The Offical Website of the PJSTA

Posted on October 10, 2014 by thepjsta

Philadelphia Cancels Contract With It’s Teachers

In a startling move earlier this week the Philadelphia school district canceled their contract with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

Via the Washington Post…

The five-member reform commission that controls the cash-starved Philadelphia public schools announced on Monday that it was canceling its contract with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and while it would continue to honor most contract provisions, it would change the package of health-care benefits and require all teachers to contribute to the health fund. The union said the commission’s action “has amped up a war on teachers.”

The Philadelphia School Reform Commission, in a surprise move, said that after 21 months of negotiating with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, that it would abrogate the contract, which has largely remained in effect even though it actually expired in August 2013. The commission has unilaterally taken other steps to violate contract provisions, including stopping paying teachers for “step” increases.

The cancelation of the contract could cost some Philadelphia teachers more than $600 per month.

We will certainly have more on this story in the coming weeks, but it is obviously just another attack in the war on teachers. It is important to remember that attacks on teachers in other districts, cities, and states are attacks on all of us. The PJSTA will shortly be planning an opportunity for you to show support for our brothers and sisters in Philadelphia.

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Posted on September 24, 2014 by thepjsta

Today is the Last Day to Order New PJSTA Apparel!

Click here to order your new PJSTA apparel. Today is the last day you can order. Payment is due upon receipt of the merchandise.

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Posted on September 17, 2014 by thepjsta

Join PearUp to Support Morgan Leary

There are only two days left to earn the $1,000 of “free” money for one of our own, Emily Leary’s family. As you know her 6-year old daughter has brain cancer. We are about 75% of the way to our goal, so there is more work to do!

This is NOT a request for a donation and it doesn’t cost you anything. The first request that was sent around indicated that all you had to do was click on the advertisement, which we believe many people did. However, we realized in order for us to earn points you have to sign-up with your email (if you’re worried about spam, view the privacy policy) or use Facebook so the company can ensure that they are receiving unique hits to their sponsor’s site.

There is no reason why our caring membership should not be able to attain this goal. Pass it along to friends and family members. Time is running out to help this wonderful family and child through this “free” promotion. I know we can do it!

Here is the link for pearup.com. Please share with everyone through email and/or social media.

1. Click https://www.pearup.com/unitedbymorgan

2. Click “Support this Group” in the blue box on the right

3. Sign up with email (will have to confirm) or Facebook

a. Do both for extra points

4. There are 5 more ways to earn points

a. Follow: Follow Verizon on Twitter

b. Instagram: Follow Verizon on Instagram

c. Visit: Visit the Verizon website

d. Photo: Upload photo and share on Facebook

e. Rally: Share on Facebook and/or Twitter

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Posted on September 12, 2014 by thepjsta

Save the Date! PJSTA/Labor Notes Book Party- 10/16

On October 16th the PJSTA and Labor Notes will be hosting a book party for the book How to Jump-Start Your Union: Lessons from the Chicago Teachers. The book party will be at Comsewogue High School at 6:00 pm. Anyone is welcome to attend, not just PJSTA members. There is no cost for admission. You can order the book here or buy it in person at the book party. If you plan to attend please RSVP at thepjsta@gmail.com.

Via Labor Notes…

Join us for a discussion of Labor Notes’ new book, How to Jump-Start Your Union: Lessons from the Chicago Teachers, with a presentation from Labor Notes author Mark Brenner.

How to Jump-Start Your Union tells how activists transformed their union by engaging their co-workers and neighbors and unleashing the smarts of rank-and-file members. Readers will learn how Chicago teachers worked with their communities, organized a caucus, ran for office, rebuilt a stewards network, trained new leaders, ran a contract campaign, and went on strike.

PLUS: Hear from Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association leaders about New York education struggles and the fight against corporate education “reform.”

Books will be for sale at the event for $15.

For questions, contact Samantha Winslow at 718-284-4144 or Samantha@labornotes.org.

Comments on the book:

“Labor Notes has done it again! Every unionist should read this book that chronicles how the new leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union organized their members, built strong support with the community, and waged a strike against formidable adversaries. But this book is more—it’s a manual on how all unions can revamp to win justice, with lessons that every union can apply to their own situation.”
—STEVEN ASHBY, professor of labor relations, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

“How to Jump-Start Your Union should be a beacon to all rank-and-file members on how to bring democracy to their locals. It’s a toolkit that shows how good old-fashioned hard work and faith in the membership can empower every frontline worker. The bird’s-eye view of the CORE caucus carefully proves that issues are more important than elections and can serve to unite us. It is never all right to just complain.”
—KAREN LEWIS, president, Chicago Teachers Union

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Posted on September 12, 2014 by thepjsta

Deadline to Order PJSTA Apparel

Anyone looking to order new PJSTA apparel can do so by clicking here. The deadline for ordering is Wednesday, September 24th. The order will be placed on that Thursday and the apparel should be in by early October. All payments can be made upon arrival of the merchandise. We are offering a wide variety of apparel in both red and blue!