Part of the #WEarePFT video series from the Caucus of Working Educators

A new video released every day in Jan 2016 leading up to the PFT elections in Feb!

Ballots are mailed home on Feb.4. 

Mail your completed ballot to AAA by Feb.19 to make sure your vote is counted!

Did you catch the coverage of Working Educators in national publications Salon and Labor Notes this week? Make sure every one of your colleagues and fellow PFT members have seen these articles!

Salon.com: “11,000 smart, committed teachers can change the world”: A group of working Philadelphia teachers is looking to upset the status quo of the teachers union

Labor Notes: Philly Teachers Go For It

Working Educators members were also all over the city for radio interviews last week:

-Listen to WE Presidential Candidate Amy Roat on The Rick Smith Show

-Listen to WE Slate Members on GTown Radio's Morning Feed

Want to hear from both candidates for PFT President in the same setting? Then check out Jerry Jordan on the Rick Smith Show too-- and then check out the full analysis here.

Part of the #WEarePFT video series from the Caucus of Working Educators

A new video released every day in Jan 2016 leading up to the PFT elections in Feb!

Ballots are mailed home on Feb.4. 

Mail your completed ballot to AAA by Feb.19 to make sure your vote is counted!

The Caucus of Working Educators believes in the power of the rank and file members of the PFT. The most important way you can exercise that power in 2016 is to vote in the upcoming leadership election. Pledge your vote for WE today by filling out the electronic pledge card below! 

Part of the #WEarePFT video series from the Caucus of Working Educators

A new video released every day in Jan 2016 leading up to the PFT elections in Feb!

Ballots are mailed home on Feb.4. 

Mail your completed ballot to AAA by Feb.19 to make sure your vote is counted!

Part of the #WEarePFT video series from the Caucus of Working Educators

A new video released every day in Jan 2016 leading up to the PFT elections in Feb!

Ballots are mailed home on Feb.4. 

Mail your completed ballot to AAA by Feb.19 to make sure your vote is counted!

Part of the #WEarePFT video series from the Caucus of Working Educators

A new video released every day in Jan 2016 leading up to the PFT elections in Feb!

Ballots are mailed home on Feb.4. 

Mail your completed ballot to AAA by Feb.19 to make sure your vote is counted!

It's official -- we have our slate of candidates.

That equals nine executive officers and twenty-six executive board members -- who make up a part of the one hundred delegates to the AFT state and national conventions!

We'll be introducing all of them to you over the coming days, but we wanted to put the names out to you now so you could see the many rank and file PFT members who are stepping up to say that WE are the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

Ready to pledge your vote? You can do so here.

Want to meet the slate? Get in touch at [email protected]. We'll arrange to come visit your building before or after school! 

Executive Officers

Executive Board

AFT Delegates - in addition to the candidates listed above

A note about our slate: We have left one executive candidate slot unfilled -- that of the long-term substitute position. As all long term subs were laid off at the end of the 2015 school year due to the outsourcing of their jobs, many of them also left the PFT at that time. As a result, virtually no current PFT members have experience working for this bargaining unit, which is a requirement for holding this position.

Part of the #WEarePFT video series from the Caucus of Working Educators

A new video released every day in Jan 2016 leading up to the PFT elections in Feb!

Ballots are mailed home on Feb.4. 

Mail your completed ballot to AAA by Feb.19 to make sure your vote is counted!

Part 3 of a 9-part series of position papers on the substantive steps Working Educators would like to take strengthen the PFT and fight for the schools we deserve. Parts 1 and 2 covered negotiating the next PFT contract and building political alliances. If you have any questions or comments, please email [email protected]. And don't forget to vote on Feb 4th!

Many PFT members feel disconnected from each other, and especially from PFT leadership. The PFT is the largest union in the city of Philadelphia, yet the true power of our 11,000 members has been locked away for too long. Why is this? Our Caucus has heard too many stories of PFT members misinformed or uninformed about campaigns, policies, and their own leaders; of poorly-attended events; of statements to membership with unclear calls to action (or none at all); and, of long periods of radio silence on topics important to teachers and the communities we serve.

The Caucus believes that member education and empowerment must be restored as core principles of our union’s leadership. The Executive Board works at the pleasure of, and for the benefit of, the rank and file. If members don’t feel they are adequately informed, then it is not membership’s fault that they are disengaged from the union’s actions—it is leadership’s responsibility to provide a better, more engaging system.

What WE propose:

• Make sure that members are educated about important PFT issues, and invited to help plan actions and activities based on them.

• Create venues for PFT members to quickly and easily understand, decide on, and participate in union affairs. This includes expanded use of digital and social media communications, as well as new and more inclusive PFT organizational structures.

• Revamp the PFT website to make it more useful and user-friendly, including more frequent content updates, elimination of errors and bugs, and improved information architecture.

• Update PFT policies to make our operations more modern, transparent, and responsive, Such changes may address union meetings and their content, elected leaders’ teaching responsibilities, consistent election procedures, and training opportunities for future leaders. 

Click here to download a printable PDF version-- and make sure to share it with your colleagues!