AFT President Says NCLB "Not Making the Grade"
Calls for Union-Driven Change Agenda

BOSTON—American Federation of Teachers President Edward J. McElroy today called on his members to mobilize against threats to public education and other vital public services and to advance a union-driven “change agenda.” 

Speaking in Boston to more than 4,000 AFT members at the opening session of the union's biennial convention, McElroy also spoke of the AFT's longtime support for high standards and accountability and AFT members' frustration that the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) "falls short of these goals." 

No Child Left Behind
"NCLB has proven to be, at best, a tremendous missed opportunity and, at worst, a cynical attempt to undermine public education," McElroy said.

The AFT president has held town hall and other meetings on NCLB with AFT members throughout the country in which, he said, members have echoed the same major concerns, including too much testing (at the expense of instructional time), testing that is not aligned to the curriculum, no credit for improvements – only for meeting arbitrary goals, low teacher morale and high stress, the feeling that NCLB is a setup, and a narrowing of the curriculum (a teacher from Boston spoke of "sneaking in” social studies).  Teachers also expressed concern for their students, McElroy said, because of the “stress that has come with NCLB, the limited curriculum and the boredom from constant test preparation." 

McElroy spoke about the AFT's campaign in response to NCLB, called "Let's Get It Right."  The AFT has run print and radio advertising about some of the most serious problems with the law, with ideas for correcting them.  The organization also has a blog on NCLB.  And, McElroy said, the AFT has delivered to Capitol Hill a petition to fix NCLB’s flaws which has been signed by thousands of AFT members. 

"Public school teachers and staff want their students to succeed," McElroy said.  "AFT and our affiliates have a history of advancing effective reforms that strengthen student achievement.  We cannot allow a law with so many flaws to derail the work that offers the best hope for reaching that goal." 

"From the beginning, the AFT has worked to improve this law," McElroy continued.  "We have been able to get a number of significant changes to NCLB, but it is not anywhere near enough.  We have given this law a four-year test – and NCLB is not making the grade." 

Threats to Union Rights
Teacher unions have become frequent targets of right-wing attacks, and the other constituency groups the AFT represents face challenges to their union rights, as well.  AFT Healthcare members are concerned about a National Labor Relations Board ruling expected this month that would deny charge nurses their right to be union members.  In higher education, graduate teaching assistants at private universities have been denied the right to organize.  And the loss of collective bargaining rights for state employees has caused alarm for AFT and other public employee throughout the country. 

"One of the best ways to protect collective bargaining is to use it boldly," McElroy said.  "We must drive a change agenda." 

Most often, he said, it is unions that bring a reform agenda to the bargaining table.  The specific agenda will vary depending on a number of factors, McElroy added, but the constant must be that unions are "the ones who advance good ideas" in the collective bargaining process. 

Member Activism
McElroy urged AFT members to take an active role in their union.  Invoking the theme of the AFT convention, "Count Me In," the AFT president asked every member of the union to get involved in some way – from volunteering for union political efforts, to contributing to AFT’s hurricane relief response, to taking part in union organizing. 

 "Our strength is in our members, and our union will only be strong if our members are actively engaged," McElroy said.

He detailed several ways the AFT can get involved in union efforts, especially in anticipation of the 2006 midterm and gubernatorial elections and the 2008 presidential election.  AFT’s Activists for Congressional Education (ACE) program provide a channel for AFT members and leaders to build relationships with members of Congress in their home districts to talk about priority issues for the AFT.  And, through the AFT’s e-Activist program, AFT members have sent more than 50,000 letters to Capitol Hill in support of AFT’s positions on key bills before Congress. 

The end goal, McElroy said, is to elect "significant numbers of people who share our goals and priorities." 

Among the AFT’s defining values, McElroy said, are: a commitment to strengthening public education, promoting access to quality health care, advancing civil and human rights, pressing for respectable salaries and benefits, and supporting democratic institutions – including trade unions – here and around the world. 

In a spirited call-and-response at the conclusion of his speech, McElroy asked if he could count on his members to "make this union, and this country, better and stronger."  In response, 4,000 AFT members roared in unison: "Count me in!" 

Read the transcript of President McElroy's keynote address. 

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