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Quilted Jacket
Added Jun 21, 2011
by froggypondd
Hamilton, New Ze...
Another project from my Grandmother's hand-me-downs. I inherited 3 meters of this quilted material and really needed a pattern which wouldn't chop it up. The red bias binding which I put in between the collar and the body was some scraps from my Great-Grandmother – so a family heirloom of a jacket! I ended up making the jacket, and then having to re-sew the sleeves and side seams and collar as it was super wide and looked like I was swimming in it. When I took it in I left it still quite big so I can wear jumpers and cardigans underneath, but not so I look ridiculous.
Material Notes
Not really any ideas on what kind of material it is. It has a stretch so I put it in the jersey/knit category however it was very stiff and definitely jacket material.
- Season
- Winter, Fall
- For
- Women
- Garment Type
- Jacket/Blazer
- Style
- Casual, Romantic, Vintage
- Material
- Knits/Jersey
11 Comments Sign in to add a post
Oct 13, 2013, 04.28 PMby miniaram
The fabric is beautiful! and the red detail between the collar and the body makes it very feminine :D
Aug 1, 2011, 03.41 AMby cantare
My mom would love wearing this!
Jul 30, 2011, 03.55 AMby nouvellegamine
very beautiful!
Jul 29, 2011, 05.20 PMby threadsquare
Very nice! I love that it has a history, and I'm sure that's a great feeling when wearing it.
Jul 29, 2011, 04.12 PMby cheschiiire
So cute!
Jun 28, 2011, 10.56 PMby lestan
it's so beautiful!!!!
Jun 28, 2011, 09.30 AMby bjr99
Love the lines on the jacket. I also like the fact that you were able to use family treasures for the jacket. It makes it all the more special!
Jun 28, 2011, 08.24 AMby Mai-der
I love it! The details, fabric … everything! Good job!
Jun 28, 2011, 02.02 AMby beaufabulous
fabulous! I love that it has so much heart involved in its creation :)
Jun 27, 2011, 11.03 PMby loyl8
very pretty great job….look fab on you :)
Jun 27, 2011, 10.20 PMby lazyjaneallthetime
Really cool project! I've yet to attempt a jacket! Well done! :)
Add to Favorites 30 people added it
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11/2010 Gabardine jacketMake it


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Saturday, January 27, 2007
Volunteering at the food bank
Our local food bank is a really great organization, and each year on Thanksgiving I teach a big yoga class to collect money for them. This last time we raised over $800!! But I hadn't ever done such "hands on" volunteering and really enjoyed it. The experience also brought a lot of thoughts to mind.
One of the things I was interested in was seeing what sort of food would be in the bags. It was a mix of healthy and so-so: 2 bags of split peas, 2 bags of white rice, a soymilk-sized box of dairy milk, a can of beef stew, a can of sweet potatoes in syrup, a can of cranberry cocktail concentrate... and some other things I was too busy to take note of. It made me think about how priveledged I am to choose so precisely what type of food I like to eat (vegan, organic, local, seasonal, whole grain, etc)... Obviously I can be flexible, but a lot of times I find that I would rather be hungry than eat something I won't feel good about later (physically or spirtually). But this is because I know I won't be hungry for long. It was very touching to learn about how many people (43,000) our food bank serves - and what percent of them are children (45%). : ( There was also a statistic about how many parents skip meals so that their kids can eat.
It was really a nice feeling to help out, and we've signed up to do it again.
Another thing that made it so fun was all the nice people there volunteering with us. On the "assembly line" with us was a big, friendly group of people from the Santa Cruz Kiwanis club. It's similar to Rotary I think - a group of people doing fundraisers and such, 100% of the proceeds go to scholarships and presents for needy kids at Christmas... stuff like that. They were super nice people, mostly older, and Musty and I both really enjoyed meeting some people of a different generation and perspective. Their upcoming event is a big "crab and pasta feed" - and they eagerly wanted to sell us tickets. I was a bit sorry to tell them that I was veg and Musty is allergic to crab.
We were thinking it might be neat to check out the Kiwanis club... such nice causes they work for. But then, do I really want to help organize a giant crab and meat-sauce feed? Hm. Maybe I could just bow out on that one. I said to Musty, "Who goes to a giant crab feed??!!" and he said "what do you mean? Everyone goes." Sigh... I think I was living in VeganWorld for a moment there.
Part of me thinks, "oh it would be neat to form a group of veg*ns and make our own fundraising bake sales and vegan-feeds and vegan pancake breakfasts to raise money for scholarships and needy children!" But, another part of me thinks that it's really refreshing and interesting and important to meet differently-minded and oriented people, instead of always just hanging out with like-minded people. Hmmm.
Tomorrow I'll blog about our (non-crab) dinner, which was great!
10 comments:
Here in Chicago, J and I live in one of the most economically diverse neighborhoods in the country - literally, there are multi-million dollar mansions a couple blocks away from what used to be a very notorious housing project (Cabrini-Green). So you would think that these issues would be at the forefront of my mind, but it's still so easy to ignore poverty and hunger from a place of such privilege. Your post really inspires me to get more involved, yet I'm with you - I don't like the thought of feeding people animal products to raise money. There needs to be a vegan organization to address the needs of the community!ReplyDelete
The saddest thing about hunger is that it could easily be prevented if more people switched to a vegan diet. Vegan staples - grains and beans - are cheap to buy and much cheaper to grow than animal products.
Thanks for the food for thought!
What a thought-provoking post, Amey! First, kudos to you and Musty for volunteering. Here in Syracuse, we often do things like that, and it's always a positive experience- sometimes the real world/veganworld clash is needed to give you perspective, and even to make you stronger in your beliefs! In my heart of hearts, I know that eating healthy, organic and seasonal (and veg) is *cheaper* in the long run (environmentally, health care, etc.) but I also see first-hand people who are simply too poor to have that be a priority.ReplyDelete
Fortunately, there are a few vegan food bank type programs, and I think they're quite successful! Wouldn't it be cool if you did open one in S.C.?... You could coordinate events with the other groups, so you'd still be in touch and reach the greatest number of people in need as possible...
Ok, I've also written too much!
Lots of good thoughts in this post. I completely agree that it is a good idea to make sure to spend time with people with other perspectives. Especially when you live some place like Santa Cruz or Berkeley, it is so easy to create a perfect little world where one is surrounded by like-minded people. The past couple of years I have both consciously and accidentally been in a number of social situations with people have very different perspectives and life experiences. I have learned a ton, and I feel like I have more compassion and understanding for people with different views.ReplyDelete
In terms of food relief groups -- I think there might be a Food Not Bombs groups in Santa Cruz; FNB as you may know gets donations of food and cooks all vegan meals. I think most FNB groups set up in parks and primarily feed the homeless. I am not sure I know of any vegan food bank in the Bay Area, though it seems surprising that there isn't something of this sort.
Awesome... I love volunteering at our food bank. We are definitely privileged to be able to choose our food preferences, when there are people who will eat anything they can get. It feels good to help out.ReplyDelete

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The Super Chevy Show hadn't dropped anchor at Rockingham Dragway since 2001, a 10-year gap that left many a Bow Tie nut going into withdrawal. The term "triumphant return" might be overly dramatic, but truth be told the first day of the show on Saturday told myself and freelancer Rod Short that the SC Show series had definitely been missed at The Rock.
The Dragway was first opened in 1970 and has been in continuous operation for over 40 years. Current track owner Steve Earwood purchased the facility in '92 and has been working the whole time to improve the venue so it can stay on par with other dragstrips.
The weekend began with a cruise from RK Motors' impressive Charlotte showroom to Rockingham. RK Motors goes beyond being a toy store for car guys. It's more like a palace of automotive dreams and desires. Even if you don't have the wallet to afford one of the cars on the showroom floor, just walking through the showroom gives you some idea what it must've been like to work at a dealership during the muscle car era. RK's Jamie Wiehe was nice enough to show the cruise group around before it was time to hit the road for the show. For more on RK Motors, check out its website www.rkmotorscharlotte.com.
Arriving at the track, it was great to see the show car area filled fence to fence with great Chevys. Choosing participants for our AMSOIL Best of the Best voting was easy because we had so many cars, but equally tough with so many great and worthy cars to choose from. On the racer side, the pits were full of great cars ready to light up the quarter-mile.
Before Joe DeTullio got ahold of this '66 Biscayne, it was just an Aztec Bronze six-cylinder grocery-getter still with its original owners. Having always wanted a '66 427 Biscayne, Joe took it and added the correct vintage parts to make a clone of the fullsize bruiser. Even with its sedate exterior, the car still looked ready to eat the lunch of any Ford or Mopar that got too close.
|Editor's Choice Show Car Awards
|Larry Spires, Trenton, SC, '55 210 sedan
|Bob & Gale Agee, Grovetown, GA, '57 Bel Air hardtop
|Brian & Ronda Simonson, Dewitt, IA, '59 Apache truck
|Joe DeTullio, Ellwood City, PA, '66 Biscayne
|Billy Moose, Troutman, NC, '62 Bel Air
|Carolyn Bellflower, Oak City, NC, '70 Chevelle SS
|Chris Collins, Trinity, NC, '65 Malibu convertible
|Scott McKendry, Raleigh, NC, '73 Z/28
|Ronald Poteat, Collinsville, VA, '67 SS Camaro
|Bobby Murphy, Richboro, NC, '67 Chevy II
|ISCA Award
|Mike Laws, Greensboro, '72 Chevy pickup
|Editor's Choice Race Car Awards
|Rickie Smith, King, NC, '12 Camaro
|Dan Aspenleiter, Wilmington, NC, '56 Chevy 210
|Larry Benton, Wilmington, NC, '67 Chevy SS
|Johnny Cobb, Macclesfield, NC, '67 Chevy wagon
|Bill Robinson, Rockingham, NC, '56 Chevy 210
|Michael Walters, Raeford, NC, '76 Vega
|Lee Runion, Stedman, NC, '92 Beretta GT
|Les Ingram, Laurel Hill, NC, '55 Chevy pickup
|Ron Wilhelm, Kannapolis, NC, '63 Chevy II
|Randy Etheridge, Englehard, NC, '94 Camaro
|Pro Mod Finals
|Winner: Rickie Smith
|R/U: Doug Winters
|Pro E/T Finals
|Winner: Donald Webb
|R/U: Thomas Cain
|Footbrake Finals
|Winner: Ken Myrich, Julian, NC
|R/U: Kevin Rinel, Autryville, NC
Here are the Rockingham, North Carolina winners from the AMSOIL Best Of The Best competition, presented by Danchuck:
Dan Roddenberry
'57 Bel Air sedan
Harold & Sandra Johnson
'69 Rally Sport
Gary Houchins
'65 Malibu SS
David Kissner
'66 L79 Nova SS
Fullsize, '58-up
Billy Moose
'62 Bel Air


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This is one of the coolest panoramas I've managed to luck into so far. The annular eclipse of May 2012 had just ended, or was ending, and we went to look at the lake. The dead pelican was cool, and the view was unbelieveable. I couldn't pass it up! Neither could the other photographer off to the east.


