绝大多数教育工作者赞成地方政府在口罩使用上的决策
- 美国疾病控制与预防中心上周更新的指导方针建议在学校佩戴口罩
- AFT launches campaign for investment in safer campuses
- Texas AFT ads to promote HVAC upgrades and mask use
Texas AFT calls on the governor to reverse his orders and allow local school districts to set their protocols on mask use. The Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread through Texas and puts students and school staff at risk—including the millions of schoolchildren under age 12 who currently cannot be vaccinated. Gov. Greg Abbott’s May order prohibited government entities, including school districts, from mandating mask use. He again issued a similar order Thursday 同时禁止政府机构要求接种疫苗.
在上周的调查中，德州AFT的大部分成员——7人中有78%接受了调查,384名受访者表示，州长应该允许学区强制要求在学校使用口罩. The survey took place amid a change in CDC guidelines last week 该组织还建议在学校佩戴口罩，包括为接种过疫苗的个人.
Texas AFT member Chrisdya Houston, an Alliance-AFT member and Dallas ISD teacher, 已经说过需要采取一切必要的预防措施来重返学校吗. “关于这种德尔塔型的信息一点都不好, and as we know, our elementary-aged students are not vaccinated yet,” Houston said. “Banning local governments from being able to institute a much-needed mask mandate endangers our lives and poses increasing risks to all of those in our community.”
AFT has dedicated $5 million to a “Back to School for All” campaign to help states and local unions educate school employees and families on the need for investments in better ventilation, technology support, vaccination education, 以及在大流行期间支持学生的情感需求. This week, Texas AFT will place ads throughout the state 敦促使用联邦资金升级学校的通风系统, 并强调需要当地决定口罩的使用.
AFT President Randi Weingarten is traveling throughout the country to participate in door-to-door canvassing, vaccine clinics, town halls, book fairs, and other grassroots efforts.
“我们知道，学生亲自从他们信任的人那里学得最好, highly qualified educators—from teachers and nurses, to guidance counselors, paraprofessionals, 还有公共汽车司机——他们会利用一切可用的工具来加强教与学,” Weingarten said. “Schools are critical for our kids’ recovery, 这是一个为我们的未来提供充分和公平资金的机会.”
德州AFT总裁泽夫·卡波强调，为了满足教育工作者和重返校园的孩子们的目标, 我们当地的社区需要确保学校环境是安全的.
因为我们的州长拒绝允许当地的灵活性, 我们提倡所有学区继续把安全作为优先事项, including mask use in schools when necessary,” Capo said. “在我们庆祝返校的同时，让我们不要粗心大意. We must take the responsibility to make sure that those who can’t be vaccinated and those that are at risk from compromised health aren’t harmed by lax safety protocols.”
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众议院管理委员会详细说明州长否决立法预算的后果
This past week, state Rep. William Metcalf, the chairman of the House Administration Committee, which manages payroll in the Texas House, 向立法者发送了一份备忘录，概述了政府的具体后果. Greg Abbott’s veto of funding to the Legislature.
今年6月，阿博特否决了州预算的第十条，实际上剥夺了立法机构的资金. This move was made in retaliation against Texas House Democrats who broke quorum in May to prevent the passage of the highly restrictive voting bill that Abbott supported.
In his memo, Metcalf states that if Article X funding is not restored before the beginning of the new budgetary biennium on Sept. 1, “众议院将没有权力或资金支付员工工资和许多服务, contracts, and leases currently in place.” Aside from their salaries, legislative staff will be responsible for paying the entirety of their monthly health insurance premiums and cannot make contributions to the Employee Retirement Service (ERS) pension fund.
The memo also stated that the House will no longer be able to pay for leases for the district offices of Texas House members, 有效地切断了社区与他们选出的代表的联系. Throughout August, 房屋会计部门将开始通知房东取消地区办公室的租约. Texas House members will no longer be able to purchase supplies for their offices starting in mid-August. For a full list of all the consequences, read Metcalf’s memo.
With House Democrats in Washington D.C., 阻止另一项限制性投票法案的通过, 到8月份，Article X很可能仍然没有资金. As a result of Abbott’s petty political games, 成千上万的政府雇员现在已经做好了无薪离职的准备.
