Detroit Federation of Teachers

Union Leaders Turn Out for Labor Day Parade

At the Labor Day Parade in Detroit, members heard from AFT President, Randi Weingarten, AFL-CIO Michigan president, Ron Bieber, and AFT Michigan President, Terrence Martin.

First Day of School Fun with Students

On the first day of school for students, President Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins and Executive Vice President, Jason Posey, be sure to join in the fun at Palmer Park Prep. They are dancing with preK and kindergarten students to the children's classic song, The Ants Go Marching.

Solidarity on the Streets of Detroit

DFT participated in the Labor Day parade with fellow Union siblings from metro Detroit

DFT Holds Back to School Rally

The DFT rolled out its Back to School rally to welcome members to another school year. Vendors were on hand to provide information. A Get Out The Vote table was featured as well as food. It was a great afternoon for member comradery.

WHAT'S NEW: DFT Objects to DPSCD Unilateral Implementation of Certification Bonus

Please click here: DFT Objects to Unilateral Implementation of Certification Bonus to read the letter written by President Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins and Executive Vice President Jason Posey.

We are engaging our members in a "73 Days of Solidarity" campaign. We have a calendar of daily events that will run for the rest of the year. Not only will we be showing solidarity across our union, we are also asking our members to continue to stand in solidarity with other "union shops" by providing a list of "Shop Union".

WHAT'S NEW: ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES FOR SPRING 2024 ELECTION

The DFT Election Committee has announced the following names of candidates for the upcoming Spring 2024 Elections.

Eligible Nominees for the Election Committee

Devette Brown
Julia Hunko
Onza Stokes
Laura Watt

Eligible Nominees for Delegates to the 2024 AFT Michigan and National Convention

Devette Brown
Cassandra Davis
Tracie Diggins
Mark Duffy
Regina Fuqua
Julia Hunko
Yolanda King
Tamika Merchant
Carol Pierce
Andrea Raiford

WHAT'S NEW: DFT Retirees Chapter Virtual Meeting for February

The February DFT Retirees Chapter meeting will be virtual. There will be no face-to-face meeting due to the Mint having scheduled another event for the same afternoon. Please reach out to Treasurer, Mary Helen D'Angelo, for the Zoom link to join the meeting. She can be reached by phone. Details are on the Events tab.

WHAT'S NEW: DFT Attends State Federation Leadership Summit

The DFT participated in the annual AFT Michigan Leadership Summit at the University of Michigan-Dearborn last weekend. Treasurer Rodney Fresh, EVP Jason Posey, President Lakia Wilson and Executive Board Member, Marcus Walton, were joined by Eva Coleman, president of the Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff (ACTA). The summit focused on three areas: collective bargaining, organizing, and legislative strategies for the year ahead.

WHAT'S NEW: Spring 2024 Elections

The DFT Election Committee has announced the Spring 2024 election for four (4) election committee members, ten (10) delegates to the AFT Michigan Convention and ten (10) delegates to the AFT National Convention. The election committee spots are full two year terms (April 2024-March 2026). There are separate calendars for the Election Committee election and the delegates election. The

2024 Election Committee Election Calendar

and the

2024 Delegates Election Calendar

list all pertinent dates. The duties of the Election Committee are outlined in the

2024 Election Committee Guidelines document

The instructions for delegates are outlined in the

2024 Delegate Election Instructions

. There are two (2) separate nomination forms:

2024 Election Committee Nomination Form

and the

2024 Delegates to the Convention Nomination Form

. A member must be in good standing in order to run in either election: Election Committee and delegate. Nominations are open as of today, January 18, 2024. For the Election Committee election, voting will take place in person on March 14,2024 at the general membership meeting. For the delegates election, voting will be online, via Survey Monkey, the week of March 18. Voting will end for the delegates election at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 22, 2024. If you have any other questions, please reach out to the Election Committee at dft231ec@gmail.com. Please allow them time to respond as they are busy teaching and working during the school day.

Here are the documents embedded in the above article.

WHAT'S NEW: CONGRATULATIONS TO FORMER DFT PRESIDENT

We are excited that one of our own, former DFT President, Terrence Martin, has been named to succeed David Hecker as President of AFT Michigan. Martin recently stepped down as the head of this union in January 2023, a position he had held for 4 years. He became a member of Local 231 when he came to the district as a teacher in 1997. Since that time he has served as a building representative, the treasurer of the union, a labor affairs administrator, community engagement and political action coordinator, executive vice-president and then president. We wish him all the best in this new endeavor.