Spring Calendar 2022
News
KFT statement on racial discrimination and advancing racial justice
The Kean Federation of Teachers (Local 2187, AFT, AFL-CIO) stands in solidarity with people and institutions throughout the nation who are voicing and demonstrating their commitment to racial justice and equality. Enjoying peace, living free of discriminatory treatment, and remaining alive when interacting with the police are fundamental human rights inextricably linked to racial justice.
Arbitration Victory re: Uncompensated Mandatory Summer Training
After nearly 10 years of litigation, our Union leadership team is pleased to report that we have won a sweeping victory on our grievance over the scheduling of uncompensated mandatory training (PDDs) after Commencement. In his 77-page final decision, the arbitrator rules the university had violated our Contract and issues the following award:
Celebrating student loan relief
“It was like waking up and learning you won the lottery.” That’s just one of the comments flooding the AFT offices from members who are elated to be free of student debt at last. After relentless advocacy, including an AFT lawsuit against former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that was so broken is finally doing what it is supposed to do: delivering relief from student debt for thousands of borrowers. So far, $6.2 billion in student debt has been forgiven for 100,000 public service workers like teachers, nurses and professors.
Op-Ed: Kean University’s China Fiasco Illustrates Need For State Oversight
Donna M. Chiera
Plan to give management control of campus outpost in Wenzhou to the Chinese government has security and ethical risks
New Jersey’s Legislature has many pressing education issues to deal with this session, but few are more urgent than the oversight of a dangerous and ill-conceived deal to hand management of Kean University’s branch campus in China over to the Chinese government.
N.J. college wants to go to war over a bad review. The faculty say it’s a big mistake.
Adam Clark, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
A New Jersey college’s threat to sue an accrediting group that criticized one of its master’s degree programs amounts to an ill-conceived waste of time and money, its faculty union says.
A week after Kean University said it’s “standing up for what is right,” union leaders lashed out at the university for its reaction to losing an accreditation for its master’s of public affairs program.
Kean profs protest as part of statewide demonstration
UNION, N.J. — Professors, lecturers, professional staff and librarians at Kean University joined instructors from eight other New Jersey public colleges in a statewide demonstration protesting for a new contract Wednesday, Nov. 20.
N.J. college professors are fed up. So they are staging a mass protest.
Adam Clark, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Four months was long enough.
Frustrated by stalled contract talks, the staff at nine New Jersey colleges are holding rallies and protests across the state on Wednesday to fight for a better deal.
Your vote is your voice
AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest column outlines the urgency of using our voices—our votes—in this life-changing election, when we will make a choice “between President Donald Trump, who has trafficked in chaos, fear, lies and division, and former Vice President Joe Biden, who seeks to reverse Trump’s failures on COVID-19 and the economy, and to unite and uplift the American people.” Besides the four crises we face—a pandemic, an economic crisis, racism and a climate emergency—democracy itself is on the ballot, as Trump continues to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election.