Protecting Federal Collective Bargaining Rights and Supporting Overseas Federal Employees

WHEREAS, the Overseas Federation of Teachers provides vital services that support education, diplomacy, and the well-being of military-connected families and communities worldwide; and

WHEREAS, collective bargaining is a fundamental workplace right that ensures employees have a voice in decisions affecting their working conditions, professional responsibilities, and workplace equity and fairness; and

WHEREAS, federal sector employees serving overseas face unique challenges such as cost-of-living fluctuations, distance from family support systems and most recently, as experienced in Bahrain, dangerous situations causing uncertainty and the sudden uprooting of families, and work assignments; and 

WHEREAS, ensuring strong union representation and fair working conditions is essential to maintaining stability, job security, and equitable treatment in the face of such conditions as federal employment overseas can bring:

RESOLVED, that the AFT reaffirms our unwavering commitment to defending and strengthening collective bargaining rights for all federal sector employees; and 

RESOLVED, that the AFT commits to continuing to work with policymakers to ensure that federal sector employees retain a strong collective voice in the workplace as a cornerstone concept of “a better life for all.”

Adopted July 18, 2026