Louisiana Federation of Teachers and School Employees

Hurricane Francine (Category 2) makes landfall in Louisiana

Hurricane Francine made landfall in southern Louisiana in the Parish of Terrebonne, according to a 5 p.m. CDT Wednesday update from the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of near 100 mph when it came ashore.

Francine rapidly intensified Wednesday afternoon, increasing its top-end winds by 35 mph in the last 24 hours. The hurricane will lose strength as it moves over land, but unleash flooding rainfall and gusty winds through the evening and overnight hours.

The storm is the first hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana since 2021’s Ida and the third hurricane to make landfall in the United States this year, the most since 2020. Hurricane Beryl slammed into Texas in July while Hurricane Debby hit Florida in August.
~From CNN Meteorologist Mary Gilbert

Hurricane Alert ⚠️

Weather update:
Francine remains a tropical storm at this time. It is still expected to become a hurricane before landfall in southern Louisiana.

Main threats still include flash flooding, damaging wind gusts, and brief tornadoes.

Stay safe everyone!

Please join us Monday, September 2, from 11-3 at the shelter near the tennis courts off Marconi Drive. A great day to spend Labor Day with Family and friends!

LFT warns that doing away with the stipend could make it harder to attract and retain teachers...“For our teachers who have been there in the classrooms every day with our students and who should be credited with gains, we’re sending the wrong message.”

How could Louisiana address a half-billion-dollar budget shortfall? Lawmakers ponder solutions. The state could drop teacher stipends, renew business utility tax or redirect transportation funds.

Congratulations to the St. Tammany Federation of Teachers and the St.Tammany School Board for continuing to work together around issues that improve student outcomes and working conditions for all employees.

Congratulations to the Jefferson Federation of Teachers and the Jefferson Parish School Board for working together to improve educational outcomes for students and working conditions for all staff.

⭐️Tonight JFT and the Jefferson Parish School Board signed a Memorandum of Understanding extending our CBA through December 31, 2024.

"LFT joined the Ascension parish school district in welcoming 120 new teachers to the 2024-2025 school year!"

Congratulations!!!!

Raises, teacher incentives in new agreement between St. Tammany school district and union Negotiators for the St. Tammany school district and the union that represents its employees have hammered out a new collective bargaining agreement that provides an additional step raise for employees,

Happy Father's Day to all the amazing dads out there! Today, we celebrate the love, guidance, and strength you bring to our lives. Thank you for all the sacrifices you make and the endless support you provide. Here's to you!

Massive education union emerges in Virginia A powerhouse of 27,500 education workers has unionized in Fairfax County, Va., to create the new Fairfax Education Unions, an alliance between the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers and the Fairfax Education Association. Announced June 10, the new AFT affiliate marks the largest U.S. public secto...

Thanks to the efforts of LFT, our members who took action, and legislators who prioritized education, we were able to pass several bills that protect your rights and voice. In the coming weeks, LFT will provide a full breakdown of education and other legislation affecting educators.

Fair Compensation:
While it is not the permanent pay raise fought and advocated for, you will not receive less compensation next year than this year. Teachers will once again receive a $2,000 stipend and support staff will receive a $1,000 stipend to be distributed by December 15 in time for the holiday season. Legislators said that they were unable to provide a permanent pay raise because of the looming fiscal cliff. LFT will continue to fight to make the stipend permanent next session.

Workload, Discipline, & Safety:
Meanwhile, the recent “Let Teachers Teach” report released by Supt. Brumley tells us what we already know–the same things that you’ve told us matter most and that LFT has advocated for on your behalf for years–teachers need fair workload, discipline, and safety in the classrooms. What it doesn’t include is the permanent pay raise you deserve.

Through the work of your unions, bills that protect your right to a fair workload, discipline, and safety have now become law. These bills are a direct response to the challenges teachers told LFT they face in the classrooms that impact your ability to teach and student's ability to learn.

✅SB 205 safeguards a teacher’s right to a reasonable workload and fair compensation.
✅SB 213 provides adequate time for support personnel to heal from injury while helping students.
✅HB 322 protects a teacher’s right to teach free from distraction. This bill serves as a proactive measure to help children receive the help they need while maintaining a productive classroom environment.

Support during session & beyond:
On the other hand, several controversial bills have also been passed into law which will impact your work. We remain steadfast in supporting you and the children of our state. Read more:

Week 12: Sine Die: Your Unions, Your Voice Thanks to the efforts of LFT, our members who took action, and legislators who prioritized education, we were able to pass several bills that protect your rights and voice. In the coming weeks, LFT will provide a full breakdown of education and other legislation affecting educators.

