Essex County Labor Scholarship Available

The Essex-West Hudson Labor Council's scholarship award for high school seniors is now accepting applications. To receive the award, the recipient must be a high school senior who has been accepted at an accredited college or post-high school education program and must be a member of a local union affiliated with the Essex-West Hudson Central Labor Council or a member's spouse or child. Children and spouses of full dues paying members AFT Local 1904 are eligible to apply. The application deadline is April 23, 2012. For additional information, please click here.

Official State of New Jersey Holidays 2012

The following holidays will be observed by State agencies in 2012.  These holidays are noted on the Local's calendar as well.
New Year's Day (observed)	01/02/2012	Monday
Martin Luther King Jr. Day	01/16/2012	Monday
Presidents Day	02/20/2012	Monday
Good Friday	04/06/2012	Friday
Memorial Day	05/28/2012	Monday
Independence Day	07/04/2012	Wednesday
Labor Day	09/03/2012	Monday
Columbus Day	10/08/2012	Monday
Election Day	11/06/2012	Tuesday
Veteran's Day	11/12/2012	Monday
Thanksgiving Day	11/22/2012	Thursday
Christmas Day	12/25/2012	Tuesday

Survey shows those who can afford full tuition favored in admissions decisions

In the January/February 2012 issue of AFT On Campus, a survey released in the September 2011 by Inside Higher Ed is discussed.  The survey "shows that admissions officials are making the recruitment of full-pay students a top priority." AFT has developed strategies "to ease financial pressure on new graduates."   To learn more, click here.

Confronting Campus Bullies

In the November/December 2011 issue of AFT On Campus, the issue of bullying in academia is examined. "Workplace bullying looks quite different from the schoolyard variety. . . . it can be devious and pervasive, a collection of incidents that seem inconsequential when taken individually but are devastating when they build up over time." To read more and learn what you can do about it click here.

Bipartisan Attack on Teachers' Unions

In the Winter 2011-2012 edition of American Educator, AFT National's magazine, the article "Bipartisan, But Unfounded" examines the unprecedented attacks on teachers' unions in this country. To read more about how non-unionized school districts are not outperforming unionized ones, click here.