Two stalwart Louisiana Federation of Teachers leaders were named to the Louisiana AFL-CIO Hall of Fame in ceremonies held at the union’s annual convention on March 20. Mike Myers of Shreveport and the late Elsie Burkhalter of Slidell were among inductees at the ceremony.
(March 21, 2017) Proposed cuts to the U.S. Department of Education budget would hit Louisiana hard, costing teachers and students over $73 million, according to the Center for American Progress.
Educators’ basic right to join together in a labor union affirmed
New Orleans— The National Labor Relations Board has approved a settlement of a labor complaint filed against International High School of New Orleans, directing the charter school to pay two teachers fired during a union organizing drive
(February 23, 2017) A legislative compromise that plugs the state’s $304 million budget hole with a combination of spending cuts and use of Rainy Day Fund money is the best deal that lawmakers could reach with Gov. John Bel Edwards, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Larry Carter said today.
“The governor was able to keep his promise not to cut public education funds,” Carter said. “Faced with a range of bad choices and few good ones, this is the best deal that we could get.”
(February 22, 2017) A new study that cites Louisiana’s strict teacher tenure law as the reason for an uptick in teacher retirements and resignations downplays other reasons why educators may have become disenchanted with the profession, according to Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Larry Carter.
“The 2012 law that gutted teacher tenure rights is certainly a factor in these decisions,” Carter said, “but the study ignored numerous other issues that have made teaching less attractive in recent years.”
The Louisiana Federation of Teachers mourns the passing of Elsie Burkhalter, who founded the St. Tammany Federation of Teachers and School Employees and served as Vice President of both the LFT and the American Federation of Teachers.
The Louisiana Federation of Teachers is urging voters to support Constitutional Amendment #3, an important part of the state legislature’s effort to fix the budget, when they go to the polls on November 8.
Cedric Richmond, Brett Geymann and Marshall Jones win approval
(Baton Rouge – September 8, 2016) The Louisiana Federation of Teachers has endorsed candidates for three Congressional seats to be chosen in the November 8 election, according to LFT Interim President Larry Carter.
(Baton Rouge – September 7, 2016) Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell has earned the support of the 20,000 member Louisiana Federation of Teachers in his campaign for the United States Senate, LFT Interim President Larry Carter announced today.
(Baton Rouge – August 31, 2016) Teacher salaries are falling behind those of similar professions, according to a new study from the Economic Policy Institute which reveals that U.S. teachers’ weekly wages are 17 percent lower than comparable workers’.