Support a Fair AAPS Contract & Food Gatherers!

Support a Fair AAPS Contract & Food Gatherers at the same time!

Recently, a district email was sent soliciting donations to the AAPS/Rotary Club fundraiser for Food Gatherers.

As educators, we are both aware of and care about the challenges our students and community members face. As such, we do a tremendous amount of work to help students, and a substantial portion of that work is not in our contract. We do that work because we want to. Despite that work, we currently do not have a contract because the old one expired and we have been unable to negotiate a new, fair contract. All the while, the district takes credit for the work we do and presents it to the public as their success.

In that context, folks can justifiably see [the district asking for [staff] to participate in their donation campaign] as another way for the district to leverage our desire to help students and the broader community and take credit for the success. While the cause is one we care about, it carries some unfortunate baggage of being another way the district takes advantage of us while remaining unable to negotiate a fair contract.

Thus, we want to demonstrate that (1) we continue to care deeply about our students, and (2) we want a fair contract with the district. We invite the public to join an AAEA campaign to donate to Food Gathers as a way of demonstrating support for negotiating a fair contract.

To quote an Ann Arbor educator who came up with the idea for this campaign:

"Food Gatherers is awesome. When I have faced financial uncertainty, I have found comfort in knowing that resource is there. When I have been more financially secure, it has been my privilege to donate.

...a thought from Jack Johnson:

'I know some people who got a little less than nothing, but still find some to spare. And other people got more than they can use, but they don't share.'

One thing I like about working in education is that my colleagues are made up of lots of people who often don't have a lot, but they have a desire to be good and improve the world around them. The district seems to have a little more than they can use, and it's okay if we encourage them to share."

Thank you for contributing to this campaign if you're in a position to, and for showing solidarity with Ann Arbor teachers (by sharing the campaign, whether or not you're in a position to donate)!