抗议这种对努力工作的政府雇员的不公平待遇, the Texas State Employees Union will be hosting an informational picket in front of the Governor’s Mansion from 5–6 p.m. Thursday. Protestors will meet at the Texas AFL-CIO Headquarters in Austin and then walk across the street to the Governor’s Mansion. 欲了解更多信息，请联系TSEU立法主任泰勒·谢尔登 TSheldon@CWA-TSEU.org
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Texas AFT joins unions in new clean-energy initiative
上周，德克萨斯州劳联-产联(AFL-CIO)宣布启动 Texas Climate Jobs Project这是一项基于康奈尔大学气候和政策研究人员报告的新倡议. 该报告建议使用税收抵免来扩大碳捕获, installing solar panels to Texas public schools, electrifying school buses, and more. 该报告指出，德克萨斯州从化石燃料向清洁能源的转变可能会产生超过1种能源.在未来25年创造100万个就业机会，并强调新创造的就业机会是高质量的, union jobs.
“Texas AFT is solidly behind a simple idea promoted by this project—that you can have well-paying jobs and a solid economy while taking bold action on climate change,” said Texas AFT President Zeph Capo.
Twenty-seven labor unions, including Texas AFT, will be participating in the effort after delegates at the Texas AFL-CIO convention voted overwhelmingly to adopt a resolution endorsing the plan outlined by the report. Bo Delp, formerly a political organizer for Unite Here Local 23 and Better Builder Director at the Workers Defense Project, 被选为德州气候就业项目的执行董事.
德尔普说:“我们必须确保劳动人民在清洁能源转型中茁壮成长。. “If we cannot solve that problem, 我们有意义地应对气候变化的能力将变得更加困难.”
想了解更多关于德州气候就业项目的信息， visit their website. For updates, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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德州众议院民主党人在华盛顿为选民保护作证
德州众议院民主党人上周四提出了联邦行动保护投票权的理由. Reps. Senfronia Thompson of Houston, Diego Bernal of San Antonio, and Nicole Collier of Dallas testified before the House Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties that sweeping election law changes in HB 3 would disproportionately hurt the voting rights of African-American and Latino populations. Rep. Travis Clardy, R-Nacogdoches, also testified remotely and denied the bill infringed on voting rights. Republican members of Congress pushed for the Democratic lawmakers to return to Texas so the special session could continue.
Texas Democrats detailed the ways they say the Republican-backed legislation would make it harder for many Texans to vote, including provisions in the bills that are aimed at discouraging people from helping older voters and voters with language barriers to cast ballots; eliminating 24-hour and drive-thru voting; and cutting some polling locations.
The proposed legislation also expands what partisan poll watchers are able to do in polling places while restricting elections officials’ ability to deal with those who are committing crimes. Democrats say this likely will lead to more voter intimidation in a state that has a long history of intimidating African-American and Latino voters.
When Rep. Pete Sessions of Waco accused Texas Democrats of violating their constituents’ rights by breaking quorum and exaggerating the impact of the voting bills, Thompson said, “You’re damn right I left Texas, and I’m glad I did. You know why I left, Pete? 我离开德州是为了让我的人民有权利投票而不受侵犯. 我是我选民的声音，如果我必须走到华盛顿特区.C., to get you to hear what I have to say, to fight for my constituents, I’ll use any means necessary to get my point over.”
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所有线上项目和德州民权项目提供了重新划分选区的机会
All On the Line, 一个在德州争取公平重划选区的组织, is partnering with organizations throughout the state as the Legislature prepares to tackle a redrawing of Texas legislative and congressional district maps.
虽然立法机构目前处于僵局，但“在线”正在使用地图程序 mapsbythepeople.org and representable.org 允许个人审查可能的重划区域. AOTL and the Texas Civil Rights Project are conducting training in English and Spanish to ensure more communities are heard. 我们希望教育工作者参与到这个过程中来，你可以发现 events and upcoming training opportunities online. 重新划分选区所需的人口普查数据预计将于8月公布. 16.
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Events
今年8月，硅谷的德州AFT工会将开设公民诊所
Our local unions in the Rio Grande Valley will be co-hosting a citizenship clinic in McAllen on August 28. “一起崛起”诊所将帮助永久居民获得完全公民身份. 申请人须于就诊前参加资讯论坛. Find all the details here.
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