This is a step in the right direction. Permanent pay raises help to retain and recruit the best and brightest teachers, para-educators and other school support personnel.

Jefferson Parish School Board approves teacher pay raises

The fight for your pay is not over yet. Act now to MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT TAKE HOME LESS PAY NEXT YEAR!

Remember, this is the same stage of the process where your raise was turned into a stipend last year.

The reality is you could make less next year than this year if legislators remove the funding Senate Finance restored to HB1.

Take action NOW and demand lawmakers pay you what you deserve!

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/urgent-act-now-to-protect-teacher-stipends

11 weeks in and we've come full circle—In our first legislative update of the session, we shared that the new governor, a new BESE, and many new legislators have said they want to allow teachers to get back to teaching and make education a profession that will attract and retain the best and the brightest. We welcomed them to the fight and asked them to pass laws and policies that will truly allow you the freedom to teach and care for our students, starting with a pay raise that matches the rising living costs.

While LFT continues to fight for the permanent pay raise we were promised, the legislature has not held up their end of the deal, further destabilizing the profession. Although the budget has been made whole for another one-time stipend, we are still working to ensure that everyone will receive the same compensation next year as this year.

LFT has also pushed for teachers to be recognized for the gains that Supt. Brumley has touted, and it appears that they have in the most recent “Let Teachers Teach” recommendations. However, the report does not include anything about a permanent pay raise. Instead, it tells us what we already know–the same things that you’ve told us matter most and that LFT has advocated for on your behalf for years–fair workload, discipline, and safety.

In an LFT survey conducted last year, 76% of teachers and staff agreed that student behavior was a problem in their school; and 81% of teachers reported that more than 10% of instructional time was lost addressing student behavior.

All three of the bills filed by your unions have passed through the legislature and await the governor’s signature to become law. These bills were filed by your unions as a response to the challenges teachers told LFT they face in the classrooms that impact their ability to teach and student's ability to learn. Read more from this week's legislative update:

Week 11: We've come full circle In our first legislative update of the session, we shared that the new governor, a new BESE, and many new legislators have said they want to allow teachers to get back to teaching and make education a profession that will attract and retain the best and the brightest. We welcomed them to the fight a...

Let us remember and honor those who lost their lives while defending our country.

Teachers aren’t fans of students being expelled. They want kids in the classroom to learn,” Posey said. “But when you have something that endangers other students and employees or creates an unsafe learning environment, teachers tend to feel pretty strongly about that.”

⭐️ Cynthia Posey, LFT Political Director

Louisiana teacher panel: Reduce workloads, punish disruptive students A panel of Louisiana teachers is calling on the state to reduce educator workloads and crack down on student misbehavior.

While your unions fight to protect your freedoms, legislators continue to say one thing while doing another. Contrary to promises made, once the Convention convenes, anything and everything is open for debate–funding for public education, the homestead exemption, retirement for teachers and public employees and a host of other items safeguarded by the Constitution.

ACT NOW: Write your senator and urge them to vote no on HB 800

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/cf8f58f6c9e41e90553f344b730444cc

🚫Please help take a stand and fight against STOP the CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION‼️

✅ Use the link below to send an email to legislators. ⬇️ Your voice matters‼️

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/cf8f58f6c9e41e90553f344b730444cc?source=direct_link&.

Let's be clear - NOTHING is safe if a constitutional convention is convened, especially not funding for public education.

Jeff Landry floats change to Louisiana constitution to fund private school tuition grants Gov. Jeff Landry said Thursday that one way lawmakers could help parents pay for private school is by tapping money that's currently protected by Louisiana's constitution.

👏HB 322, which protects a teacher’s right to teach free from distraction, unanimously passed out of Senate today. 👏

It will now move to the Governor’s desk for signature—the final step required for it to become law.

🗣️This bill was filed by your unions as a response to the challenges teachers told LFT they face in the classrooms that impact their ability to teach and student's ability to learn.

A special thanks to everyone who attended the Labor Lobby Day at the Capitol.

"Teachers, librarians, firefighters, faith leaders, community organizations and leaders joined at the Louisiana Capitol Wednesday to protest against a group of bills they say take away worker's freedom in the workplace," reported, Cassie Schirm.

We Care! We Show Up! We Fight!

Congratulations!!!!! Welcome to the Union Family!

Yesterday, educators at Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans won their union election 52-12.

“We are beyond thrilled to win our union at Lycée Français!” said Raina Benoit, a Louisiana native and LFNO Art teacher. “As educators, it's critical for us to be included in the decision-making that affects student learning outcomes. The current administration’s corporate model for education has not been working for our students, who are more than just numbers and data. It has also not been working for our faculty, who are treated as completely disposable. With our union, we will be able to use our collective voice to fight to improve our school–without the fear of being fired. Without teachers, there is no Lycée!"

