AFT's Randi Weingarten visits MATCAwards $150,000 Grant toGreat Lakes FAST Fund Consortium

AFT's president, Randi Weingarten stopped at MATC last Thursday, September 8 to award a $150,000 grant that will go to a consortium of FAST Funds in the Great Lakes region including Local 212’s FAST Fund at MATC, the University Professionals of Illinois, and Cook County College Teachers Union. She also toured the Milwaukee Campus and talked with program students and faculty, gave a press conference, and joined Local 212 for a welcome back celebration at the Great Hall at Best Place in the historic Pabst Brewery. The FAST Fund consortium grant award will be used to support direct aid to students and to build power and solidarity among students and faculty across the region, as well as to bring more awareness to basic needs insecurity, and ultimately to, foster systemic change. Randi gave a stirring speech at the Welcome Back Celebration, sending the message that "We're fighting against precarity so the adjuncts and the students they teach don’t have to live in poverty. The FAST Fund is part of a strategy to show students how college is an opportunity agent. We cannot say college is an opportunity while pauperizing college students & educators. What we’ve seen since the 2008 recession is funding for higher ed dropping and working class students holding the bag for the costs."

Local 212 is honored by the visit and would like to thank Randi and the AFT for their support.

View amazing photos from Randi’s visit (courtesy of the AFT) HERE

Read about the media event on WUWM Milwaukee's NPR webpage HERE

Read the Press Announcement HERE

Watch the press conference on Facebook HERE

And finally, see Local 212's Twitter for comments made by Randi and shared by the AFT HERE

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