New AFT President Randi Weingarten Asks Members to Rededicate Themselves
to Reforming the Institutions Where They Work
Calls for Efforts to Be Built on a ‘Foundation of Respect’ for Employees

CHICAGO – In her first address as president of the more than 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten today said she will fight for a national reform agenda that protects and improves the institutions where AFT members work, while bettering the lives and prospects of those they serve—particularly those in need.

“This agenda will embrace everything AFT members do—early childhood education, K-12 education, higher education and public services of all kinds.”

Weingarten asked AFT members to rededicate themselves to strengthening their respective institutions in order to give every American the services he or she deserves.

“No matter what, we will fight for what is right for the kids and the communities we serve, in a manner that respects the dignity of the hard-working people we are honored to represent,” Weingarten said.  

“Let’s proudly present our vision of an America that offers all our children a fair start, a healthy start and a hopeful start in their journeys in life—the vision that inspires our ideals for community schools, healthcare for every family, college opportunity and career training for every American, and a strong and growing labor movement that empowers every worker and dignifies all work.”   

Weingarten also argued that the No Child Left Behind Act is, in fact, leaving behind the very children it was intended to help, and has outlived its usefulness.

“These are the children who have the least opportunity outside the schoolhouse walls to be exposed to all the elements of a well-rounded education: the arts and physical fitness, the ability to think critically and to argue logically, the value of active citizenship, and a knowledge of different people and places. NCLB slams the schoolhouse door on what makes up modern civilization and replaces it with multiple choice questions,” she said.
 
“We need to prepare students for 21st century jobs. Employers say that they are looking for workers who can devise new solutions. But how will kids who have spent 12 years learning to keep their pencil marks inside the bubbles ever be able to think outside the box?”

A key aspect of Weingarten’s proposed solution is the expansion of the community school model—schools that serve the neediest children by bringing together all the services and activities they and their families need under one roof.
 
“Imagine schools that are open all day, and offer after-school and evening recreational activities and homework assistance; high schools that allow students to sign up for morning, afternoon or evening classes. And suppose the schools included child care and dental, medical and other services the community needs.”

Weingarten called on AFT members to assert their role as change agents in order to improve the institutions in which they work.

“We in the AFT believe that professionals who serve the public have a crucial contribution to make—not just in making sure that services are delivered, but in making changes that ensure that services are delivered better than ever.”

The AFT endorsed Sen. Barack Obama on Sunday, July 13, and Weingarten said she was pleased to hear Obama tell convention delegates the AFT has “shown that it is possible to find new ways to increase teacher pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on them.”

On this same issue, Weingarten called for the resources to pay competitive salaries.

“Imagine a law that encourages districts to assure teacher quality by paying competitive salaries, and devising career ladders and other professional compensation models that support great teachers and keep them teaching.”

Committing AFT’s national member mobilization program to Obama’s candidacy, Weingarten said the AFT “will work enthusiastically to make him president.”

“Barack Obama and John McCain offer two very different records, two very different philosophies and two very different visions for America’s future. Sen. Obama will make history not only because of who he is, but because of where he will lead America.”

Weingarten is known as a reform-minded leader who has demonstrated her commitment to improving schools, hospitals and public institutions for children, families and their communities. She represents the next generation of labor leader, committed to making our public institutions the best they can be, eager to organize new sectors of the workforce, and always seeking to win for workers both economic security and a stronger voice in decisions that affect their jobs and the people they serve.

A complete transcript of the remarks is available at www.aft.org/convention/releases/weingarten071408.pdf.

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