On January 18th, 2024, leaders requested that the school’s leadership voluntarily recognize their union chapter. The school chose not to voluntarily recognize their Union, despite the fact that they also presented the school’s administration with the Union chapter’s Mission Statement, which was signed on to by a supermajority of their coworkers.

“Once again, teachers have come together to raise their voices in unison. Their voices resonate with teachers around the world and back through time, as they connect their struggle to the struggles of the people in their many countries of origin and also to the UTNO educators who came before them,” said Dave Cash, UTNO President. “This is a great day, not just for the teachers at Lycée Français, but for working people across New Orleans and far beyond. We welcome them as our newest siblings in struggle, as we continue the fight to make our schools better places to teach, learn, and grow."

The latest in a recent string of wins for New Orleans charter school employees, hopes to be a part of creating more sustainable, respectful workplaces for educators.

On Tuesday, House Education will vote on two critical bills filed by your unions that protect teacher’s rights to a fair workload and provide adequate sick leave for school employees injured while assisting students.

We need your help. Click here and tell lawmakers to vote YES on SB 205 and SB 213!

Fight for Teacher's Rights to Fair Workload & Compensation On Tuesday, House Education will vote on two critical bills filed by your unions that protect teacher’s rights to a fair workload and provide adequate sick leave for school employees injured while assisting students. We need your help. Click here and tell lawmakers to vote YES on SB 205 and SB 213...

This past week was Teacher’s Appreciation Week and we heard a lot of legislators say how much they appreciate our educators–will their actions match their words?

Your unions are in the legislature fighting for your pay raise, fair workload, discipline, and safety.

✅Both SB 205, which safeguards teacher’s right to a reasonable workload and fair compensation, and SB 213, which provides adequate time for support personnel to heal from injury while helping students, passed through the Senate and will be heard in the House on Tuesday. ✅HB 322 will be heard on the Senate floor–this is the last vote before it hits the governor’s desk. This bill protects a teacher’s right to teach free from distraction.

The MFP and HB 1 are moving through the process in the Senate. LFT continues to advocate for the pay raise teachers were promised.

While your unions fight to make your voice heard, legislators continue to say one thing while doing another. Like the broken promise of a pay raise, the amendments to the constitutional convention bill HB 800 feign protections for the MFP and public pension. Meanwhile, an article by Jeremy Alford highlights Governor Landry's chosen delegates have emphasized that "nothing is off the table" once the convention commences. Boysie Bollinger, one of the delegates, stated, “Nothing’s off the table once we start meeting as a convention. That’s my opinion; I’m not a lawyer.” Senate President Cameron Henry likened the amendments to “a gentleman’s agreement,” stating, “but obviously those aren’t legally binding.” Lane Grigsby, the Cajun Industries founder who Gov. Landry has also put forward as a potential delegate, said, “The amendments don’t add anything to the argument. They just give some people more comfort in terms of being able to vote for having a convention…They’re going to make the rules in committee.”

Read more & take action via the Legislative Update for week 9:

Week 9: Teacher’s Appreciation Requires Action This past week was Teacher’s Appreciation Week and we heard a lot of legislators say how much they appreciate our educators–will their actions match their words?

Wishing all mothers and caregivers a wonderful Mother's Day!

Our legislature in Baton Rouge is planning to implement policies that will have extreme effects on your rights and the future of public education in our state.

Join us next week and make your voice heard.

We're marching in Baton Rouge on May 15, and we need you!

Where: Capitol Annex Building, 1051 N Third St, Baton Rouge, LA 70802
When: May 15
Time: 12 p.m.
RSVP: https://actionnetwork.org/events/rally-for-louisiana/

In addition, we will be hosting an emergency town hall on Monday at 5 p.m. to inform our actions for the fight forward and the fight back. Sign up to join us here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oKOcJtfXQo2nD1sUocVGpQ #/registration

Together, we’ll show the strength of our convictions and fight for the rights of Louisiana families. Let’s make our voices heard and stop the attacks on public education!

Rally for Louisiana Louisiana! We're asking every working person and everyone who supports working people to join us at the Louisiana State Capitol on Wednesday, May 15th at 12pm.

Worker Voices deserve to be heard and respected. Please join us in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, May 15 for a very important Labor Lobby Day. Elected officials need to hear our stories and stop passing bills that take away your voice and the right of your union to advocate on your behalf.
✨️Don't Underestimate the Power of Your Voice!!!!

RSVP: https://actionnetwork.org/events/rally-for-louisiana/