AFT's Lorretta Johnson Elected Treasurer
 Of National Workers' and Civil Rights Organization

WASHINGTON – American Federation of Teachers Executive Vice President Lorretta Johnson has been elected treasurer to the national board of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, a national workers’ and civil rights organization.

Johnson was elected to the top-tier post of APRI at the group’s national education conference held last month in Jacksonville, Fla.

The national organization is named after A. Philip Randolph, a pioneer in the civil rights movement who advocated for justice and equality for African-Americans and other underserved minority workers. The AFT and APRI share many of the same ideals—fair wages, affordable healthcare, and access to quality education and training programs.

“APRI will benefit greatly from Lorretta’s experience and talents, as she has spent her life working to improve the working conditions of hard-working Americans, particularly paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten, adding that the AFT will continue to support the organization’s commendable efforts to bring about social, political and economic justice for all working Americans.

Johnson was previously an APRI national board member. She began her career as a teacher’s aide at a Baltimore elementary in 1966 and successfully organized a union there to improve the working conditions, wages and benefits of paraprofessionals like herself.  She later received her teaching degree.

Before she was elected AFT executive vice president this past July, Johnson served for 30 years as an AFT vice president. In addition to her national AFT duties, Johnson continues as president of AFT-Maryland and president of the Baltimore Teachers Union’s paraprofessional chapter, among other leadership roles.

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