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WE ARE UTNO!

United Teachers of New Orleans, AFT Local 527, is a union of professionals, organized to collectively and democratically ensure quality and equity in public education for students, parents, teachers, and communities in order to protect dignity and civil rights for all.

 

 

RECENT UTNO NEWS:

The May Newsletter

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PPE FOR LFT MEMBERS

LFT has partnered with our national affiliate, American Federation of Teachers to bring 30,000 masks to Louisiana teachers and school staff. These masks were donated to LFT by the United States Heartland China Association and the Wanxiang Group.
 
Inadequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has plagued frontline workers throughout the pandemic, which is why LFT and our partners are making these free masks available to any member who needs one. Please contact your local affiliate to get your mask or learn about their individual distribution plan.
 

DON’T FORFEIT OUR FUTURE: PASS THE HEROES ACT

 
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A Plan to Safely Reopen America's Schools and Communities

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Until a vaccine is developed for COVID-19, each community is going to need support in charting a path to safely and responsibly reopen school buildings and other institutions crucial to the well-being and economic vitality of our communities.

The AFT’s detailed, science-based “Plan to Safely Reopen America’s Schools and Communities” features five core pillars based on the science as well as educator and healthcare expertise—not on politics or wishful thinking.

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Teacher Appreciation Week 2020

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Today is the beginning of Teacher Appreciation Week!

I hope you and your family are safe and healthy. Even though we’re physically distant, it’s important that we recognize the remarkable work our teachers and support staff do every day.
 
On March 13th our world changed in an unprecedented way – every public school in the state shut down and we were given little time to prepare for remote learning. Under immense pressure, you worked around the clock
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Morris Jeff Community School and UTNO Reach Landmark Contract Agreement

On Tuesday, January 21, 2020, teachers and support staff from Morris Jeff Community School and the school’s Board of Directors met separately to unanimously ratify their newly negotiated collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The agreement is the result of months of cooperative and constructive negotiations between the teachers and school administrators.

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Join Your Union Today!

New Orleans educators and school staff deserve a voice in their workplaces, strong protections, and the power to shape the schools our students deserve. When we stand together, we can win better working conditions, hold school leaders accountable, and build stronger public schools for our communities.

Your voice matters. Your union makes it stronger. Join UTNO today!

Who Can Join UTNO?

UTNO membership is open to eligible employees† of public, private, and parochial schools, as well as education-related private and nonprofit organizations in Orleans Parish. Eligible employees include: 

  • Teachers
  • Paraprofessionals
  • Bus drivers
  • Counselors
  • Librarians
  • Food service workers
  • Diagnosticians
  • Instructional aides
  • + any support staff member who can’t hire or fire someone

†Employees in management positions – including principals, assistant principals, and central office administrators – are not eligible for membership.

How to Join

General Membership

If you work at a New Orleans school that is not covered by a collective bargaining agreement (see below) and do not work directly for NOLA Public Schools, you can join online today!

Unionized Schools

Morris Jeff Community School, Benjamin Franklin High School, and Bricolage Academy all have active UTNO unions with collectively bargained contracts! If you work at one of these schools and are covered by that bargaining agreement, connect with your school's union leaders to learn how to join your UTNO chapter.

NOLA Public Schools Employees

If you work directly for NOLA Public Schools, reach out to UTNO for information on joining.

Have Questions? We'd Love to Hear From You!

Not quite ready to join or want to learn more about what UTNO can do for you? We're here to help! Complete our interest form, and someone from our team will reach out to answer your questions and help you get connected.

EdWeek blogger: NAEP must get standards right

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Here’s a damning report from Education Week blogger Marc Tucker that rings true in Louisiana as well as many other states: “From the beginning, the leaders of our state education systems have invited testing experts to help them set the cut points for passing or not passing the state tests.  They listen gravely to the advice of the experts, then ask them how many students will fail at the recommended cut point and set a new one at a point that is politically tolerable.”

Tucker writes as the Nation’s Report Card’s governing board sets out to write new proficiency standards. He is president of the National Center on Education and the Economy, and he believes that current NAEP standards do not align to real-world college and career readiness. That, he says, must change.

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