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Turning 30 usually signifies that a person has hit a certain maturity level and has reached full adulthood. But that doesn't really apply to MTV, which celebrates its 30th birthday on Aug. 1. The first-ever 24-hour music channel has made it a point not to grow up and to instead align itself with the kids of each succeeding generation.
That's been the key to the channel's longevity, say critics. MTV hasn't succeeded at everything it's tried, as its recently unsuccessful teen drama "Skins" attests. But it hasn't played it safe either in its journey from cable startup to a global phenomenon. (According to the network, MTV is now available in 611 million households worldwide.)
The station's recent, controversial hit programs — such as "Teen Mom," "16 and Pregnant" and "Jersey Shore" — might seem to be a far cry from its original focus, which was to simply broadcast music videos.
But Anthony DeCurtis, a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, believes the network has been in the vanguard of barrier-breaking TV all along, and the new shows are just an extension of its original intent.
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"Back in 1981, the idea that there would be a 24-hour music-video channel was unheard of," DeCurtis said. "It was like, 'Who's gonna watch that? How is that gonna work?' It just seemed silly. But it was one of those things that created the audience for itself."
DeCurtis said he also believes "the teen pregnancy shows are still in that spirit.
"As kind of reprehensible as their teen-pregnancy shows are, there's still a kind of daring about them that I admire," DeCurtis said. "I always felt like that was MTV's greatest strength. As someone who has worked in media ... I've seen how success can bring a lack of willingness to try things."Story: Is it time to turn the cameras away from 'Teen Moms'?
The reason MTV still seems edgy and sexy, DeCurtis said, is the station "has a willingness to tap into a lot of desires that people don't like to admit to."
When video killed the radio star
MTV wasn't even close to being a global sensation on Aug. 1, 1981, when it aired its first music video, the symbolic "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the British new-wave duo known as the Buggles. In fact, "cable television itself was in its infancy," recalled Nina Blackwood, one of the network's five original VJs.
"It was all a gamble," Blackwood said. "There was a good chance it would become somewhat successful, but as huge as it became globally, I don't think anybody expected that."
Blackwood said that MTV in its infancy gave the record industry a much-needed "shot in the arm," since the music business was in something of a post-disco slump in the early 1980s. The idea of being able to see musical artists was novel back then, Blackwood said. It was so novel, in fact, that most bands didn't even have videos, leaving the channel to program pretty much what it had in reserve.We want our MTV! Our favorite music videos
So American audiences got a lot of music videos by then-unknown British acts such as Duran Duran, A Flock of Seagulls and Haircut 100, all of whom were more media savvy than their American contemporaries. Thus, MTV got its start shaking up the status quo simply because it placed jarring new sights and sounds before the eyes and ears of American audiences — who at the time were sending light country pop and corporate rock up the charts.
It's this early era of MTV that the channel's critics cite when they say the network has moved away from its original concept. One of those critics includes Steve Spears, now the entertainment editor at the St. Petersburg Times and host of the Stuck in the '80s blog and podcast. Spears said he's "constantly nostalgic for the old days and probably not a day goes by when I don't think about the first years of MTV."
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But MTV began to change soon after. In 1985, it started airing non-musical programming when it sent cameras to Daytona Beach, Fla., for its first live "Spring Break" coverage. That same year, it also became the first television network to air safe sex PSAs, and began broadcasting episodes of a British comedy called "The Young Ones."
But the real start of the MTV we see on the air today was its first try at an original game show, the in-your-face "Remote Control," which both Blackwood and Spears say they saw as a turning point in the channel's evolution. While the show's pop-trivia theme kept the focus on music, its coarse tone foreshadowed what the channel would become. "That really signified a change in direction for them," Blackwood said.
The year 1992 saw the channel produce its first reality television program with "The Real World." While not the first reality-TV program, its popularity opened the door for the explosion of the genre later in the decade.
Said Spears: "It's almost like when we grew up and became adults, MTV went on and became its own thing. It adapted to a new generation."They did what?! MTV's most shocking moments
Art for commerce's sake?
After "The Real World," MTV still focused on pushing the boundaries of what was appropriate for television — but it did so with its non-musical programming. From "Beavis and Butt-Head" to "The Tom Green Show" to "Jackass," the network seemed to want to be the very embodiment of what everyone's parents didn't want them to watch.
And that was exactly the point, said Jim DeRogatis, the pop-music critic at the Chicago Sun-Times.
"To always seem hipper, hotter and to scare your parents is in the great tradition of rock 'n' roll," DeRogatis said. "That's kind of noble in a way. But not so noble is the procession of mooks, idiots, sexist pigs and basically scum of the earth that MTV has taken to trotting out to push those buttons."
But DeRogatis said he believes MTV has a more insidious motive for its move away from music than its chance to push the limits of acceptable TV.MTV's best videos ever? Share your top 5
"It's friendly to commerce," he said. "When you have artists who are questioning the system and you're trying to sell something, it's more problematic than when you have the cast of 'Jersey Shore.' Those people would put barcode tattoos for any product MTV wanted to advertise on their foreheads. Kurt Cobain was not quite so complacent and cooperative."
Nor does pushing the envelope equal great art, said Mary McNamara, the television critic for the Los Angeles Times. McNamara said the station hasn't had a "consistent track record" when it comes to the quality of the programs it airs, but "every once in a while, they do get something that captures the imagination.
I want my MTV!
Big moments in the history of MTV
Timeline: From the network's first music video to the "Jersey Shore" and everything in between.
- Our favorite music videos from the past
- They did what?! MTV's most shocking moments
- At 30, MTV hasn't lost sexy edge or shock factor
- Big moments in the history of MTV
" 'Jersey Shore' was their first hit in forever," said McNamara, referring to the 2009 program that MTV said is its highest-rated series ever. "I think they have been floundering trying to do original content of any kind. 'Beavis and Butt-Head' was probably the last original thing they did. 'Jersey Shore' is 'The Real Housewives of the Jersey Shore,' so I can't particularly say that's original."
McNamara said she has fond memories of watching early music videos in high school, but said she realizes "that's not enough to sustain a TV channel," especially considering that when MTV started, it had little competition but the three major television networks.
"Here was something completely new and different and delivering a completely different product — and now in the TV landscape you can find anything," McNamara said. "What made (MTV) so amazing was the music video, which is now ubiquitous. You can get it on YouTube; you can get it anywhere."
Despite the success of "Jersey Shore" and MTV's attention-grabbing video-awards show, McNamara said she doesn't believe the channel "really reinvented itself in a meaningful way. It's just been playing catch up."
DeCurtis, on the other hand, said MTV's longevity itself stands as a sign of the network's success and that much of the innovation the channel did in the past is now taken for granted.
"So many elements of what it did and was the first to do have become so much a part of the cultural climate that you almost have to be a historian or have lived through it to credit MTV for it," said DeCurtis. "Its impact has been so pervasive as to almost have been erased."
Tony Sclafani has written about pop music for such publications as the Washington Post Express, the Village Voice, Pop Matters and Record Collector magazine. He is a frequent contributor to TODAY.com.
© 2013 NBCNews.com Reprints


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What is it with Bentleys trying to drive through floods? This is the second time we've seen this in the past few months, and we're starting to think Continental GT drivers are idiots.
This particular flooded Bentley is in Gloucestershire, England, caught up in a flood yesterday. The owner, a 65-year-old lottery winner tried to drive through the flood water only to get stuck. When he called a tow, the truck couldn't get the Bentley out and the car was left to the rising water.
Naturally, the infamous Sandy Bentley springs to mind. We saw that car parked on the street in New Jersey as the superstorm hit. Then we saw the thing busting through a street in deep water. Finally we what appears to be that very car getting one of the most painful tows we've ever seen.
Is there a dumber group of super expensive car buyers than Bentley Continental GT owners?


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I am not into racing (yet) so forgive me my dumb questions:
1. A racing class organisation IMHO should be there for the Kiters, not against... How is it possible that on the internet it is complaint after complaint about the IKA? Is it just the small proportion of racers that disagrees that is blogging the net?
2. The idea of rules and a class is creating a level playing field. One argument for this could be to prevent that the kiter with the largest R&D budget wins. Why don't just allow all commercially available kites and boards? This doesn't disturbe the LPF.
3. If unsatisfied with IKA.. Why don't the riders just race under a more democratic (for and by kiteracers) racing class organisation? The kiteforum.com racing class for example...


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PASS course has been developed by and for Montana paraprofessionals and provides participants with important skills in classroom management as well as proven strategies in reading, writing, and math instruction, taught in a dynamic and fun setting.
No matter where you are in your career — just starting out, mid-career, or nearing
retirement — you need to understand your retirement system plan, benefits,
and options. The earlier you begin, the better!Here's a perfect place to start!
