In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times  column, she describes what it is exactly that unions do. Though unions are the most popular they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives in red states and across the nation. “Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: ‘Union Membership: Very Sexy,’” Weingarten writes in the column. “The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security—all associated with union membership—boost one’s chances of getting married. Belonging to a union doesn’t actually guarantee happily ever after, but it does help working people have a better life in the here and now.” Click through to read the full column.

AFT has two scholarship programs available to help members and their children achieve their educational dreams.

• The AFT Robert G. Porter Scholars Program offers four 4-year, $8,000 post-secondary scholarships to students who are dependents of AFT members, as well as 10 one-time $1,000 grants to AFT members to assist with their continuing education. The 2025 Porter Scholars application period is open, and the deadline is April 18, 2025. For more details and eligibility requirements for the Porter Scholarship Program, click here. 

• Because AFT is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, members are also

AFT-WV receives constant questions about the law and educators' rights regarding planning periods. We've compiled a list and created a flyer featuring our members' most frequently asked questions. 

Click here to view the Planning Period FAQs. Feel free to print and share! 

Keep your union benefits close at hand at all times with this electronic copy of the AFT Member Benefits book, filled with all the details on the money saving programs for AFT members!

Save to your phone and never miss a discount or benefit! 

Check out the the fourth flyer in a series of informational pieces about the some of the rights contained within 18 & 18A of WV Code and why they are so important to education employees. Click here to learn about the RIF and transfer provisons in WV Code 18A. 

Check out the third flyer in a series of informational pieces about the some of the rights contained within 18 & 18A of WV Code and why they are so important to education employees. Click here to learn about the hiring criteria provisons of WV Code 18 & 18A. 

Check out the second flyer in a series of informational pieces about the some of the rights contained within 18 & 18A of WV Code and why they are so important to education employees. 

Check out the first flyer in a series of informational pieces about the some of the rights contained within 18 & 18A of WV Code and why they are so important to education employees. 

In a case that could have statewide implications, WV Administrative Law Judge Brenda Gould sided with AFT-WV's assertion that an employee dress code enacted in 2013 by the Lewis County Board of Education is unconstitutional. Click here to read more about this case.

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• Visit the AFT-WV website at www.aftwv.org
   
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• Many AFT local presidents and staff representatives use the Remind app to communicate with their local members. Ask your local president or staff rep if your county uses