Educators support fired hotel workers

When NYSUT members show support for workers in their communities, they show up in force.

Capital District educators have been a big presence outside a Holiday Inn Express in Latham, an Albany suburb, where eight workers are on strike as they fight to get their rights as union members recognized.

When the workers notified the hotel owner that they wanted to be represented by Local 471 of Workers United, half were terminated the next day, with those still on the job facing an intimidation campaign.

"If workers in our communities can't make a living wage, then we lose the capacity to sustain quality schools," said Bill Ritchie, a retired Albany Public School Teachers Association leader.

Hotel owner Jim Morrell owns seven car dealerships and more than a dozen radio stations. In addition, the hotel's construction was partially funded using public Industrial Development Agency funding.

"This case is a poster child for why working people need the protections of the Employee Free Choice Act," said NYSUT Board member Tony McCann, retired from Shenendehowa TA.

That important labor rights bill is currently caught in the legislative logjam in Washington.

For more information about the hotel strike, go to http://www.shameonjimmorrell.com/.

Fertile learning ground

"Having fun while you learn — nothing beats that," Gary Fox mused while touring the Queens Botanical Garden with an eye to using it as an extended classroom for his pre-K-to-second-graders this school year.

A cluster teacher at PS 254 in Queens, Fox was among the scores of new teachers who accepted the United Federation of Teachers' invitation to its 2009 Summer Series.

Designed to bring together teachers in their first three years on the job and introduce them to the city's four borough botanical gardens, the series began in July and stretched into September.

Teachers learned about the resources available to enrich the curriculum with hands-on experiences beyond the classroom at all grade levels.

The gardens also provide materials geared to curriculum standards that help teachers make the most of their visits with pre- and post-visit activities. And they offer professional development courses that allow educators to earn credits for salary differentials.

Go to www.uft.org/news/teacher/newer/articles/fertile_learning_environments/ for additional details.

Hudson Falls rises

The Hudson Falls Teachers Association is ready to roll with life's changes.

Whether it be a fire, or an accident disabling a student's parent, the local union taps its coffers to help out with bills and food.

"This is just part of the culture in Hudson Falls," said Jennifer French, an officer with the 200-member Hudson Falls TA.

They also stay abreast of ongoing needs in the community. On Fridays, they host dress-down days, with proceeds going to a local food bank.

Funds also help students who, for example, need money to attend the prom or buy a yearbook.

About 70 percent of district students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

School psychologist Lisa Hogan works with teachers to keep them informed about students needing assistance.

TA members, led by local president Deb Ferranti, also hold a clothing drive to provide dress clothes for students who are going out on job or college interviews.

French said some of the local's community projects came about as a result of leaders attending the NYSUT Leadership Conference and the Regional Action Program sponsored by the union's Capital District Regional Office.

"We just tried to kick it up a notch," said French.

Ride for missing kids

NYSUT members and riders participate in the Capital District Ride for Missing Children at the Coxsackie Elementary School. From left are Lisa Buske, Bryana Laveroni, Kate Defrancesco and Stacy Herron. Photo by Steve Jacobs.

More than 60 riders participated in the second annual Greater Capital District Ride for Missing Children, coordinated by Stacy Herron, a speech language pathologist in Schodack schools.

The 100-mile ride included stops at five Capital District schools where riders spoke to students about abduction prevention. Every dollar raised represents four missing-person posters.

The Albany-area ride raised about 50,000 posters.

Visit http://www.rideformissingchildrengcd.org/ for details.

Albany County Nursing Home Professional Staff Association billboard campaign

The NYSUT-affiliated Albany County Nursing Home Professional Staff Association has launched a billboard campaign along two major Capital District highways to convince lawmakers to reject the county executive's proposal to close the 250-bed nursing home.