WHAT'S NEW: Letter of Agreement for Coaching Special Olympics

 Please read this letter of agreement regarding stipends for coaches for the United Special Olympics.

WHAT'S NEW: Join President Wilson-Lumpkins for this Celebration of Women's History Month

You are invited to the Second Annual Crowning & Cultivating: Women in Leadership Colloquium. The event, celebrating Women's Month, will be held Saturday, March 25th, at 1 pm. Join us to be empowered, encouraged and loved on! Come share your stories and hear the stories of other powerful women. Come out and enjoy a transforming experience with many statewide leaders. We are pleased to announce Laura Dickerson ( UAW Region 1A Director ) as the Keynote speaker. Other speakers include Lakia Wilson Lumpkins (DFT President), The Honorable Monique Baker McCormick (Dist. 6 Wayne County Commissioner) and more. We will also celebrate the amazing life of Ruby Newbold, retired president of DAEOE Local 4168. Newbold was a true icon throughout the state of Michigan.

If you are interested, please RSVP below. Use the code "Crown" to receive 25% off any purchase. 

 What:  Second Annual Crowning & Cultivating: Women in Leadership Colloquium

When: Saturday March 25th, 2023

Time: 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Where: Sheet Metal Workers Local 80 -17100 W 12 Mile Rd Southfield MI 48076

How:  Click here to receive your discount today. Use the code "Legends" to receive 25% off your purchase.

 Only 10 Vendor tables are available! No tickets sold at the door!

WHAT'S NEW: AFT Members Testify in Lansing

Article reshared from AFT Michigan

Last Thursday, Donna Jackson, President of the Detroit Federation of Paraprofessionals, Local  2350, Lincoln Stocks, President of the Eastpointe Federation of Educators, Local 698, Detroit Federation of Teachers, Local 231 President Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins and activists Dwan McGrady and Nastassia Szpaichler offered testimony in support of HB 4044. HB 4044 repeals PA 54 which freezes any step increases, makes employees fully responsible for healthcare increases, and prohibits retroactive pay if a collective bargaining agreement expires before a new one is reached. The members effectively highlighted other issues impacting educators from the various prohibited subjects of bargaining, the privatization of support staff and the limitation of some bargaining rights for DPSCD teachers. Their testimony set the stage for a future slate of bills that will restore the rights of educators across our state and address the critical teacher shortage we are facing. We will continue to work with our allies to ensure our members can make their voices and experience heard as these bills move through the legislature. 

WHAT'S NEW: DFT Election Results

Here are the results of the DFT Election which were announced at the end of the March 2023 General Membership Meeting. 

one (1) vacancy on Executive Board

  • Gavin Buckley 26
  • Stephen Conn 22
  • Rachele Green 39
  • Kwesi Matthews 4
  • Kimberly L. Mitchell 69

Kimberly L. Mitchell was declared the winner in this race. She will be sworn in at the April General Membership meeting.

three (3) positions on the Election Committee

  • Cheryl Constantino 21
  • Hope Gibson 42
  • Theodosia Gulley 21
  • Tamika Merchant 87
  • Jacqueline Robinson 93
  • Queen Watkins 102

The three members who were elected to the Election Committee are Queen Watkins, Jacqueline Robinson and Tamika Merchant. They will be sworn in at the April General Membership meeting.

 

 

 

WHAT'S NEW: DFT Mourns the Loss of Former DAEOE President, Ruby Newbold

The DFT joins the community in expressing our sorrow for the former long-time president of the DAEOE, Ruby Newbold. She served as president of the Detroit Association of Educational Office Employees, Local 4168, affectionately called the “clericals union”. She was a labor activist her entire career, from her start as a payroll clerk with the Detroit Public Schools until her retirement in 2018. During her long career she served in various capacities with AFT Detroit, the Coalition of DPS Unions, AFT Michigan and even with AFT National. Here in Detroit the DFT appreciated the support she lent on the many collaborative initiatives for the membership and the community, such as Nutrition Night, Literacy Camp and First Book. She has left her mark on the legacy of the labor movement not just locally, but statewide and across the country. We send our condolences to her son, Demetrius, and his family.

Here is more about the career  of labor activist, Ruby Newbold, written by AFT National: https://www.aft.org/press-release/aft-president-randi-weingarten-celebra...