1) Newark Public Schools Workers Vote to Join Teachers Union  - 189 unaffiliated NPS staff have voted to join the Newark Teachers Union!  On Oct 31, the Public Employee Relations Commission certified the vote and rejected Newark Public Schools arguments against recognizing the new members’ right to join a union.  This is a huge victory and we will be meeting with this staff next week to discuss next steps.

2)  NTU LGBTQIA Meet and Greet - School districts nationwide are facing increased concerns over giving voice, protection, and resources to their LGBTQIA students, and staff. The Newark

Colleagues,

1)     Wilson Avenue School – Last week, a fuel oil leak was discovered at Wilson Ave School. As in all similar circumstances, the NTU had representatives on site and also dispatched V.P. and Sec Treasurer Michael Iovino to the school to speak with Administrators and staff and assist in communication. NTU President John Abeigon also visited the site twice and spoke with officials who explained the cleanup process and assured us that the building is safe to occupy.

Initial recommendations from health officials regarding the oil leak at Wilson Ave were that the school did not warrant

Colleagues,

1) Local Control Update: The NTU and our community partners posted an Op-Ed piece on NJ Spotlight about the return to local control. It is a great read about the concerns as we move forward.  Returning to local control was a huge victory, but that doesn’t mean we can all rest on our laurels. The district and the NTU will be going through a huge transition in the upcoming months. More information to come.

2) Arbitration Award Update: A lot of people have asked when the arbitration awards will be paid out. Typically in these cases, the district has 90 days to confirm the decision. Our

In less than a month, we will have the opportunity to put New Jersey back on the right track. On November 7th, we can either elect a governor who will continue the failed policies of the Christie administration or elect a real champion for working people. Our union has endorsed Phil Murphy for Governor and Sheila Oliver for Lieutenant Governor because we know they will fight for us.

Though a successful international businessman, Phil Murphy remembers what it was like to grow up in a working class family. His family lived paycheck to paycheck, and Murphy worked as a dishwasher to help his