Book Drive Shares Stories with Students

Paul Martinez, AFT Local 1904 & Patricia Dowd, Dir. of Special Services, Irvington School District

On November 21st, Paul Martinez presented a collection of books from our recent book drive to Patricia Dowd to be distributed through the Irvington school district. Young readers from multiple schools will benefit from your generosity as Local 1904 strives to support education initiatives not only on our campus, but in our connected communities.

Books were collected on campus as well as from other locations and by donations from family members of Local 1904 members. We will work to continue this tradition of sharing the joy of reading with young scholars as they will someday be walking on our campus, ready to learn. Keep watching our announcements for other supportive initiatives and our great thanks to all who contributed. Don't miss your chance to help young readers during our next book drive, and we'll see if we can donate even more books next time!

Children's Book Drive for Irvington Public Schools

The AFT Local 1904's Outreach Committee will be collecting donations of children's books for the Irvington Public Schools from October 8th to November 12th. Books are needed for kindergarten through eighth grade levels, particularly non-fiction. Graphic novels for older students are also needed. New books are preferred, but used books without tears or markings will be gladly accepted and put to good use.

If you need help figuring out which books to donate, the American Library Association's Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) identifies the best in children's books each year.

Drop off books at the Technical Services Department in the Library or bring them to the October 8th and November 12th General Union Meetings. Technical Services is behind the Reference Desk to the left. Questions? Contact Paul Martinez at martinezp@mail.montclair.edu.

Family and Medical Leave Act Workshop

AFT Local 1904 is holding a workshop on the FMLA to inform members of their rights under the law.

• Do you have a chronic or serious illness?
• Do you need to care for a family member with a chronic or serious illness?
• Are you and your partner/spouse having/adopting a child?
• Are you and your partner/spouse thinking about having/ adopting a child?
• Are you wondering if you will still get paid while out on leave?

If you answer 'yes' to any of the above questions, come to AFT Local 1904's Workshop on FMLA on Monday, November 3rd from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Student Center, Room 419 (SC419) to learn more. Refreshments will be provided. Contact Local 1904's office at extension 4453 or email union@mail.montclair.edu to reserve your seat. 

Homecoming: Building a Campus Community

In less than two weeks, our campus will welcome back many alumni and families as well as former colleagues and current students. It is a time of celebration to cheer our football team to victory, but it is also a time to reconnect with our community members, both past and current. These vital connections within our community can only be cultivated by everyone getting involved, and so we ask you to try to make time and attend, and if you can, help show your pride in our work and our Local. You can reach out to union@mail.montclair.edu if you are interested in helping and learn more about what is happening all over campus  by clicking here. We'll need people to assist at our AFT Local 1904 table at various times during the day, so please be as generous with your time as you can and we'll strengthen our community.