MFPE is conducting two surveys of our state employee and higher education classified members to help in the bargaining process. Please participate in these surveys!
Montana Professional Teaching Foundation Golf Classic. August 2, 2018 at Fairmont Hot Springs, Anaconda
Despite arctic storms and record snowfall, nearly 400 delegates braved white-knuckle roads to gather in Helena for the first Montana Federation of Public Employees Annual Conference, April 6-7.
The first-ever Montana Federation of Public Employees (MFPE) Annual Conference took place in Helena April 6-7, 2018.
Are you ready to take hold of your career, learning to lead in matters of practice and policy?
Do you ever find yourself thinking, "If more teachers were leading, then…"—and wishing you were one of those teachers?
Are you eager to make a difference beyond your classroom—but not sure where to begin?
HELENA – Members of Montanans for the Six Mill Levy campaign committee and their supporters gathered at Great Falls College today to announce the beginning of their efforts to renew the 6-Mill levy (LR-128) in support of Montana's public colleges and universities.
One of MEA-MFT's top priorities on the November 2018 ballot is the 6-Mill Levy, a statewide levy that Montanans have supported since 1948. It provides a key funding source for all 8 campuses in the Montana University System. MEA-MFT has members working on every one of those campuses.
Do you know a great Montana science or math teacher, teaching in grades K-6, with 5 or more years of professional teaching experience? Nominate before April 1, 2018!
All members are invited to attend the regional meeting closest to YOU to learn more about our new merged union: Montana Federation of Public Employees.
It's official: Montana's two largest public employee unions, MEA-MFT and the Montana Public Employees Association (MPEA), have joined forces.
Late last month the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards announced that nine more Montana teachers successfully earned National Board Certification (NBC).
January 20, 2018, MEA-MFT and MPEA member leaders will gather here in Helena and ratify a proposed constitution creating a new union, the Montana Federation of Public Employees.
Saturday, January 20, 2018, MEA-MFT will hold a special representative assembly to discuss and vote on the proposed constitution for our new merged union
MEA-MFT PASS course has been developed by and for Montana paraprofessionals and provides participants with important skills in classroom management as well as proven strategies in reading, writing, and math instruction, taught in a dynamic and fun setting.
This tax package may be a Libertarian dream, but it will be disastrous for citizens who expect our state government to provide for public health, safety and education.
The state of Montana could lose about $128 million annually in the next two fiscal years to its general fund because of federal tax reforms, a legislative panel considering a study of the state's tax structure was told Tuesday.
The Montana Department of Revenue is closing its county satellite offices in Chester and Conrad on Friday because of budget reductions in House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 261 approved in the 2017 legislative session.
All MEA-MFT & MPEA members are welcome to this fun, free event!
Gov. Bullock has announced he will veto HB 8 (Usher), the ignorant, mean-spirited, anti-government frontal assault on Montana's collective bargaining act that surfaced in the special session.
The special session of the Montana Legislature adjourned late last night.
Instead of finding a balanced approach to deal with the state's revenue shortfall, the legislative majority voted for $110 million in cuts to state services and made it more difficult to restore services if revenue rebounds.
All MEA-MFT and MPEA members are invited every third Thursday of the month, 5-6:30 p.m., MEA-MFT office, 1232 E 6th Ave, Helena. Enjoy snacks & beverages, meet with your fellow members, hear about local updates, and let your voice be heard!
The MEA-MFT leaders and staff who compose our lobby team are at the state capitol watching carefully, working to protect our members' interests and protect state jobs and services, along with public education.
Do you know an excellent Montana science or math teacher, teaching in grades K-6, who would appreciate a $10,000 award and an expenses-paid trip to DC? Nominate that person now.
No matter where you are in your career – just starting out, mid-career, or nearing
retirement – you need to understand your retirement system plan, benefits, and options. The earlier you begin, the better! Here's a perfect place to start.
Act now to help avoid devastating cuts!
Have you ever thought about donating to the Montana Professional Teaching Foundation? Now is the time! YOU can be part of the $10,000 challenge grant awarded to the Foundation.
Montana's k-12 students get two days off this week, while their teachers go back to school. More than two thousand Montana teachers and paraprofessionals will be learning new teaching skills and updating their knowledge of their subject areas at the annual MEA-MFT Educators' Conference.
We can't be silent about the proposed budget cuts! Take a few minutes to reach out to legislators. It's easy, and it makes a difference!
MEA-MFT and the Montana Public Employees Association (MPEA) are joining forces. Learn more at a regional meeting near you.
Divide and Shields Valley teachers are 2018 finalists
In July 2013, the American Federation of Teachers(AFT) awarded Montana an Innovation Grant tocreate the Montana Digital Professional Learning Network (MDPLN). This new online learning network was patterned after the Montana Digital Academy (MTDA), with the primary goal of addressing the challenges of distance,time, access, and equity in providing Montana educators access to quality professional learning opportunities statewide. Initial focus was to provide Montana English Language Arts, Literacy,and Mathematics Common Core training and ongoing coaching support for Montana teachers,as well as paraprofessional training for the MEAMFT PASS program.
The National Education Association believes the diversity among educators, students, and communities is a great asset for public education.
NEA trainers from around the U.S. will present several workshops on diversity at the 2017 MEA-MFT Educators' Conference. You're invited!
MEA-MFT Local #4027 at the Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind recently sponsored a fundraiser to support the brave men and women fighting wildfires across Montana.
Our job today is to call, email, and write our legislators both House and Senate. Tell them to support new revenue to avoid budget cuts.
The one and only MEA-MFT Educators' Conference, the MOST comprehensive cross-grade, cross-curriculum professional development event in Montana, takes place in Missoula October 19-20, 2017. Pre-register here.
Montana public education community's recommendations to Supt. Arntzen on how to implement the governor's request for 10% reduction.
A number of folks have asked if we agreed to hand the Montana Teacher of the Year Program over to Elsie Arntzen. No, we did not agree to hand it over. We are proud of the 22-year investment we have made in the program.
Recruiting and retaining highly qualified educators is of critical concern to Montana schools. The new National Board Certification (NBC) stipend will help. Learn more about the stipend and about NBC in Montana.
What got Montana into its current fiscal crisis? Some Montanans are pointing to legislation from 2003 that cut tax rates, mostly for the state's wealthiest.
Photos from the 2017 golf scramble fundraiser for the MT Professional Teaching Foundation. Thanks to all sponsors, teams, and volunteers!
The full scope of pain from impending budget cuts is coming into view for public employees and the Montanans they serve.
Would you sign a petition for a law to create a new reason to sue Montana and local governments (read: taxpayers)?
It's official: MEA-MFT and the Montana Public Employees Association (MPEA) will join forces, creating a larger, stronger new union.
Year after year, in measure after measure, Montana public schools large and small prove they are among the best schools in the world. Here's one more example.
All dues-paying, active MEA-MFT members are eligible for this NEW benefit from AFT, our national affiliate.
"Really at this point the voters need to speak."
MEA-MFT is now accepting nominations for the 2018 ESP of the Year.
Across Montana, k-12 educators are celebrating a windfall of free books for their students, thanks to a partnership between their union and a nonprofit organization called First Book.
When you become a Montana Teacher of the Year, doors all over the world open for you. Literally. Kelly Elder is a case in point.
MEA-MFT cordially invites you to attend the annual JumpStart Montana.
Hundreds of MEA-MFT members from across Montana will gather in Helena March 31-April 1 for the annual MEA-MFT Representative Assembly.
Get ready to send your local's full slate of delegates to RA 2017! This is a crucial time for our union, and we need all hands on deck to help steer the ship. This is what democracy looks like!
The House Appropriations Committee has just TABLED HB 13, the state employee pay plan.
The Montana Digital Academy makes opportunities available for thousands of MT students, especially in rural areas. Will it survive legislative cuts?
MEA-MFT, Montana's largest labor union and affiliate of the Montana AFL-CIO, has announced that its Committee On Political Education (COPE) has endorsed Rob Quist for Congress in Montana's special election.
MEA-MFT is working to help fund expansion of the Montana Historical Society and stop a bill that would require the MHS to sell of some of its precious assets.
The Montana State Teachers of the Year (MT STOY), a state affiliate of the National Network of State Teachers of the Year, has officially launched with the formal election of a slate of officers and approval of the organization's bylaws.
After spirited debate, the House failed to pass the "guns in school bill," HB 385, on 2d reading.
A quick and compelling read.
You're invited!
Such bills would permit anyone to teach almost anything in unregulated, unaccountable environments.
This is bad bill week at the Montana Legislature, with committee hearings on three dangerous, unnecessary bills:
Summary: School funding and game wardens' & peace officers' retirement moving on. The attempt to eliminate election day as a holiday has failed. Crazy gun bills introduced.
The House Appropriations Committee has passed HB 191, Montana's school funding bill this session, out of committee.
It appears newly elected superintendent of public instruction Elsie Artnzen may have terminated one of the Office of Public Instruction's most effective programs: Graduation Matters.
Today MEA-MFT engaged in bill hearings that impact thousands of MEA-MFT members and other public employees across Montana.
If you suspect a child has been physically, mentally, or emotionally abused or neglected, the law requires you to report it to DPHHS.
As always, MEA-MFT leaders, staff, and members will be working hard every day during the 90-day session on behalf of public education, public services, the rights of working people, and other crucial issues that affect our members and all Montanans. Stay involved!
The joint union bargaining team for Montana's state employees met with the bargaining team from Governor Bullock's office November 9. The two teams reached a tentative agreement on the next state employee pay plan.
Thousands of teachers and paraprofessionals from public schools across Montana will flock to Helena this week for the annual MEA-MFT Educators' Conference.
All MEA-MFT members invited! This is a chance to get together with MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver, several MEA-MFT staff members, and your fellow local MEA-MFT members for a fun and informal discussion of important MEA-MFT business.
