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Photo of AFT President Randi Weingarten addressing TEACH 2023

The AFT has always been a solutions-driven union, and our new campaign, launched during TEACH on July 21, proves it once again with a fresh, practical approach to strengthening public education. As AFT President Randi Weingarten pointed out during her keynote speech, the $5 million, yearlong campaign, “Real Solutions for Kids and Communities,” stands up against attacks on public schools and offers real-world solutions to build up, rather than break down, our communities.

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Randi Weingarten at a Massachusetts high school

Summer is upon us, and parents, children and teachers are winding down from what has been an exhausting and fully operational school year—the first since the devastating pandemic. The long-lasting impact of COVID-19 has affected our students’ and families’ well-being and ignited the politics surrounding public schools. All signs point to the coming school year unfolding with the same sound and fury, and if extremist culture warriors have their way, being even more divisive and stressful.

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What unions do

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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.

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Report non-compliance here

Plymouth Meeting, PA, December 21, 2020—On behalf of its 36,000 members and 61 locals, AFT Pennsylvania on Monday released a webform for educators, staff, students, parents, and community members to report non-compliance with the Pennsylvania Secretary of Health’s November 24, 2020 Order Directing Public School Entities in Counties with Substantial Community Transmission to Attest to Health and Safety Protocols.

“While Pennsylvania’s largest school districts have responsibly moved to a fully remote instruction model, it is imperative that districts continuing in-person

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Randi Weingarten and NYC teacher Tamara Simpson

Attacks on public education in America by extremists and culture-war peddling politicians have reached new heights (“lows” may be more apt), but they are not new. The difference today is that the attacks are intended not just to undermine public education but to destroy it.

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Healthcare Updates and Information

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We are in the Highmark High Performing Narrow Network of Services under the Community Blue EPO and PPO plans.  This means some UPMC Hospitals will be out-of-network. Some Highmark/UPMC Joint Ventures Hospitals will be in network.  

UPMC Children’s Hospital and Western Psych will remain in network until 2029. There are also some other key agreements that are agreed to during this 10-year period. Members will have access to Emergency Rooms without having to worry about being balanced billed for whatever their insurer wouldn’t pay.  Also, specific conditions that are considered rare where only UPMC has a specialist (ex. Cystic Fibrosis), will be covered under this agreement. However it is essential that it is confirmed that Highmark will cover said specialist.

Please see the links below for clarification on your particular needs.  

 

High Performing Network F.A.Q.s

Narrow Network Product List

In-Network vs. Out-of-Network Letter

Possible Pharmacy Savings