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Here's What's Brewing Today
Monday, August 21, 2023
Welcome Back! We hope everyone enjoyed a great summer and found time to really reconnect with family and friends as we all try to find balance in our lives. We hope a summer vibe of taking care of your physical and mental health will last throughout the school year. Please know the WTU is here to support you in having a safe, peaceful, and productive school year.
This week, we welcomed our new DCPS teachers at a festive Meet and Greet on the rooftop terrace of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. Many of our city leaders joined the WTU in welcoming our new educators including Mayor Muriel Bowser, Chancellor Lewis Ferebee, City Council Chair Phil Mendelson, and Ward 7 State Board Representative and President Eboni-Rose Thompson. Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George, Ward 3 Councilmember Matthew Frumin, Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, Ward 6 State Board Representative Brandon Best and Ward 2 State Board Representative Allister Chang also joined in on the lively festivities. WTU is grateful for their participation and we hope the fact that they took time out of their busy schedules to welcome our new teachers represents a sincere pledge to support the vital work we do in educating the children of the District of Columbia. Please look out for our new teachers and support them throughout the year. Let them know the WTU is here and encourage our new colleagues to join the Union. To see a quick video recap of the event, please click here! Follow us on social media to see more pictures/videos of the event.
As you know, last fall we worked, organized, and mobilized resulting in a new contract after three long years. While we achieved a great deal together, we could not convince DCPS to extend this new contract. This means we are now working on returning to the bargaining table with DCPS. And we need your help. In this new contract, we will fight for what we know teachers need - sustained, specific support to help make this school system safer and more responsive to student needs. The District must partner with the WTU, our parents, students and the community. The time has come for safe and supportive schools! Your commitment to organizing gave us our last contract. We know we can get a new contract by September 30, 2023 deadline but have three asks for each of you.
- Join the WTU Contract Action Team! Click here to complete the sign-up.
- Beginning this Friday and every Friday moving forward, please start wearing red (preferably your WTU Red T-shirt), take a picture of yourself during your lunch break, and post it on social media. Send the WTU your picture via email to [email protected]
- Between Friday, August 25th and Tuesday, August 29th take another picture with a clock and/or “30 hand sign” so that WTU can post it on our social media pages on August 31st to remind DCPS, the mayor, and the community about our contract expiring. Here, here and here are posters you can use as inspiration, but feel free to get creative. Please send the pictures to [email protected] and reshare/retweet on social media during your lunch break.
Again, we wish you a powerful and awesome school year, knowing the WTU is here to support you.
Jacqueline
New DC Teachers Meet & Greet Recap Video
In the news
Last Monday, the WTU sent out a news release and offered media interviews on DCPS’ stalling on contract talks. Throughout the summer, DCPS has ignored WTU’s Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) listing 17 steps to immediately ensure school safety. The Washington Informer ran my opinion-editorial piece on Teaching and Learning Today In Public Schools. In addition, the following media outlets interviewed me on violence in schools:
- Channel 4 - DC Teachers Union: Increasing Violence at Schools Requires Urgent Action
- Channel 7 – WTU Calls on DCPS for immediate action to implement safety changes at DC public schools
- Fox 5 – Violence in DC Schools: Teachers Voice Concerns as Classes Start
- WHUR 96.3 – DC’s Back-to-School Basics (radio interview with WTU president Jacqueline Pogue Lyons)
- WHUR 96.3 - DC Leaders, Educators, Talk Public Safety As School Gets Ready To Begin
- The Washington Informer - Washington Teachers Union Issues Survey on School Violence
- Teaching and Learning Today in D.C. Public Schools
- As DC schools prepare for new year, educators say city leaders are ignoring safety concerns
Back-to-School Events
We hope you’ll join us at these upcoming events. Contact Mike Roland if you would like to volunteer with the WTU!
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4th Annual Ward 5 Back-to-School Supply Drive & Giveaway
Saturday, August 26th, 2023 10-2PM, Brookland Middle School -
DCPS Back-to-School Block Party
Saturday, September 23rd, 2023, 11-2PM, McKinley Technology High School
WTU's Contract Negotiating Team's Weekly Video Update
The Contract Negotiating Team did not meet this week as meeting times conflicted with WTU’s New DC Teachers Meet & Greet.
Watch previous weekly updates here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVsAq4LiCU_mjtJrOcqtlw0_yWg4LxvhE
AFT and SAG-AFTRA on Strike
At 8AM on Tuesday, August 22nd, AFT President Randi Weingarten asks all WTU members to post the attached pictures to your different social media accounts. The pictures serve as a sign of support as the AFT joins the strike lines for the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA Strike taking place in New York! (Each picture is sized to meet the specific image requirements of different social media platforms.)
Additional images are available here, here, here, and here.
AFT Participates in Remembrance of March on Washington, Saturday, August 25th
Martin Luther King Jr: The Long Walk to Freedom, 1963 - FREE In-Person Event
Washington, DC Embassy Events & Museum Meetups
Saturday, August 26, 2023
10:00 AM America/New York
Lincoln Memorial
2 Lincoln Memorial Cir NW
Washington, DC 20037
Summer Pay
Several teachers reached out about their July 28 summer paycheck. DCPS compensation said, ‘Employees made two different salaries for SY 22-23. Employees must calculate summer pay based on the SPC contribution at both rates and then add that together to get their summer pay.’ Please contact Compensation, DCPS [email protected]with any questions about your summer pay.
IMPACT results are available in QuickBase.
Reach out to your field representative if you have any questions or concerns about your IMPACT report. Field Representatives - WTU Local 6 The deadline to file an IMPACT grievance is Sept 1.
Enrollment for the Sick Leave and Maternity Leave Banks is OPEN
Join the WTU Sick Leave and Maternity Leave Banks. If you are already a member, there is no need to rejoin.
Click here to join the WTU Sick Leave or Maternity Leave Banks
Contact Charmaine Wilks at 202 517-1475 or at [email protected] to enroll or with any questions. Open enrollment will occur from June 1, 2023 through August 31, 2023. After you complete the form, you will receive a confirmation email from Google Forms; be sure to check your spam folder.
AM Brew News and Notices are archived at https://www.wtulocal6.net/AMBrew.
Upcoming Events
September 7 at 6:30 - Ward 7 Education Council Meeting
Professional Development
AFT’s American Educator
LEA Look Forward:
Themed Course Coding Workshops, Student Immunization Requirements, and More
August 24: Climate Conversations: Schools
Join @theNASEM on 8/24 at 3pm ET for #ClimateConversations: Schools! Learn how #K12 schools, educators, and community members can reduce the carbon emissions of meals, buses, and school buildings: https://bit.ly/cc-schools
AE_Fall_2023_web.pdf (aft.org)
Special issue on teaching reading for families and educators