Elsie Arntzen of Billings is running for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction. But she is NO friend of public education. Take a look at her voting record.
Kimberly Knoche and Nicole Vradenburg are finalists.
Montana Legislator Candidate Endorsements by Area.
The American Federation of Teachers, one of MEA-MFT's two national affiliates, turned 100 this year.
The annual golf scramble took place July 28 at Fairmont, raising funds and fun for our Montana Professional Teaching Foundation. Thanks to all the teams, sponsors, and volunteers who made it a big success!
Seven Montana school teachers have been selected as the 2016 state finalists for the prestigious national Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) the nation's highest honor for U.S. mathematics and science teachers in grades kindergarten through 12.
Phil Condon, Sue Stewart, and the entire Montana Federation of Historical Society Workers were honored at 2016 representative assembly.
In the 2016 Montana elections, here are the candidates we recommend. Your vote matters!
Field Consultant, based in Great Falls.
Each year, MEA-MFT celebrates our trailblazers and pioneers -- the people who made our union the champion of working families it is today -- by inducting them into the MEA-MFT Hall of Fame.
The U.S. Supreme Court today delivered its decision in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, affirming that public employees have a compelling interest in having strong and effective collective bargaining.
This year, RA takes place April 1-2, 2016, in Helena. More than 300 delegates are expected to attend. Make sure your local union is fully represented!
The Montana candidates who win election in November 2016 will have a huge impact on the lives, jobs, and families of all MEA-MFT members. Learn about our endorsed candidates.
"As Montana's Superintendent of Public Instruction, Denise Juneau has proven herself an outstanding champion for public education and for working families."
"Legislators were sold on the closure bill based on three premises. All three premises have been proven false."
"We have concluded that every major legislative argument in favor of closing MDC was false. But it is not too late."
This is a hugely important election with inspiring candidates, rock solid people who share our values and are on our side.
Tim Fox deserves another term as attorney general. Here's why.
JumpStart Montana will be a three-day workshop that will prepare you to be a successful National Board candidate. The three-day workshop will cover Foundations of Candidacy, and Components 1, 2, 3.
All travel, lodging, and meals provided. But register early — space will be limited.
MEA-MFT, Montana's largest labor union, has announced that its Committee On Political Education (COPE) has endorsed Steve Bullock for re-election as Montana's governor in the 2016 election.
MEA-MFT member Craig Beals, Montana's 2015 Teacher of the Year, has been tapped to host "Secret Earth," an hour-long special about the Yellowstone super volcano airing on the History Channel on Monday.
PASS Training 2016
Great opinion piece from the Billings Gazette.
It's over: the long and troubled "shame and blame" era of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) came to an end today.
MEA-MFT, Montana's largest labor union, has announced that its Committee On Political Education (COPE) endorses Jesse Laslovich for state auditor in the 2016 election.
Last night the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Every Student Succeeds Act, the long-awaited replacement of the No Child Left Behind law. The act now moves on to the Senate.
"COPE members were impressed with Jim Shea's experience as a judge and the fact that he decides cases based on facts, the law, and the constitution."
Sue Stewart is the kind of person you want in your corner. That goes double if you happen to be a child who is blind or visually impaired, or the parent of such a child.
Do you know a great Montana science or math teacher, teaching in grades K-6, with 5 or more years of professional teaching experience? Nominate now for presidential award.
MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver announced today that his union's Committee On Political Education (COPE) has endorsed Chief Justice Mike McGrath for re-election to the Montana Supreme Court
Make a tax-deductible donation to the Montana Professional Teaching Foundation and a friend will match every dollar you give - up to $30,000!
From dealing with the oil spill in the Yellowstone River to helping Montana kids get child support, state employees make a difference every day.
All MEA-MFT members are invited to attend the next MEA-MFT Regional Training: Helena, Nov 6-7, 2015. Register early!
MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver announced today that his union's Committee On Political Education (COPE) has endorsed Melissa Romano for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Montana's k-12 students get two days off this week, while their teachers go back to school.
Take your teaching to new heights. • Reach your students in exciting new ways. • Learn from your peers: top teachers from across Montana & the nation. •Meet your needs for innovation and renewal units.
Our union, MEA-MFT, teams up with 19 Montana curriculum groups to bring you hundreds of sectionals and keynotes on every topic imaginable. DON'T MISS IT!
Congratulations to our new Teacher of the Year and finalists!
You're invited to one of MEA-MFT's Pre-retirement Workshops. Find one near you.
This fall, Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau and MEA-MFT are celebrating – and rewarding --the state's seven newest National Board Certified teachers. These teachers recently joined the ranks of the nation's top teachers by achieving National Board Certification (NBC).
Nationwide, charter schools drain public tax dollars away from public schools. They flaunt school accreditation and teacher standards that maintain the integrity of quality teaching and learning in public schools. And, now, in Washington State, charter schools are unconstitutional.
MEA-MFT offers its unbeatable MEA-MFT Educators Conference again this year: October 15-16 in Billings.
MEA-MFT saves guaranteed annual benefit adjustments
Nominee must be an active member of MEA-MFT with at least three years experience working in a Montana school as of January 15 of the award year and must continue as an employee with the district during the elected year and immediate school year following. Nomination deadline: September 10, 2015.
State employees and members in the MUST health insurance system: Here's your chance to learn more about Montana's Health Centers, which are available to you and your family.
Good news: District court has ruled in favor of MEA-MFT in our case to save Montana teachers' Guaranteed Annual Benefit Adjustment (GABA).
MEA-MFT and our foundation, the Montana Professional Teaching Foundation (MPTF), pour considerable time and resources into providing top-quality professional development for teachers.
Nine Montana school teachers have been selected as the 2015 state finalists for the national prestigious Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), the nation's highest honor for U.S. mathematics and science teachers in grades kindergarten through 12.
Paraprofessional Achieving Standards Successfully Training. August 3 - 6, 2015 Helena, MT
A terrible decision for MDC patients, their families, the employees, and the town of Boulder.
URGENT! Gov. Bullock will decide within a couple of days whether to veto or sign SB 411, the bill to close the Montana Developmental Center.
SB 411, the bill to close MDC, is now on the governor's desk. Please ask him to veto it. Call 444-3111 to leave your message.
After more shenanigans in the Montana House of Representatives, the session's key infrastructure bill is dead.
Free Conference Committee adopts amendment to fund state employee pay plan
On their first 2d reading of SB 411 yesterday the House got it right by voting the bill down. Then the House voted to reconsider.
Lowell Bartels, a committed life-time advocate for our disabled citizens, wrote the following guest opinion. Today HB 411, the ill-advised bill to close MDC, will be heard in committee.
MDC provides treatment and care for Montana's most disturbed citizens - including those with developmental disabilities as well as mental illness. Most of them could not be treated in community settings. Many would have nowhere to go if MDC closes.
Through the Teacher Leadership Initiative (TLI), the National Education Association (NEA) is partnering with the Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ) and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (National Board) to support 300 teachers across 14 sites in advancing as leaders in the profession. TLI is designed for teachers—like you—who want to expand your impact by building your knowledge and skills and then activating your leadership through a culminating capstone experience.
We are hosting our 2nd annual NBC JumpStart conference June 22-24 in Missoula. JumpStart is are new NBC facilitation process. It brings together teachers for an intensive workshop that is designed to prepare them to be successful NBC candidates. Our program is modeled after a long standing program in Washington State that has facilitated thousands of successful NBC candidates.
Montana state employees respond to House majority's failure to take action on HB 13: state pay plan.
Dozens of state employee members participated in a news conference on HB 13, the state pay plan, today at noon. Statement by MEA-MFT Secretary-Treasurer Rich Aarstad.
Last week the Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee tabled the state pay plan, HB 13. Then the House majority refused to blast it to the floor for debate. It's not over yet.
Is your local sending its share of delegates to MEA-MFT Representative Assembly?
If bills were passed strictly on the basis of public support, the governor's public preschool plan, Early Edge, would have passed long ago.
Jeff Laszloffy, head of the right-wing Montana Family Foundation, has been a ubiquitious presence at the 2015 Montana Legislature. One of the group's main goals is to pass bills that siphon public funds from public schools to private schools.
At long last, the House Appropriations Committee held its hearing on the pay plan – House Bill 13 -- for Montana state employees, including university employees.
HB 511 would be a boon to people like Bozeman tycoon Greg Gianforte, who is on the board of the private religious Petra Academy in Bozeman.
Montanans are clearly opposed to tax benefits for private schools. Which legislators are listening?
MEA-MFT strongly opposes SB 143. Can you imagine a Cat-Griz game where fans have guns?
At long last, HB 13 (Swanson), the state employee pay plan, had its hearing March 16.
After three hours of testimony most of which supported HB 249 (Noonan) –
Governor Bullock's Medicaid Expansion proposal - House Human Services did the expected. It killed the bill with a "Do Not Pass" motion. But Medicaid expansion might not be dead for this session.
It's disappointing, but this isn't the end for Early Edge.
MEA-MFT strongly opposes SB 107. So does the Billings Gazette. Read on. Then please get ready to help fight this bill in the House. It has already passed the Senate.
we want our pay plan to be enacted by the legislature, we need to contact our legislators and tell them to hear and support HB13!
Montana's 2015 legislature is approaching the halfway mark. It has been a tough session. MEA-MFT leaders, staff, and members are front and center at the legislature every day
Representative Debra Lamm (R) – Livingston – formerly the primary lobbyist for the anti-public school Montana Family Foundation and then head of the failed Montanans Against Common Core but now state legislator, has introduced a bag full of anti-common core, anti-board of public education bills.
YOUR union, OUR union is at extreme risk right now. Help stop this dangerous bill.
Late Friday Feb. 6, the House Education Committee passed HB 322 out of committee and Senate Education passed SB 107.
State employees will once again converge on the state capitol Monday, Feb. 16, for the second State Pay Plan Half Dollar Day of Action. Join us!
