Tis the season to be jolly...generous....compassionate....Of course we should be those things all year long but there are constant reminders this time of year to be 'more'.

The nomination of U.S. Rep. Tom Price to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services poses a huge threat to vital programs such as the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and Medicaid.

By picking Andrew Puzder to be secretary of labor, President-elect Donald Trump makes a mockery of his repeated promises to stand up for the little guy, to fight for working families, to create good jobs and a booming economy, and he puts the Department of Labor—which was created to help workers—squarely in the hands of the titans of corporate America

Colleagues,

1)      Phase 2 Respect the Contract - Each day, numerous violations occur in our schools negatively impacting staff and students. These include fire code violations, violations in Special Education requirements and Early Childhood regulations, violations of the Teach NJ Act, and health and safety issues.  

Ballots were counted on Sunday, Dec. 3 and the results are in. Click here to see full list and the calendar for run-off election.

All meeting times are at 6:00 p.m.

• Tuesday, March  21, 2017
• Tuesday, June 13, 2017
• Tuesday, September 19, 2017
• Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Locations to be determined.

OFT members helped numerous schools and districts earn the state's 2016 Momentum Award. Presented by the state board of education, Momentum Awards recognize schools for exceeding expectations for annual student growth. Which OFT member schools and districts won?

A message from Celeste Walker and Gretchen Haertsch, adjunct representatives on the Faculty Senate at Arcadia University, about administration's efforts to shut down the union effort. Click to learn more about your rights as a worker during this organizing drive.

At last night's regular chapter meeting, the following items were acted on by the membership:

Approval of the Tentative Agreement with District management that for any bargaining unit employee who announces their retirement before December 15, they will receive a 2.5% salary increase for July 1 - Dec 31, 2016 so that it may be calculated into their PERS retirement.

Approval of a 2016-2107 chapter budget.