News

Efforts to derail the collective bargaining agreement for school employees in Jefferson Parish were thwarted on Friday when a district judge refused to grant a restraining order that would have halted the process.

(Kenner, LA – December 9, 2010) In a historic vote Wednesday night, the Jefferson Parish School Board granted collective bargaining rights to the district’s 3,000 paraprofessionals and school related personnel. The 5-3 vote marked the greatest expansion of bargaining rights in the parish since teachers won a collective bargaining agreement in 1977.

Taking dead aim at conventional wisdom, two keynote speakers at the LFT’s 46th annual convention made the case that Louisiana needs more money in order to fund vital services, and that voters will support raising revenues if they believe the money will be spent wisely.

Since both of those messages contradict Gov. Bobby Jindal’s hard-line demand for budget cuts, the stage is set for confrontation when the legislature convenes in April.

Six local chapters of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers have received the Union Values in Action Award for improving the lives of members, enhancing the influence of the union and advancing the mission of public education.

The award recognizes the efforts of local LFT chapters to promote the union agenda and express commitment to the values that make the Federation the largest professional organization for teachers and school employees in Louisiana.

Longtime union leader Prentiss “Penny” Ferguson has received the Pioneer Award from the Louisiana Federation of Teachers. The award is presented annually to individuals who, over the years, made major contributions to the growth and influence of the LFT.

Victoria Rochester, an eighth grade student at W.W. Lewis Middle School in Sulphur, is the designer of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers’ 2010 holiday greeting card. Victoria’s art teacher is Calcasieu Federation of Teachers member Melissa Lemb, the art specialist at the school.

Addressing some 200 delegates to the 46th annual Louisiana Federation of Teachers convention in Lake Charles on November 22, LFT President Steve Monaghan called upon Gov. Bobby Jindal and the state legislature to make “better choices for a better Louisiana.”

In his State of the Union address, Monaghan said that much of the financial crisis facing the state was caused by decisions made over the past few years. Unless better choices are made, he said, the state faces a bleak future.

Baton Rouge – November 18, 2010) A new coalition of concerned organizations today urged Governor Bobby Jindal and the legislature to take a balanced approach to meeting Louisiana’s short-term and long-term needs, rather than continuing a cuts-only strategy that will cost jobs and hurt the economy.

The Better Choices for a Better Louisiana coalition comprises a growing number of business, faith, labor, health, education, community, and consumer groups throughout the state that favor a balanced approach that includes revenue to maintain crucial services and invest in Louisiana’s  future.

(Baton Rouge – November 11, 2010) A decision by the Jindal administration to redirect $147 million in federal education funds is the latest outrageous example of failure to make reasonable, responsible choices on behalf of the people of the state, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan said today.