LATEST NEWS

Local 943 President Elaine Bernal, along with the Local's Vice President of PAC, Yazen Affaneh and Secretary, Catrina Niven attended the Labor Education Center's annual Strength in Solidarity fundraiser in Chicago on June 7, 2026. The event brought together union leaders, labor activists, and community partners to celebrate worker advocacy, leadership development, and collective action. Local 943 was proud to support an event dedicated to strengthening the labor movement an

Springfield, IL – HB 4416 , the Unemployment Equity Act sponsored by Assistant Majority Leader Marcus C. Evans Jr. (D-33), passed the House Labor Committee. This is a critical step forward in ensuring frontline, public education workers are eligible to receive unemployment when school is not in session. Read entire article HERE .

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Educators and state workers from the 105,000-member Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) rallied and lobbied at the Capitol on Tuesday to demand Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly prioritize delivering funds that have been promised but not provided to Illinois’ students and to counter devastating Trump administration cuts by finally fixing Illinois’ upside tax code and making the ultra-rich pay their fair share. Read full story HERE

In late January, I had the privilege of co-presenting at two different events. The first was a session on Using AI tools to Support Special Needs Education at NYC's CSI Leadership Institute 2026: Harnessing AI to Empower Educators and Enrich Learning. I co-presented with Lia, a sped teacher from Yonders, NY, Thomas Miller, staff developer from the Nation Academy for AI Instruction and Seth and Erica from Microsoft. Our session was on using AI for lesson planning, instruction

We invite you to join in what other supporters are doing, posting #HandsOffMyTeachersUnion statements and content to show that Illinois educators and state workers won’t be intimidated, we’ll organize. Always remember, an injury to one is an injury to all! To read the IFT's full article, click HERE

Advocates to Send Letters to 50 Governors as Multiple States Anticipate Proposals Countering Trump Cuts by Fixing Tax Code at the Local Level IFT and CTU President Stacy Davis Gates Will Speak at the Briefing Details HERE

Two weeks ago, 400 IFT members gathered in Rosemont to inspire, fight, and transform, and unanimously elected new officers. On Wednesday, more than 400 IFT members from across the state lobbied their legislators to demand full funding for education, from pre-K through higher education. Additional statewide news and information on how to contact your legislator HERE .

After 15 Years of Leadership Under Dan Montgomery, Illinois Federation of Teachers Elects Pres. Stacy Davis Gates and New Leadership Slate to Represent All of Illinois, Slate to Prioritize Making Illinois No. 1 in Education for its Children and Young People. Read complete article here.

Resources for immigrant students and families

Attacks on schools and teachers have long been a hallmark of fascist regimes: Throughout history, as many dictators rose to power they...