House Bill 377 (Sponsored by Debra Lamm, R-Livingston)is a direct attack on Montana's academic standards for math and English. And it's unconstitutional.
Supt. of Public Instruction Denise Juneau gave an outstanding State of Education address yesterday in the MT House of Representatives.
Dues proposal and more to be decided at RA 2015.
Longtime Republican leader Bob Brown of Whitefish has it right on HB 5, the governor's bonding bill, which helps Montanans from the Bakken to Whitefish, including the Montana Historical Society.
"Expanding high school districts and constructing new facilities less than five miles from three existing high achieving schools may increase local control, but in reality it only limits the options for local families."
What does school "choice" really mean? It means taking tax dollars from public schools, giving the money to private schools.
MEA-MFT member Denise Juneau's wildly successful Graduation Matters program has helped boost our state's high school graduation level to the highest in history!
Privatization of Montana's public schools is one bad idea, not justified by the quality of our schools, and blatantly unconstitutional.
Thirty-two Montana teachers have been selected to participate in the national Teacher Leadership Initiative, a program to develop a new generation of leaders within the teaching profession.
The vote is in: MEA-MFT's state employee members have ratified the state employee pay plan agreement.
Graduate teaching and research assistants at MSU Bozeman will get a fairer deal on the job now that they have bargained and ratified their first contract.
The team representing Montana's state employee unions and the team for Governor Bullock's office reached a tentative agreement on the state pay plan today.
Your family's future depends on who gets elected Nov. 4. Find out which candidates your fellow MEA-MFT members recommend.
Craig Beals has a message to deliver: "Those who can, teach."
Three MEA-MFT members star in the first of several videos featuring Montanans talking about the Montana Common Core Standards. More to come!
Congratulations to Bozeman Education Assoc. President Tami Phillippi and BEA for securing this major grant from one of MEA-MFT's two national affiliates, the National Education Assoc.
Montana Governor Steve Bullock has this inspirational back-to-school message for Montana's kids.
The MEA-MFT Board of Directors voted August 2 to elect Melanie Charlson as the new vice president of MEA-MFT.
Seven Montana Teachers Chosen as State Finalists for Presidential Science and Math Teaching Awards
First-ever "ECET2-Montana" event (Elevating & Celebrating Effective Teaching & Teachers)
Bozeman math teacher Anne Keith is a National Board Certified Montana Teacher of the Year. She wrote this essay supporting Montana's Career and College Ready Standards, once upon a time referred to as "common core."
Montana PBS did a great documentary on how the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is working in secret to pass its bills in state legislatures -- including Montana's. Don't miss this!
MEA-MFT member Anna Baldwin, Montana Teacher of the Year, brought her students from Arlee High School to spend part of the day with Governor Steve Bullock yesterday. It's quite a story.
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) claims its education mission is to "promote excellence in the nation's educational system," yet its "model" legislation advocates for policies that defund public services, distort the curriculum, and undercut our educators.
MEA-MFT, Montana's largest labor union, today applauded Montana U.S. Senator Jon Tester for introducing a bill to increase the number of school nurses in America's k-12 public schools.
In honor of Public Service Recognition Week, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution introduced by Senator Jon Tester (Montana) honoring federal, state and local government employees, both civilian and military, for their dedication and continued service to the United States.
Congratulations to MEA-MFT member Bruce Brumley, technology teacher for City College at Montana State University Billings.
MEA-MFT members Susan Irion and Kristie Martin have received a $5,000 Learning & Leadership Grant from the NEA Foundation.
Members of the Year are leaders in their professions and in their local MEA-MFT unions. They are extraordinarily dedicated to the Montana citizens they serve and to their coworkers.
MEA-MFT recently created a Hall of Fame to honor the heroes and trail blazers who made this union the stronghold of hope that it is today.
"Energy, excitement -- people were buzzing."
Some faculty and students at Montana Tech plan an unprecedented boycott of the university's spring commencement in protest of the ceremony's featured speakers, a wealthy couple from Bozeman whose critics say have radical social and religious views.
Initiative 170 (I-170) will make health coverage through Medicaid available for an additional 70,000 low-income Montanans. It would create thousands of jobs in Montana. It's the right thing to do.
LR 127 is gone. A good day for voters' rights.
Montana's new state health centers are saving money for state employees and taxpayers alike. And they're improving state workers' health. The results are even better than expected.
MEA-MFT is working in partnership with the Montana Digital Academy, School Administrators of Montana, and the Office of Public Instruction to help schools implement the standards smoothly and on Montana's terms.
MEA-MFT member Brent Lonner, a wildlife biologist with the Montana Dept. of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, is prominently featured on the front cover of AFT's Spring 2014 Public Employee Advocate.
Governor Steve Bullock has tapped Anaconda teacher and the chair of the Montana Board of Regents, Angela McLean, to serve as Montana's 31st Lieutenant Governor.
Montana School Boards Association (MTSBA), School Administrators of Montana (SAM), MEA-MFT, and the Montana Rural Education Association (MREA) are pleased to come together in support of the Montana Unified School Trust (MUST), whose sole mission is to provide health benefits to Montana's public schools.
The Tea Party legislators who want to undo Montana's current defined benefit pensions for public employees should read this:
Good news: The litigation that MEA-MFT helped sponsor has resulted in reduction of GABA (Guaranteed Annual Benefit Adjustment) for PERS & TRS retirees being suspended for now.
Congratulations to the 17 Montana teachers who recently achieved National Board Certification, thus joining the ranks of the nation's top K-12 educators.
Elizabeth Matthews, Gallatin Gateway School, Gallatin Gateway (Science)and Melissa Romano, Four Georgians Elementary, Helena (Math)are presidential winners.
Important tax notice: You can deduct your MEA-MFT dues from your taxes, but only if you itemize deductions, and only if your dues plus other miscellaneous deductions add up to at least 2 percent of your adjusted gross income.
Late in the afternoon of Dec. 27, Judge Mike Menahan granted MEA-MFT's request for a preliminary injunction that prevents the state from implementing a serious GABA reduction come January 1 in the Teachers Retirement System.
It's December, and it's cold in Montana! Don't forget: the deadline for Montana income tax deductions is December 31, 2013. But don't wait.
MEA-MFT and its state employee members have launched a new project to build power within state employee locals.
WASHINGTON, DC – MEA-MFT member Eileen Sheehy will be recognized as one of the nation's top teachers in February.
Please check out what one of Montana's most distinguished educators has to say, yet again, about Common Core and the wrong-headed myths opponents like to spread.
As expected, as a result of HB 454 passed in the last legislative session, the Montana Public Employees' Retirement [Pension] System now amortizes. This is great news.
Pursuant to our belief the 2013 legislature unnecessarily stepped over constitutional and statutory lines when it amended reductions in guaranteed annual benefit adjustments into HB 377 that has amortized and saved the Teachers Retirement System as a pension system, this morning in a Helena district court, MEA-MFT and individual named plaintiffs filed a Complaint for Declaratory Judgment and Relief.
Effective July 1, 2014, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana will begin processing medical, dental, and vision claims for all MUST members.
In an unprecedented move, 22 Montana Teachers of the Year have banded together to make a statement. These teachers strongly support Montana's Common Core Standards.
due to recent cost containment measures for the State's employee health care plan and an increase in the state share, employees' cost for health care will decrease in January 2014.
Anna Baldwin "basically didn't believe it" when she got the phone call from Eileen Sheehy at 8:00 last night, telling her she had been selected as the 2014 Montana Teacher of the Year.
Dr. King's legacy was about public education & unions as well as civil rights.
The folks who invest and manage your pension dollars are doing a great job. Here's proof.
MEA-MFT member-leaders Shannon Bender and Jill Cohenour led the charge today at a rally urging Congress to stop corporate tax dodging and restore funding for education and other crucial public services.
Nationwide, Head Start programs will have to eliminate services for 57,265 children in the coming school year -- including 221 in Montana -- due to sequestration's automatic, across-the-board spending cuts.
MEA-MFT members working at the Montana Developmental Center (MDC) in Boulder joined with clients and their families August 9 to celebrate MDC's pursuit of excellence.
"We are working right now with other advocate organizations representing current and future retirees on a common, comprehensive legal challenge," said MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver.
Governor Steve Bullock's administration and Montana's state employee unions have reached an agreement to institute pay raises over each of the next two years.
Bob Anez to Corrections employees: "No matter how anonymous you are and no matter what you do, the ripples from your role in ensuring the public safety of Montanans reach all corners of this state every single day. Don't forget the work you do saves lives."
The 2013 Montana legislative session was do-or-die time for saving Montana's public employee pension systems and making them actuarially sound. Working with Governor Steve Bullock and other allies, we did it.
Today, Governor Steve Bullock signed SB 175 (L.Jones) - to fund public schools - as passed by the legislature. This is the bipartisan bill that MEA-MFT and the rest of Montana's public school community worked so hard together to pass this session.
MEA-MFT agrees with the Billings Gazette on this.
The Senate has adjourned sine die. Session over. The news on this strange day should be very interesting.
Unfortunately, before adjourning the House passed SB 81 (Lewis) – to authorize tax credits for private and religious education school scholarships.
HB 377, the bill to amortize the Teachers Retirement System, just passed its final vote.
HB 454, the bill to amortize and save the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) just passed House 3d reading.
HB 13 (Swanson) – the state employee pay – has officially passed the legislature.
The state pay plan, HB 13 (Swanson) just advanced again.
MEA-MFT Representative Assembly delegates elected a new vice president April 5: Tammy Pilcher.
From Libby to Wolf Point, East Glacier to Glasgow and all points in between, MEA-MFT members from across Montana came to Helena for the annual MEA-MFT Representative Assembly (RA) April 5 and 6.
Congratulations to Alex Schaeffer, Michael Hoffman, and Marilyn Besich!
An amazing couple of days at the Montana Legislature.
