AFT Members Urged to Help Disaster Victims

In the wake of the latest natural disasters affecting AFT members from Florida and Louisiana to Texas and Ohio, the union is looking to boost its Disaster Relief Fund. At its meeting on Sept. 17, the AFT executive council approved changes to the AFT Disaster Relief Fund and appointed a new committee to re-examine the fund and propose any changes for its long-term operations.

The new disaster fund guidelines were adopted partly in response to an immediate need to address the hardships facing AFT members affected recently by hurricanes Gustav and Ike, and Dolly and Fay before them. The changes allow current AFT members to apply through their local unions for up to $250 to help them deal with losses caused by a natural disaster.

Preliminary reports indicate that many AFT members suffered losses as the result of Hurricane Ike, especially in the Galveston and Houston areas. Texas AFT president and AFT vice president Linda Bridges told the council that more than 18,000 members—about a third of the state federation's members—live in the Texas counties that were declared disaster areas following Ike. Most schools still haven't reopened, and the response so far from FEMA has not been impressive. Members in Louisiana, and even as far away as Ohio, also have been affected by damage from the storm.

The AFT's Disaster Relief Fund is looking for contributions both from individual members and affiliates. Contributions to the fund, which are tax deductible, can be sent to:

AFT Disaster Relief Fund
555 New Jersey Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20001-2029
Attn: Connie Cordovilla
Checks should be made out to the AFT Disaster Relief Fund.

The executive council meeting brought an immediate influx of new donations when a number of AFT vice presidents pledged funds from their affiliates, including $25,000 from New York State United Teachers. Many other affiliate leaders pledged $5,000 to the fund.

The IRS has now approved the AFT Disaster Relief Fund as a charitable entity under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All contributions to the fund are tax deductible to the extent permissible by the law.