The IFT sends our deepest condolences to Al’s wife, Wanda, his family, and all the members and staff of the @ieanea.bsky.social. "The labor movement has lost a fierce advocate, and those of us who knew him have lost a steady, compassionate pillar who made our lives and our schools better."

📣 SOLIDARITY ALERT! 📣 West Frankfort Teachers File Unfair Labor Practice Charges Against Frankfort CUSD #168 “We urge Superintendent Donkin and the board to follow labor law and finally work with us in good faith to reach a fair agreement.”

The Illinois Federation of Teachers seeks a Full-Time Professional Support Staff, Professional Learning Specialist to be assigned to the Westmont Office, IL. Details can be found at: unionjobs.com/listing.php?... #1u #UnionStrong @iftaft.bsky.social

Exactly right - as more and more charter school operators are held accountable, it's clear that privatizing public education is not the way to provide equitable education to our children. Must read from IFT Executive VP and @ctulocal1.bsky.social President Stacy Davis Gates ⬇️

Your voice, your vote! Be part of the conversation at one of our candidate forums we are co-hosting this fall with Citizen Action Illinois and many other organizations. 🗳️ #IFTvotes RSVP today! 

Shanah Tovah to all who are celebrating #RoshHashanah today! May your new year be sweet. Learn more about the holiday from these @sharemylesson.bsky.social resources: sharemylesson.com/jewish-ameri...

This: "Public education is essential to a free and fair America, and teachers are essential to public education. We’re under siege not for anything we do wrong, but for all the things we do right." -@rweingarten.bsky.social @nytimes.com 

This morning in the Chicago suburb of Broadview, ICE and Border Patrol agents tear gassed, shot pepper spray bullets at, and detained protesters outside an immigrant detention center. Read our statement in response from IFT President @djmontgomery.bsky.social:

Shout out to our central region community college union leaders, who spent last weekend learning how to strengthen their unions. #IFTstrong!

We call on ICE to immediately stop targeting protected spaces & urge lawmakers and leaders to restore & uphold sanctuary protections. https://www.ift-aft.org/post/ift-aft-and-elgin-community-college-faculty-association-condemn-ice-detention-of-a-student-at-a-co @aft.org @djmontgomery.bsky.social

Thank you @mayorofchicago.bsky.social Brandon Johnson for protecting Chicagoans’ first amendment rights.  📰 https://abcnews.go.com/US/chicago-mayor-issues-protest-order-amid-threat-federal/story?id=125633634

The CFL, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and Erie Neighborhood House will host a Union Member Citizenship Workshop on Saturday, Sept. 20 at CMRJB Workers United. Registration is open to immediate family members of union members. More info: forms.office.com/pages/respon...

Congrats to our members in District 146 (AFT Local 604), who held strong for a fair contract that would boost teacher retention and ensure a more stable school district! #strongunionsstrongcommunities 

Today is Constitution Day! It is essential that students know their rights: not just to pass a test, but also to protect their rights. Find resources for instruction here:

Read our statement from IFT President @djmontgomery.bsky.social on ICE Ramping Up Enforcement Near Schools https://www.ift-aft.org/post/illinois-federation-of-teachers-statement-on-ice-ramping-up-enforcement-near-schools

Today is #NationalVoterRegistrationDay! 🗳️ Make sure your voter information is correct >>> https://ova.elections.il.gov/registrationlookup.aspx

Dylan turned himself in at the U.S. border in April 2024 after a trek from Venezuela. He requested asylum and was permitted to enter the country. He was arrested and detained in May. 📰 https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025/09/12/dylan-lopez-contreras-what-its-like-to-be-a-student-in-ice-detention/

Our members are amazing! Thornton teachers raise money every year for student scholarships to encourage them to follow a career path in education. 😍 #IFTstrong

Nos solidarizamos con nuestras comunidades latinas—no solo este mes, sino siempre. Juntos celebramos su herencia y estamos con ustedes en la lucha por la equidad, la justicia y la dignidad.

Joint Statement from IFT President Dan Montgomery and West Suburban Teachers Union President Kyle Stern: Condemning ICE Agents’ Fatal Shooting of Franklin Park Resident https://www.ift-aft.org/post/joint-statement-condemning-ice-agents-fatal-shooting-of-franklin-park-resident

🚨In a new survey of 700 AFT members, 49.5% say they anticipate needing to purchase food for their students this year—and even before the cuts to SNAP in Trump's #BigUglyBill take effect in 2028. Read more from the survey & share⬇️

The National Museum of Mexican Art is offering PD for teachers! Participants will walk away with strategies to integrate art into their existing curriculum & a guide to use in the classroom. More information & register:

Read this piece by teacher, union organizer, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in light of President Trump's threats to send in the National Guard, despite crime in Chicago being lower than it has been since the 1960's. 🔗 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/opinion/trump-chicago-national-guard.html

Here are resources on what to do if a loved one is detained, how you can safely protest, and more. From @blockclubchi.bsky.social.  #knowyourrights  🔗 https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/09/05/your-rights-when-it-comes-to-ice-how-to-protect-yourself-your-neighbors-as-federal-agents-arrive/

The “big, beautiful bill”—also known as the “big, ugly betrayal”—that Republicans in Congress passed and President Donald Trump recently signed into law, devastates so many programs that benefit working people it’s hard to keep count.