Yesterday the last bill to create a parallel, expensive system of so-called "public" charter schools died in House Education Committee.
The following businesses proudly display flyers proclaiming their support for Montana state employees. Please wear your 5/5 pins to these businesses and THANK THEM FOR THEIR SUPPORT!! And please give them your support.
MEA-MFT members and others testified eloquently in support of HB 13, the state pay plan, before the Senate Finance and Claims Committee April 9.
MEA-MFT staff member Diane Fladmo's son-in-law produced this song, written with help from Diane. It debuted at MEA-MFT Legislative Contact weekend and Representative Assembly this year.
Locally elected MEA-MFT from all over Montana came to Helena for the annual Representative Assembly April 5 and 6.
MEA-MFT created this program back in the 2007 legislative session. It has already assisted hundreds of qualifying Montana public school teachers. Check it out. You may qualify. Applicatinon deadline: April 30, 2013.
Faculty at Montana State University Bozeman are voting now on the issue of whether to keep their four-year-old union, the Associated Faculty of MSU (AFMSU). Union supporters on campus produced this great video about their choice to vote YES for AFMSU.
The Montana House has just passed the state pay plan, along with the governor's bills to amortize and thus save the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) and Public Employees Retirement System (PERS).
Good news: HB 13, the state pay plan, has passed the House. This means it's still alive, still in play, and we still have a chance to fully fund it and restore 5 & 5 for all state employees.
The Montana Developmental Center survived another close call in the legislature yesterday. The bill to close MDC (SB 254) was originally killed in committee on a bipartisan vote. The bill's sponsor then succeeded in passing a "blast" motion to bring it to the floor of the House for debate and a vote.
(Caferro) was just revived. Please take action
This legislative session, Montana teachers, school administrators, trustees, and other public school advocates are working together as never before on behalf of Montana's children and their education.
House Appropriations Committee finally acted on HB 13, the state pay plan.
Senate Bill 374 (Lewis) is a bill to take taxpayer dollars away from Montana's public schools and give the money to "charter" schools. It's bad for our public schools, children, and MEA-MFT members.
Great news: the bill to close the Montana Developmental Center was just voted down in committee.
"HB 13 is not dead. Wounded, but not dead."
The House Education Committee voted No on MEA-MFT's Head Start funding bill (HB 353) on a party line vote. Democrats voted yes, Republicans no.
Good pension bills advance, bad bill dies
SB 175 is the main k-12 school funding bill of this session. Watch a video of Eric Feaver talking about the bill.
More than 30 Montana state employees lined the halls outside the House Appropriations Committee today during their lunch break, holding signs saying, "Free HB 13." The signs showed House Bill 13 behind bars.
For MEA-MFT, protecting our members' pensions is a top priority for the 2013 legislative session.
We are seeing an all-out assault on public schools this legislative session. To date, six bills meant to privatize public schools have been introduced. And so far, they are passing.
MEA-MFT and our allies in Montana public education have been working together as never before during the 2013 Montana Legislature.
SB 175, sponsored by Sen. Llew Jones, is the k-12 school funding bill of this session – and it passed the Senate Feb. 23. Now it must pass the House.
The Montana Senate has passed SB 81 (Lewis) – a "tuition tax credit" bill to create taxpayer funded public, private, and religious school scholarship organizations and scholarships.
State and university employees from across Montana gathered at the state capitol for the second Pay Plan Day of Action today.
House Bill 315, the charter school bill, just died on third reading in the House this afternoon.
The truth about charter schools.
MEA-MFT and our partners in the education coalition have been very involved in working on this bill. It's a work in progress. We support SB 175, the bill described in this article.
Some legislators in the 2013 Montana Legislature are talking seriously about closing the Montana Developmental Center in Boulder.
Protecting public employees' and teachers' pensions is one of MEA-MFT's top priorities this legislative session. Some legislators are gunning for your pension.
The notorious right-wing, billionaire Koch brothers sent their minions to Montana's capitol yesterday, in their attempt to tear down Montana's quality public schools.
Several MEA-MFT members testified yesterday at the hearing on HB 13, the state pay plan.
Along with other state and higher education employees, they did an excellent job of making the case for passing HB 13 and lifting the salary freeze.
More than 200 Montana state and higher education employees took part in the State Pay Plan Day of Action.
Buckle your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy legislative session. MEA-MFT is ready for the ride.
MEA-MFT member and legislator Amanda Curtis shares this timely quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. -- just in time for the State Pay Plan Day of Action:
MEA-MFT had a huge impact on making this successful program a reality.
This new Bill Moyers documentary shows how the private sector and state politicians are teaming up to enact laws that increase corporate profits at public expense without public knowledge. They're doing it in Montana, too. Right now.
"Did You Know...Stories About the Great Work of Montana's Schools" was created by asking parents, administrators, teachers, and others about some of the innovative programs taking place in their local schools.
MEA-MFT recently teamed up with other other education advocacy groups in Montana to produce a major new document, "Essential Truths About the Great Work of Montana's Public Schools."
MEA-MFT member and state employee Cheryl Parker, a compliance specialist at the state's Child Support Enforcement Division in Missoula, shares this wonderful story of holiday giving:
Republican Sandy Welch is dropping her request for a recount in the state schools superintendent race that she narrowly lost to incumbent Denise Juneau.
Public employees shouldn't be held liable for determining whether a person is a legal immigrant or not. That's why MEA-MFT has joined with the Montana Immigrant Justice Alliance in a lawsuit to challenge and enjoin Legislative Referendum 121.
Ongoing saga of our Unfair Labor Practice charge saying the 2011 Legislature failed to bargain in good faith when it didn't pass the state pay plan.
Cecil B. Crawford, MEA-MFT board member and 2012 Education Support Professional of the Year, was featured recently in a full-length article in the Missoulian.
With the provisional ballots now in, Denise Juneau wins the superintendent of public instruction race. Great news!
MEA-MFT member Amanda Curtis wrote the following guest editorial debunking myths about charter schools. Amanda teaches math in Butte and has been elected to serve in the 2013 Montana Legislature.
MEA-MFT member Jan LaBonty has written an excellent guest editorial exposing on the myth of charter schools.
Here is "the rest of the story," the real story about unfunded liability in the Montana Teachers' Retirement System
MEA-MFT and our members worked our hearts out for our endorsed candidates, the candidates who believe in public services, public education, and employees' rights. It paid off.
Congressman Rick Hill wants to be Montana's next governor. And he clearly wants Montana to look more like Wisconsin.
Republican candidate for Montana governor Rick Hill said Montana's award-winning teachers are second worst in the nation. (Bitterroot Star, 7-11-12). See what Steve Bullock, MEA-MFT's endorsed candidate for governor, has to say about that.
"Won't Back Down" is a dishonest Hollywood portrayal of the problems in our educational system. The movie was funded by the very people who want to privatize and profit from our schools.
Congratulations to Montana's newest Teacher of the Year!
Learn more about the Montana Health Center, a primary care and urgent care clinic for State of Montana employees and their dependents covered on the State's health plan. The Center opens in Helena Friday August 31.
Jim McGarvey, former vice president of MEA-MFT and longtime president of the former Montana Federation of Teachers, passed away this morning.
Charles and David Koch, the infamous right-wing billionaires who are trying to destroy unions, are also out to get public schools. Watch this telling video.
The Montana Supreme Court ruled today upholding the District Court decision that Legislative Referendum 123 is indeed blatantly unconstitutional and therefore will not appear on Montana's November ballot.
Fifteen folks from MEA-MFT particiated in the AFT convention July 27-30 in Detroit, MI.
Remember ALEC, the corporate group that secretly spoon feeds bills to state legislatures? Including bills to privatize public schools, take away public employees' bargaining rights, and kill teacher tenure? Watch this new video, showing ALEC's efforts to divert public school dollars to private CEOs' bank accounts.
MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver has sent the following letter to the Montana Policy Institute regarding its new web site that broadcasts state employees' compensation.
Legislative Referendum 123 is a ballot measure that gives tax rebates to the richest Montanans even if it means slashing funds for schools, public safety, and all other public services. It is slated to appear on Montana's November ballot. We can stop it. You can help.
Ed Jasmin, a longtime Montana businessman, banker, and Board of Regents member, recently penned this guest editorial against Legislative Referendum 123.
MEA-MFT members working in Montana's Indian reservation schools do heroic work for children. They do it in the face of overwhelming poverty, isolation, and harsh conditions most Americans can't even imagine – including the politicians in Washington, DC who make policy decisions about education.
Congratulations to Carol Pleninger and Tammy Johnson, Montana's two new national presidential awardees for science & math teaching.
With just days to go before the final deadline, members of Congress reached a deal to stop interest rates on student loans from doubling.
Rank-and-file state employee members of MEA-MFT and our fellow unions have voted overwhelmingly to ratify the pay plan agreement negotiated earlier this month.
In Wisconsin, unlimited corporate money carried the day in the recall election of Gov. Scott Walker.
Listen MEA-MFT's 2012 Members of the Year -- Cecil B. Crawford, Shannon Bender, Kari Cargill, and Sandy Osborne -- on radio news.
Tax Day is here. It's the day we pool our resources as citizens to buy the things that create a civilized society.
MEA-MFT supports the governor's plan to do what must be done to eliminate unfunded liability in the Teachers' and Public Employees' Retirement Systems.
Welcome to the nearly 600 graduate assistant employees at MSU-Bozeman, who have voted by a whopping margin to form a union and join MEA-MFT!
Note that without the able and committed leadership of Attorney General Steve Bullock, there would have been no deal at all.
MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver testifies before the Legislative Finance Committee on public employees' and teachers' retirement.
More than 400 MEA-MFT delegates rocked the Hilton Garden Inn in Missoula March 30-31 at the MEA-MFT Representative Assembly.
Should Montanans keep the right to elect their state supreme court justices and chief justice? Some legislators don't think so.
