A senior delegation led by AFT president Edward J. McElroy met with leaders of Macedonia's teachers' union in the capital city of Skopje in late March to express the AFT's support for the union's success in building one of the only multi-ethnic trade unions in the Balkans.  Its policies supporting diversity have helped it become the largest branch union in the Federation of Trade members, including 5,000 ethnic minorities.

The AFT delegation—the first international visit led by McElroy as president—included James Dougherty, president, Illinois Federation of Teachers; Janna K. Garrison, president, Detroit Federation of Teachers; Thomas Y. Hobart Jr., president (now retired), New York State United Teachers; Ted Kirsch, president, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers; and several staffers of the AFT international affairs department.

In recent years, the AFT has collaborated with the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center in Macedonia for training in developing union skills, tolerance, unity and participation.  As a result, union materials and programs have been developed in the main ethnic languages in the country—Macedonian, Albanian and Turkish.

While in Skopje, the AFT delegation held talks with the union president Dojcin Cvetanovski and vice president Muzafere Sinani, the first female ethnic Albanian holding the position.  Two more ethnic Albanian women have also been elected president of their union locals.

The AFT delegation also visited several ethnically mixed schools in Skopje and surrounding communities where ethnic tensions can still be felt but where union teachers are helping promote tolerance.

Macedonia is part of what was once Yugoslavia, landlocked by Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece.  Between a quarter and a third of the population are ethnic minorities, primarily Albanian, Turkish and Roma.  Several years ago, this republic of 2 million people was on the verge of similar ethnic violence that has tragically occurred in other countries in the region, but the international community and Macedonian leadership negotiated new political reforms.

For its part, the teachers union has earned respect for its active participation in building civil society, but it still faces challenges in negotiations with the government on teacher pay, benefits and pensions.  Recognizing this, the AFT delegation took time in Skopje to meet with the Macedonian Minster of Education to express the AFT's desire to see progress made in signing a collective bargaining agreement.

In recent years, the AFT has sent volunteer trainers to Macedonia to work with the teachers' union, including Harry Slywiak and Mary Kassman (retired) of New York State United Teachers; Dawn Cole and Bruce Pappas of Education Minnesota; Rosa Pickett of Florida Education Association; Julien Minard of California Federation of Teachers; Ava Harston of Illinois Federation of Teachers; and Nancy Van Meter of AFT headquarters staff.