike in West Virginia, memories of the PFT's history are stirred.

February 2018 marks the 45th anniversary of the month of the greatest example of professionalism, courage and responsible militancy by the membership of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. They stood up to the most powerful mayor in the nation, his union-led educational team, the state and federal judiciary system – as well as opposition from editorial boards.

The PFT membership had already struck for almost the entire month of September, 1972. They went back to school to hear a fact-finding report--it was a disaster. The fact-finder declared that he could find anything he wanted to. Popular wisdom said that once members ended their strike, they would not go out again.

The membership proved this belief wrong by going on strike again on January 7, 1973. The mayor and his team pushed one court case after another. The Commonwealth Court declared the strike illegal and issued an injunction against all members. Despite this judicial threat, at the urging of PFT leadership, most teachers did not return to work. Arrests were made on the picket lines.

Trials were held for contempt of court. Members were losing money due to withheld salaries. The mayor's police force arrested, booked and jailed educators - sometimes more than a hundred at a single school.

The members continued the strike.

There has been a national call for students to participate in a 17-minute walkout on Wednesday, March 14^th.

In a recent letter to all principals, the School District has stated that “should students choose to walk out, discipline should not be imposed.”

The letter suggested several steps educators should take in advance of any student action, including reviewing safety procedures with students before the day, and having them scan back into the building upon returning. 

The Caucus of Working Educators supports any students who choose to take part in this action – and we thank the District for recognizing “student’s rights to self-expression and awareness of social issues.”

If conversations about this day have not yet started at your school, talk with your colleagues and fellow administrators now about what plan makes sense for your building.

The District is asking you to get organized so your students have a safe and effective walkout experience!

UPDATE: After 4 days shutting down the entire state, WV educators won a 5% pay increase, 3% increase for all state employees, plus no premium increases or benefit cuts to their healthcare.

By Diane Isser, Tilden Middle School

In a state where collective bargaining for public employees is illegal and public employees are barred from going on strike, West Virginia’s teachers and school employees have organized to protest the issues that plague public school teachers across the country: low wages, rising insurance costs, and poor working conditions. The Caucus of Working Educators stands in solidarity with these striking teachers.

With the Supreme Court’s decision in the upcoming Janus v. AFSCME case looming large, all workers should take a lesson from the West Virginia teachers who are showing the rest of the country what worker power can look like in even the most hostile climate.

Through bottom-up organizing, West Virginia teachers and school employees have built power across three different unions. In doing so, they have garnered popular support across the state by rightly asserting that what is good for teachers is good for students.

Thank you, West Virginia teachers, for giving us the hope we so sorely need right now.

For more background on how these educators got organized:

"West Virginia Teachers Launch Statewide Strike" in Labor Notes

"West Virginia Teachers Are Showing How Unions Can Win Power Even If They Lose Janus" by Lois Weiner

We are thrilled to share that this past December, a group of women came together and decided that we wanted to run for AFT delegates with the Caucus of Working Educators. We prioritized recruiting women of color -- they make up 50% of the slate -- and made the slate open to gender non-conforming candidates as well.

Most importantly, we chose to run for just half of the 100 slots, making it possible for candidates from both slates to attend. We are all committed to learning more about our union, and we want to learn alongside our current leadership!

Here are just a few of our candidates -- your own coworkers, neighbors, and PFT family! As the tagline says, "We are capable, collaborative AND committed to the union." Please support them in their wish to attend the AFT Conventions this summer and next!

Ballots are already in the mail to homes- make sure to mail yours back by February 22nd!

Meet more of the inspiring candidates on our slate below: