Taking a long tradition of union-led education reform to a new level, the AFT on Sept. 11 announced the creation of the AFT Innovation Fund, a groundbreaking initiative to be funded by the union and philanthropies to support sustainable, innovative and collaborative reform projects developed by members to strengthen our public schools.

A new national TV ad campaign launched on Labor Day highlights the critical issues facing America's struggling middle class. The ads—produced by American Rights at Work—are part of a coordinated effort among labor unions, workers' rights advocates and other groups to build on broad public support for the Employee Free Choice Act as a way to help create better jobs. Get more information and sign the online petition.

West Virginia's independent union of more than 7,800 school service personnel has affiliated with the AFT and AFT-West Virginia. The two state organizations together represent about 15,000 workers, and, if approved by AFT's executive council in September, the agreement will make the AFT the largest union in West Virginia.

Delegates to the 2008 AFT convention elected a new slate of national officers on July 14 in Chicago, voting to install Randi Weingarten as president, Antonia Cortese as secretary-treasurer and Lorretta Johnson as executive vice president.

Over a period of just seven weeks, from Jan. 14-March 3, a total of 26,419 people took the online 2008 Health Care for America Survey sponsored by the AFL-CIO and Working America. Most are insured and employed. Most are college graduates. More than half are union members.

More than 20,000 paraprofessionals and school-related personnel represented by the Oregon School Employees Association have voted to affiliate with the AFT, marking the largest affiliation of an independent union in AFT history.

Local 1925 President, Deb Foertsch, was elected IFT Vice President during the 2007 IFT Convention on March 3, 2007.

CFT Local 1925 President, Deb Foertsch, addressed Judge McDade at the court monitoring session on October 19, 2006 and presented her throughts about teachers and teaching in Champaign Unit #4 schools.