Reclaim Wisconsin! On Saturday March 10, 2012, more than 62,000 Wisconsinites returned to their state capitol to mark the one year anniversary of the passage of Gov. Walker's union-busting bill.
Each year, MEA-MFT honors several members who have made outstanding contributions in their jobs and as MEA-MFT leaders. MEA-MFT recently named our 2012 members of the year.
Our public employee retirement systems are not going bankrupt today or tomorrow or in the immediate future. We have plenty of time to address unfunded liabilities if our legislature would abandon pension-envy politics and hysterical, too predictably partisan, rhetoric.
Remember Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker who championed legislation last year that stripped public employee unions of much of their bargaining power? Things aren't going his way right now.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dedicated his life to working for a more just and equal society. He believed that public education was the great arm of justice. He honored public servants as heroes. He believed in labor unions.
Our hearts go out to the family, friends, co-workers, and students of MEA-MFT member Sherry Arnold, a high school math teacher in Sidney who has been missing for several days.
MEA-MFT member & Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau writes a moving story about her grandfather and other public employees who give to others.
Head Start has been in the national news a lot lately. And the results are good.
The vote is in, and history has been made: Members of the Associated Faculty of
Montana State University (AFMSU) have ratified their first collective bargaining agreements. Members voted on the agreements Wednesday, Oct. 26. The vote was counted today at MSU.
Today is a big day in the history of MEA-MFT and especially for our affiliate at MSU-Bozeman as members there vote to ratify their first contract.
MEA-MFT has worked extensively with the regents and Commissioner of Higher Education Sheila Stearns to put university and faculty salaries first. "Montana faculty salaries already are among the lowest in the nation," said Tom Burgess, MEA-MFT's field consultant for higher education locals.
MEA-MFT has joined other groups in filing a lawsuit against a dangerous ballot measure.
Congratulations to Tom Pedersen, science teacher at Capital High School in Helena, Montana Teacher of the Year for 2012!
President Obama announced that states can opt out of the most rigid requirements of the No Child Left Behind law.
MEA-MFT Faculty Member of the Year Grant Mitman recommends the following resources on workplace bullying, from a special session at this year's NEA Representative Assembly.
A minute of your time can help generate $5.2 million for Montana's public schools and higher education. Deadline: Sept. 30, 2011.
Sponsored by MEA-MFT and our fellow unions: MPEA and AFSCME, to say "THANK YOU" to the public employees who do Work That Matters for Montana's people! Sept. 15 at the state capitol, south lawn.
Good news for Montana state employees! MEA-MFT, the Montana Public Employees Association, and AFSCME have worked a deal with Governor Schweitzer to freeze, for the next plan year, increases in state employee health insurance costs.
Americans admire and respect public school teachers more than ever. They respect the teaching profession, they like their local schools, and they recognize the role funding plays in school qualtiy.
This week, several communities in Montana will be attacked by one of the most ruthless anti-worker organizations in America: Americans for Prosperity. This right-wing PAC (political action committee) is planning a series of "Running on Empty" demonstrations around Montana. Real Montana working people are fighting back.
Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau recently took on the U.S. Dept. of Education and the supremely flawed No Child Left Behind law -- and won.
The American Dream movement is busy this summer telling Congress what Americans really want when it comes to government spending and the economy. There's a Contract For The American Dream that lays out a progressive alternative to austerity policies.
Read the article below, and know that after several legislative years of trying, MEA-MFT created the Montana student loan repayment program for teachers in the 2007 legislative session.
Wisconsin voters go to the polls today to recall six of Gov. Scott Walker's (R) closest state Senate allies. The "Walker 6" spearheaded his move to take away the collective bargaining rights of public employees and ram through a budget devastating to working families.
Montana Superintendent Denise Juneau has taken on a huge task, but if anyone can lead Montana toward real schools of promise, she can. And MEA-MFT will help every step on the way.
Who's behind efforts to destroy public employee unions in Wisconsin and elsewhere, shove right-wing legislation through state legislatures, and turn over public services to for-profit corporations? Meet ALEC.
MEA-MFT is evaluating exactly how badly the newly adopted federal deficit/debt ceiling act will impact Montana public programs and services.
"Millions of us are behind you. We love you!" actor Matt Damon told public school teachers at the national "Save Our Schools" march and rally in Washington, D.C., July 30.
As we begin this fiscal new year, it's a good time to think about what your state legislators are working toward: Long-term prosperity for Montana? Or pulling the rug out from under those trying to make a better life for themselves and their communities?
A class act MEA-MFT member doing Work that Matters!
July 21 - The "Cut, Cap, and Balance" bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives July 19 would have devastating consequences for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
MEA-MFT agrees with Billings Gazette opinion: The threat of NCLB sanctions makes no sense. The law is years past its intended reauthorization date with no congressional update. It needs to be significantly revised.
Many of the remedies being misapplied to the nation's ailing economy are nothing more than public policy myths that grew out of the oil-shock recessions of 40 years ago, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman told an AFT TEACH conference audience on July 11.
The grades are in for the 2011 Montana Legislature. How did your legislators do on our issues? Read the MEA-MFT 2011 Legislative Voting Record and find out.
Montana's executive branch responds to the Unfair Labor Practice charge filed by MEA-MFT and our fellow unions.
All through the 2011 session, MEA-MFT said the money was there to fund public education and public services. And it was. Every dollar of destructive cuts made by the 2011 Legislature were completely unnecessary.
Students of MEA-MFT member Delena Norris-Tull know to pull on their boots before class.
PASS for paras
MEA-MFT's acclaimed course to help Montana paraprofessionals meet the "high quality" definition in the No Child Left Behind Act
Please help keep the spirit of our April 1 No Fooling with our Future Rally strong!
MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver submitted the following open letter to Governor Brian Schweitzer to newspapers across Montana in May.
Montana's Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau recently drew a line in the sand with the No Child Left Behind Act.
It was almost so much worse.
MEA-MFT member leader Mona Bilden of Miles City talks about teacher appreciation in the face of historic teacher bashing.
The 2011 Montana Legislature has finally ground to a halt. Final bill status report
Despite the outcry from conservatives about taxes, tax collections are in fact at historic lows and tax rates for the rich have been declining for years.
Two Montana teachers have been named as 2010 outstanding math and science teachers by President Obama.
The House rejected SB 315 (Ripley) - a bill to redefine good cause and truncate due process in the teacher tenure statutes.
The Montana House voted to reconsider the state pay plan, HB 13, today. Then, following heated debated, the bill died on second reading, 42-58.
Listen to the radio spot, and call your legislators beginning Monday, April 18.
im McGarvey, executive secretary of the Montana State AFL-CIO and former MEA-MFT vice president, announced plans to retire this week.
Apr. 18 - Today, the only real jobs bill – HB 439 (Hollenbaugh) - is up for what could be its final vote, in the House. It must receive at least 67 or a 2/3ds vote. You can help.
For the second time, the Montana House has passed consideration of SB 315 (Ripley), the attack on teacher tenure. Your e-mails are working. Keep it up!
Several MEA-MFT members, governance, and staff walked across the street from MEA-MFT's headquarters office in Helena to attend Governor Schweitzer's branding party today.
Apr 13 - Where the budget battles stands now. All cuts hurt!
Great news: HB 603, the insidious school privatization bill, was tabled Apr. 11. SB 315 remains and needs your URGENT ACTION.
The largest MEA-MFT Representative Assembly (RA) in history took place in Helena April 1-2. More than 350 delegates attended, representing 97 MEA-MFT locals.
More than 350 MEA-MFT members from across Montana honored three of their peers at a gala celebration in Helena April 1.
Once again, MEA-MFT and our members have stopped an attempt to close and privatize the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls.
"The money is there. Where are your VALUES?" That's the message participants sent to the Montana Legislature at our "No Fooling with our Future Rally."
MEA-MFT is part of a coalition called the Partnership for Montana's Future, which just completed a video that puts a face -- many faces, actually -- to the Montana Legislature's needless budget cuts. Take a look.
Four BAD bills wait legislative action, maybe today. Please contact legislators!
The Senate has killed SB 403 (Jones) – the latest k-12 school funding bill. Schools contemplate layoffs due to legislative gridlock.
HB 603 is one of the most dangerous school privatization bills ever introduced.
At least a thousand Montanans from all over the state are expected to attend the rally against the legislature's senseless cuts to state services and education. Join us April 1 for the rally!
SB 315, an attack on teacher tenure that severely curtails due process rights, is being heard March 21. Please take action!
Mar. 22 - News Flash – At 4:00 p.m. today, House Appropriations Committee TABLED HB 13 (Hiner) – state employee pay plan.
More than 500 Montanans braved the winter weather to travel to Helena Feb. 21 for a Rally to Save Public Services and Education.
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer gave an eloquent defense of public employees and teachers unions on MSNBC today.
Legislatiave Fiscal Analyst says the State of Montana will collect $97 million more in revenues over the next 2½ years than he projected in mid-November. Yet still the majority party insists on draconian cuts.
These two editorials speak to a phenomenon we're seeing in Montana too – and MEA-MFT is fighting back.
SB 315 passed weakens Montana's tenure laws for teachers for no good reason. We'll keep fighting it.
HB 569, sponsored by Wayne Stahl (R-Saco), would roll back state employee salaries to October 1, 2005.
MEA-MFT member and Montana 2011 Teacher of the Year Paul Andersen spoke to the Montana Legislature Feb. 9 about his ideas for improving education. Wow!
As of Feb. 3, 2011, the Republicans who control the Montana Legislature have made cumulative decisions that will cut the next state budget $1.3 billion below the governor's proposed budget.
More than 100 people from around Montana rallied Jan. 28 against legislative committees' cuts to budgets for education and health and human service programs.
Governor Brian Schweitzer said it all when he spoke about public education during his State of the State address Jan. 25:
"The best path to a higher paying job is a good education. If you choose to cut funding for public education, you do so as a reflection of your values, because we have the money in the bank." Listen for yourself.
