AFT Retirees Membership Drive

Full membership for any retiree who was part of an AFT local is only $20 per year. The retirees host four luncheon meetings a year to keep members up-to-date on pertinent issues and to elicit support for AFT issues. There are also four newsletters a year with information relevant to members.

See more information and a membership form on the retirees web site.

Local 1904 Mourns the Loss of Nick Yovnello

Nicholas Yovnello, a Monroeville resident and president of the Council of New Jersey State College Locals, was killed in a two-car accident in Sewell on Saturday afternoon. He served as a professor and assistant director of the library at Rowan University, Glassboro. Most recently, he played a significant role in negotiating a tentative agreement between the Council and the state, representing faculty and staff at public institutions across who have been working for more than a year without a contract. His obituary appears in The Times of Trenton and on the CNJSCL's website.

Friends and relatives are invited to attend a viewing at the Danks-Hinski Funeral Home,  125 North White Horse Pike, Lindenwold, NJ 08021, Friday, July 13, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. A service will follow at noon. Internment will be at Calvary Cemetery, 2396 Marlton Pike West, Cherry Hill, NJ.

Nick’s family asked that well-wishers make donations to the Rowan University Foundation - Nicholas Yovnello Scholarship Fund, in lieu of flowers. The Fund’s website can be found at https://giving.rufoundation.org.

Help Prevent Student Loan Rates from Doubling

The deadline for Congress to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling is almost here, and it's time for Congress to take action. Congress must take action before July 1 to keep interest rates from doubling. Both Democrats and Republicans have supported the one-year extension that would keep interest rates on student loans from doubling; it's time to get it done.

We're racing against the clock. Send your members of Congress a message today.

The doubling interest rates on new federal student loans, called Stafford loans, will affect more than 7.4 million students as well as those who are college-bound, increasing their costs by an average of $1,000.

Urge your elected officials to keep college affordable. Write your members of Congress today.

Students are already swimming in a rising sea of debt, graduating from college with an average of $25,000 in loans to repay. For recent grads, the burden is especially daunting. They face higher rates of unemployment because of the current economy, and low entry-level wages if they are lucky enough to find jobs. Most agree that there could hardly be a worse time to double the interest rates on student loans.

The deadline is approaching. Write your members of Congress today!

A high-quality public education is the gateway to the middle class, and preserving the American dream means keeping college affordable and accessible.

Board of Trustees Statement

On June 7, 2012, Rich Wolfson gave a statement at the Board of Trustees meeting.  The statement can be read by clicking here.