AFT 212’s endorsement is the first endorsement from organized labor in the 2021 Mayoral Special Election
The union representing faculty and staff at Milwaukee Area Technical College, American Federation of Teachers Local 212 has endorsed Marina Dimitrijevic for Mayor of Milwaukee.
“I’m honored to have the support of MATC Faculty Union in this important campaign for the future of Milwaukee,” said Alderwoman Dimitrijevic. It’s time to invest in our local education system at every level and for every student. MATC is a vital part of the fabric of Milwaukee and I’m thrilled their faculty chose to endorse me in this historic field.”
Cathy Kaye, MATC Instructor and member of Local 212’s Committee on Political Education (COPE), explained that Dimitrijevic stands out from all the other candidates. “Rather than simply talking about issues, Marina builds coalitions, convinces her colleagues, and gets initiatives passed into law that benefit the majority of Milwaukee residents rather than just the wealthiest. Kaye also stated, “None of the other candidates comes close to matching Marina’s record of accomplishments both on the County Board and the Common Council.
“On her first day on the Milwaukee Common Council, Marina proposed and got passed a provision expanding voting in the city that included a polling place at our college, MATC,” said David Weingrod, MATC Instructor and COPE leader. “This made it easier for our students to vote and countered some of the efforts by Republicans to disenfranchise people of color throughout the city Marina was the moving force behind using some of Milwaukee’s share of American Rescue Plan dollars to expand access to childcare providers for more families as well as to reduce childcare costs. This will especially benefit many of our student-parents as well as parents and providers in poor and minority neighborhoods.”
AFT 212’s endorsement continues a long string of support for Dimitrijevic by organized labor and education advocates. In December, a majority of the Milwaukee School Board endorsed Dimitrijevic, including Marva Herndon, Erika Siemsen, Marcela “Xela” Garcia, Henry Leonard, and Megan O’Halloran.
As a candidate for Mayor, Dimitrijevic has proposed a bold plan to improve Milwaukee education at all levels, including:
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Creating a universal PK pilot to begin the process of moving Milwaukee towards universal access to high-quality PK which research has shown can greatly improve a child’s chance to graduate from both high school and college.
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Expanding access to high-quality child care by creating new pipelines of child care talent and providing grants and support for child care providers across Milwaukee so they can expand access and lower costs.
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Investing in before and after school programs so that students can enrich their learning with opportunities outside of the classroom and lower the burden on parents to find before and after school care.
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Offering free public drivers education programs at Milwaukee high schools so that all parents can have access to a free option for their children to learn quality driving skills and help keep our streets safer and reduce reckless driving.
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Expanding the Milwaukee Community Schools Partnership so that more of our schools are able to offer wraparound services such as mental health counselors and culturally responsive teaching so that students, parents and teachers can work together to ensure every student can succeed.