Nearly 100 state and university employees from across Montana participated in our Work That Matters Day of Action, Jan. 17, 2011.
Jan. 10 - In a job-killing move, majority Republicans at the 2011 Legislature voted to chop some $500 million from Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer's proposals for the next two-year period.
Public school teachers are some of the most creative folks on the planet. MEA-MFT asked some of our teacher/members for examples of innovative teaching, and we received dozens of replies. Here are a few of them. Move over, Superman.
Seven more Montana teachers – all MEA-MFT members -- recently joined the ranks of the nation's top certified teachers.
Bozeman teacher and MEA-MFT member Paul Andersen has been selected as one of four finalists in the National Teacher of the Year Program – the highest honor a U.S. teacher can achieve.
State pay plan, House Bill 13, and the state legislature
The following op-ed by MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver appears in the Jan. 2, 2011 Helena Independent Record. A legislated cap on state employee pay will be one of the many serious challenges we face in the 2011 legislature.
Across the nation, educators and others are pointing out the foibles in the film "Waiting for 'Superman.'" Here are some examples:
From high stakes testing to charter schools, Waiting for "Superman" is full of super myths.
Teacher bashing sank to new depths this fall with the release of Waiting for "Superman," a film that claims to analyze the failures of the American public school system.
Now seeking nominations: MEA-MFT Faculty Member of the Year
Diane Fladmo is MEA-MFT's new research director and member benefits and retirement coordinator. Dave Severson replaces Fladmo as field consultant for local affiliates in the Northwest 3 region.
One hundred MEA-MFT members from across Montana gathered in Helena Dec. 4-5, 2010, for MEA-MFT's annual Committee Weekend.
For most teachers, isolation is one of the biggest obstacles they face when it comes to improving their teaching. But a new pilot program called "Take One" is helping Montana teachers break the isolation in several areas across the state.
Rank-and-file members of the joint bargaining team for Montana's state employee unions voted today to accept the State of Montana's latest pay plan proposal.
Sen. Dave Lewis, R-Helena, a retired longtime state employee and budget director, is having a bill drafted to ask voters to limit the pay and benefits of state workers.
CI-105 is bad for Montana's people. That's what locally elected delegates -- MEA-MFT members from around the state – decided at MEA-MFT's annual Representative Assembly in Billings March 26-27.
Election 2010 is all about the future: The future of public schools, public services, public employees, and the suvival of the middle class in Montana. In other words, YOUR future. Your vote matters! Read about candidate and initiative recommendations.
"We're not waiting for Superman; we have our own superheroes, and they're right here."
Republican Party Treasurer Gary MacLaren resigns over his own party's mud-slinging tactics.
Dave Severson replaces Diane Fladmo as
"Stick together." That was MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver's advice to state employees as they began a new round of contract negotiations with the governor's office this fall.
MEA-MFT's Work That Matters campaign traveled to Bozeman for the third in a series of work site tours Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2010.
Bozeman science teacher Paul Andersen has been named 2011 Montana Teacher of the Year!
President Barack Obama has signed the legislation saving educator jobs and helping help states cope with the Great Recession.
Several dozen MEA-MFT members from around Montana gave up part of their summers to help set national policy at the national meetings of MEA-MFT's two national affiliates: the National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
The MEA-MFT Board of Directors, meeting in Helena July 29-30, took action to oppose "CC2" -- the constitutional convention initiative that will appear on the November ballot this year.
August 3, 2010 - Pensions, corporate accountability and public image issues were front and center at the AFT Public Employees program and policy council's recent meeting in Louisville, Ky. The AFT (American Federation of Teachers) is one of MEA-MFT's two national affiliates, along with the National Education Association. AFT represents state and county government employees along with educators.
Guest Editorial by Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau
Head Start statewide meeting to held June 21-22, 2010, in Helena.
MEA-MFT worked closely with Superintendent Denise Juneau and Governor Brian Schweitzer on Montana's application for federal Race to the Top grant funds. Unfortunately, Montana did not receive a grant. Read Eric Feaver's letter to the U.S. Dept. of Education.
Some MEA-MFT members in the MUST insurance plan will see huge increase in rates. Montana Sen. Jon Tester pleads our case before Congress. Read message from MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver and watch Sen. Tester's testimony.
Sponsored by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the U.S. Professor of the Year program...
MEA-MFT's Work That Matters campaign for public employees is back: MEA-MFT celebrates with help from a special national guest.
Your union, your voice! Hundreds of locally elected MEA-MFT members will gather to determine budget, dues, and priorities for their state union -- AND to celebrate MEA-MFT's 10th anniversary. Read more.
Mar. 24, 2010 - Congress has finally done something re health insurance -- even if not anything like what it should be doing (single payer). U.S. Senate is presumably poised to follow.
Obama Admin. releases blueprint for public schools. Teachers have severe concerns.
Student loan forgiveness: Need help paying your student loan? Many Montana teachers and licensed professionals may qualify for loan assistance programs.
MEA-MFT turns 10! A decade of victories
Proposed cuts available online
AFT President Randi Weingarten was a special guest at our kick-off party Jan. 21. Read more. And watch a short video of Weingarten's visit.
Nominate by Jan. 15, 2010. Nomination info
Race to the Top? MEA-MFT and other education leaders have serious misgivings about the Obama Administration's proposed grant guideslines.
Oct. 09 - For decades, Montana's public colleges and universities have been like 14 different islands, isolated and competing against each other for funding and resources.
Innovative prescription drug plan will save money for state & university employees.
he American Federation of Teachers, one of MEA-MFT's two national affiliates, has created a new e-newsletter dedicated to the AFT's Faculty and College Excellence (FACE) campaign and other issues related to academic staffing in higher education.
Oct 7, '09 - After more than ten months of bargaining, MEA-MFT members in the University Faculty Association (University of Montana) have a tentative agreement for a new collective bargaining agreement.
MEA-MFT member Anne Keith is named as 2010 Montana Teacher of the Year!
In September, Anne Keith of Bozeman received that highest honor when she was named Montana Teacher of the Year for 2010.
DPHHS members learn workplace
problem-solving skills
Congratulations, AFMSU!
MEA-MFT brings suit against the Montana Department of Corrections to require it to follow state law before outsourcing work that has historically been performed by public employees.
MEA-MFT members at UM Western win major grants for biomedical research.
MEA-MFT member Karen Giuliani featured in national publication
Two stories follow. All about Montanans - traditional and nontraditional students - pursing Montana higher education opportunities.
April 14, 2009 - "MEA-MFT is proud to welcome our newest members and local bargaining units, the Associated Faculty of Montana State University in Bozeman," said MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver today.
New Montana History textbook has MEA-MFT members' fingerprints all over it.
Defending their rights.
The good, the bad, the ugly
House Bill 13 -- a very good deal for our state employee members.
MEA-MFT reactivates our award-winning Work That Matters ad campaign.
Correctional Officers at Montana State Prison keep us safe, despite tough conditions.
Members learn to stop toxic leaks.
Escaped prisoners illustrate why privatization doesn't work
MEA-MFT's Stand Up For Education campaign took Montana by storm last spring. And it took top honors in a national award program this winter.
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AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile Hit With Dumbest Antitrust Lawsuit Ever
from the please dept
So how are these mobile operators guilty of antitrust violations? According to Davis:
Defendants purposely conspired via collusion to install themselves as the new primary gate keepers and sole beneficiaries of multimedia content sharing through their new MMS technologies.Except, of course, that's ridiculous. These companies did agree to set up MMS systems, but that's because they're the mobile operators who run the mobile networks. That's not collusion. And it's not antitrust. The filing gets more ridiculous as it goes on. He claims that these operators do not qualify as DMCA service providers, contrary to the pretty clear language of the law and plenty of case law. The whole thing seems frivolous, and it seems likely that this lawsuit will reach a similar conclusion to the previous one.


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"Brasil Guitar Duo" to Perform at UW
The Brasil Guitar Duo will perform a blend of traditional and Brazilian works Friday, April 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the University of Wyoming Fine Arts concert hall.
Tickets cost $22 for the public, $18 for seniors and students. For tickets and information, call (307) 766-6666 or go online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts.
"The maturity of musicianship and technical virtuosity is simply outstanding," says a Classical Guitar Magazine review.
Joao Luiz and Douglas Lora met in Sao Paulo as teenage guitar students and performed together for more than 12 years. Douglas Lora earned his master's degree at the University of Miami. Joao Luiz is currently pursuing his master's degree at New York's Mannes College of Music.
The duo performs interpretations of choro (popular), samba, and Brazilian folk music genres that are quite jazzy. They also perform classical music by Debussy and Scarlatti.
For more information, visit http://www.concertartists.org/brasil_bio.htm.


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A Hitchhiker's Guide to Armageddon
Childress hits the road from Megiddo, the legendary fortress in northern Israel where Armageddon is prophesied to start. Hitchhiking around the world, Childress takes us from one adventure to another, to ancient cities in the deserts and the legends of worlds before our own. Childress muses on the rising and falling of civilisations and the forces that have shaped mankind over the millennia, including wars, invasions and cataclysms. He discusses the ancient wars of the past, including evidence for ancient atomic wars, and relates the dim past with the present and dim future.
With humor, philosophical insight, and wonder at the amazing world around us, Childress shows us the many traces of advanced civilizations in the past, and how we should look at them differently from the way scientists currently do.
Among the various topics in the book: the amazing sciences of ancient India and China; David's involvement with the strange megaliths of New Zealand; intelligence operatives in New Zealand and the attempt on David's life; David's travels to remote islands and the controversy that it has created; how David and conspiracy pal Kenn Thomas were dragged into the Kennedy Assassination by one of the conspirators.
Kenn Thomas, David, and some of their associates are apparently the real-life model for the 'Lone Gunmen' of the X-Files television show.
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