| We have a lot happening next week: Our virtual convention starts on Tuesday; we have our Tuesday AFT town hall with special guest, Dr. Anthony Fauci; and we have to continue fighting for a COVID-19 relief package that provides the necessary aid.
The AFT 2020 Convention Our virtual convention starts on Tuesday, July 28, at 11 a.m. EDT (all times listed below are Eastern). The convention spans three days with general sessions running from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; business sessions will run from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. If you are already registered, you should have received information about watching and participating in both the general and business sessions. For anyone who is not a registered delegate, you will be able to watch the general sessions every day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. via a livestream on AFT.org. and on Facebook.com/AFTunion. We will be joined by Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden, New York Congressional Democratic Nominee Jamaal Bowman, author Anand Giridharadas, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Rev. Dr. Bernice King, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Diane Ravitch, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and more! You can find out more about the speakers, panelists and the full schedule on our convention page here. Every evening, will be sending out daily summaries of the convention. You and your members can sign up for daily summaries here. Tuesday AFT Town Hall with Special Guest Dr. Anthony Fauci I’m very excited for next Tuesday’s town hall with Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, at 6:45 p.m. EDT! We will host this conversation via Facebook live, rather than by telephone. Although the conversation will be live and public for anyone to watch, we’ve agreed to promote it in advance to our members only. Please email your members and invite them to watch the town hall with Dr. Fauci on Tuesday, July 28, at 6:45 p.m. EDT on www.facebook.com/AFTunion. You may also cross-post the livestream from AFT’s Facebook page to your union’s Facebook fan page by sending a cross-posting request to AFT, or you can simply share the video when it goes live. The HEROES Act Campaign We’re continuing to fight for the HEROES Act and for all of the COVID-19 relief our states, schools, hospitals and local governments need. The Senate is finally back from its vacation, and while the Republicans are still arguing among themselves over the contents of the package, reports indicate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is attempting to forge ahead with a bill that would include $105 billion for education. While this shows we have made a real impact on the narrative, the devil is in the details. Please take a moment to call your senators today and demand that we pass the HEROES Act. Our click to call is here, and our letter campaign is here. We need you and your members to step up and take these actions immediately. This is a crucial period in the campaign, so we have to keep driving calls, even during our virtual convention, to make sure we get a bill that actually helps our members. In unity, AFT President Randi Weingarten |