Teacher unions—helping to shape America's future
Our union has a long history of fighting
for basic American values and individual rights

by Sandra Feldman

The 2004 general election is nearly six months away, but it’s already clear that some politicians have forgotten a key lesson from past campaigns: Attacking teachers’ unions is a losing strategy. Voters don’t buy it. The fact is, teachers’ unions are doing an enormous amount of good—not just for teachers, but for their schools and for the children, families and communities they serve.

At the AFT, we’re fighting for our country’s future, and we’re proud of the difference we’re making, both in the world of teaching and learning and on broader public policy issues. Our union has a long history of fighting for basic American values and individual rights. Union members know that involvement in the society in which they live is a critical role they play.

This history of involvement and commitment is one that has particular significance this May as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that outlawed legal segregation in our public schools (see feature story). The AFT was one of the only teacher organizations to file a brief in support of the plaintiffs in those historic cases. But that important role was consistent with AFT’s long history of fighting discrimination.

At its 1956 convention, for instance, the AFT passed a resolution expelling its segregated locals, and when a number of Southern locals refused to take out the “whites only” language from their local constitutions, the AFT forced them to give up their union charters. This kind of stand did not come without a cost—more than one-sixth of the AFT’s total membership at the time would be lost. But the underlying principle was one from which the AFT did not waver. AFT members would play a key role throughout the civil rights movement, and continue to fight for educational equality and an end to discrimination in all its forms.

This February, the AFT executive council adopted a resolution on the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board decision, in which we have reaffirmed our commitment to closing the achievement gap and to helping the nation fulfill the promise of Brown.

Our union’s pursuit of and advocacy for human and civil rights are also evident in our commitment to high standards for all students. The AFT has long been at the forefront of the struggle to raise academic standards and put proven education reforms and accountability measures to work helping students meet those standards. The late AFT president Albert Shanker was a principal architect of the national standards movement, and our union remains one of its strongest proponents.

We’re leading efforts to ensure excellent teachers in our schools by advocating for high standards for teachers as well as students—and advocating for the necessary preparation and quality professional development that are vital to helping students achieve. As a union, we know that these kinds of efforts are crucial to assisting teachers and other professionals who work in schools and who play a vital role in improving those schools and the communities they serve.

The vast majority of teachers and other professionals who make education work in our public schools belong to unions. That gives our members a strong collective voice and the freedom to express their concerns about education, healthcare and other matters without fear of reprisals. There is strength in our numbers, and we endeavor to use it responsibly as advocates for children and families on such issues as:

• universal preschool and all-day kindergarten;

• smaller class sizes, strict discipline and testing closely tied to the curriculum;

• improved health and safety conditions in schools—from better air quality to the elimination of crime and violence in and around school facilities;

• health insurance for uninsured children; and

• adequate and equitable funding for public education.

Yes, teachers’ unions fight for better salaries and benefits—and they ought to, not just because it’s unfair to pay teachers 40 percent to 60 percent less than other professionals with comparable education requirements, but also because our schools won’t be able to attract and keep high-caliber teachers without more competitive salaries.

But the AFT also works hard to provide teachers with high-quality professional development. We do this by identifying the characteristics of excellent programs and helping local leaders advocate for such programs in their own districts. And the AFT delivers its own award-winning Educational Research and Dissemination program (ER&D) to teachers in more than 200 districts across the country. These teachers learn about instructional practices to improve their students’ learning in many subjects, including mathematics and reading.

A study published in the Harvard Educational Review (Winter 2000) found that the “presence of teacher unions is positively correlated with higher student achievement on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT).”

At least a dozen other studies have reached the same conclusion. But AFT members don’t need more proof to know they’re doing good work for America. They see it every day—in the eyes of their students, the appreciation of parents and the support of communities.