Beginning as early as July 2026, several provisions in President Donald Trump’s domestic spending and policy bill will change the way students and families pay for higher education. 📰 https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/20/college-students-say-they-will-be-impacted-by-obbba-im-cooked.html

🎉 CONGRATULATIONS to our members in the recently-organized local, the Francis W. Parker Assistants Union, who just ratified their first contract! #IFTstrong.

📣 Don’t miss out on this fall’s Union Leadership Institute! A few spots remain – sign up by Friday! 🔗 www.ift-aft.org/uli

Local officials are working to protect people’s safety, but cannot interfere with immigration enforcement operations. Read more: https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/09/03/trumps-immigration-crackdown-in-chicago-expected-to-last-more-than-a-month/

We've gathered resources to help students, families, and educators navigate these challenging times. Please explore and share to ensure our communities remain informed and protected. 🔗 https://www.ift-aft.org/immigrationresources

Whether you were marching in protest or in a parade, thank you for celebrating Labor Day and calling for what #workersdeserve. Let’s carry this momentum forward as we continue to advocate for justice, dignity, and respect in our schools and communities. #IFTSTRONG @aft.org

“Know your rights, film things that you see happening in your neighborhoods and your streets and share them with the news media. Authoritarians thrive on your silence. Be loud for America."

#workersoverbillionaires #laborday @iftaft.bsky.social

Hello from Chicago! @rweingarten.bsky.social is here with @ctulocal1.bsky.social, @iftaft.bsky.social and other union members for a #LaborDay march to advocate for what #WorkersDeserve

Valley View Teachers, Staff Vote To Authorize Strike  "We will have no choice but to call a strike if this Board continues to hold up this contract to push through their misguided priorities.”

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend! 🔗 Read IFT President Dan Montgomery's #LaborDay message to IFT members: https://www.ift-aft.org/post/happy-labor-day-1

Huge congratulations to IFT Secretary-Treasurer and Southwest Area Council President Cyndi Oberle-Dahm, who was named the Southwestern Illinois Central Labor Council's Labor Woman of the Year! ✊🎉😍 📷Photo credit: SWAC members

"Government funding of private schools diverts money away from public edu. & makes it more difficult for public schools to provide the quality of education that would most benefit students & the public at large." 📰 Read more: https://f.mtr.cool/uszlkdiqby

Now is the time to elevate your leadership skills! IFT members can register now for the upcoming fall Union Leadership Institute . #unionbenefits #professionaldevelopment 📅 Register by August 29 ➡️ https://render.jotform.com/252167819906164 🔗 More info: www.ift-aft.org/uli

At marches, rallies, picnics & parades next week on #LaborDay, workers & union members will celebrate the power we have when we come together to demand dignity, affordability and opportunity. - @rweingarten.bsky.social#LaborDay,#WorkersDeserve

Unions give workers a voice in shaping their communities. Where workers have this power, states have more equitable economic, social, and democratic structures. 📖 Read the report >>> https://www.epi.org/publication/unions-arent-just-good-for-workers-they-also-benefit-communities-and-democracy/

On Women's Equality Day, we celebrate progress—and push for more. Unions help close the gender pay gap, protect against discrimination, and ensure women’s voices are heard in the workplace. 💪 #Organize. #WomensEqualityDay #UnionStrong

This Labor Day we will continue to stand strong, fighting for public schools over private profits, healthcare over hedge funds, shared prosperity over corporate politics. #workersdeserve ✍️ Register for Chicago's Labor Day event: https://www.mobilize.us/aflcio/event/806237/

Love to see this! When you join together in a union, you're empowered to fight for equity and opportunities in your workplace. School working conditions are student learning conditions. Go Megan! 😍 #IFTstrong More union benefits: https://www.ift-aft.org/collectivevoice

What are your plans this Labor Day? Join us and stand up for what #WorkersDeserve: Chicago RSVP: https://www.mobilize.us/mayday/event/806237/ Events around the state: https://www.mobilize.us/aft/?country=US&state=IL&tag_ids=26595

The proposed rules will be open for comment until Sept. 17, after which the Education Department must address the feedback as it prepares a final rule. Read more >>> https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/some-teachers-could-lose-out-on-loan-forgiveness-under-trump-admin-proposal/2025/08

Earlier this week, hundreds of Valley View Council members attended their school board meeting to demand the board work collaboratively towards a contract that prioritizes student needs and supports teachers and staff equitably. https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/valley-view-teachers-contract-impasse

Labor Day is more than a holiday—it’s a story of dignity, fairness & rights. 📚 Explore this collection of lessons, activities, & resources on the labor movement, from historic strikes to today’s organizing efforts.

✅ Signed: The Safe Schools for All bill enshrines existing protections for immigrant students, as affirmed by a 1982 Supreme Court decision Plyler v. Doe, into state law. 📰 Read more: https://latinopolicyforum.org/safe-and-thriving-meeting-the-unique-needs-of-immigrant-students-in-illinois/

Now is the time to elevate your leadership skills! IFT members can register now for the upcoming fall Union Leadership Institute . #unionbenefits #professionaldevelopment 📅 Register by August 29 ➡️ https://render.jotform.com/252167819906164 🔗 More info: www.ift-aft.org/uli