AFT RESOLUTIONS...AFT Resolutions and Policy / 3School Safety and Educational Opportunity for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ) Students, #29 Human

AFTRESOLUTIONSAND POLICYJULY 2016 – JULY 2018

FINAL ACTION ON ALL RESOLUTIONS CONSIDERED BY DELEGATES TO THE 2016 AFT CONVENTION ............1

AFT RESOLUTIONS APPROVED BY EXECUTIVE COUNCIL SINCE THE 2016 CONVENTION ........................................7

SUMMARY OF ACTION TAKEN ON AFT POLICY RESOLUTIONS SINCE THE 2016 CONVENTION ..............21

Copyright © American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO (AFT 2018). Permission is hereby granted to AFT state and local affiliates to reproduce and distribute copies of the work for nonprofit educational purposes, provided that copies are distributed at or below cost, and that the author, source, and copyright notice are included on each copy. Any distribution of such materials to third parties who are outside of the AFT or its affiliates is prohibited without first receiving the express written permission of the AFT.

Randi Weingartenpresident

Lorretta Johnsonsecretary-treasurer

Mary Cathryn Rickerexecutive vice president

AFT Executive Council

Our Mission

The American Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do.

J. Philippe AbrahamShelvy Y. AbramsMary J. ArmstrongBarbara BowenChristine CampbellZeph CapoAlex Caputo-PearlDonald CarlistoLarry J. Carter Jr.Kathy A. ChavezMelissa CropperEvelyn DeJesusAida Diaz RiveraJolene T. DiBrangoMarietta A. EnglishEric FeaverFrancis J. FlynnDavid GrayDavid HeckerJan HochadelFedrick C. Ingram

Jerry T. JordanTed KirschFrederick E. KowalKaren GJ LewisLouis MalfaroJoanne M. McCallJohn McDonaldDaniel J. MontgomeryMichael MulgrewRuby J. NewboldCandice OwleyAndrew PallottaJoshua PechthaltPaul PecoraleDavid J. QuolkeStephen RooneyDenise SpechtWayne SpenceTim StoelbAnn TwomeyAdam Urbanski

AFT Resolutions and Policy / 1

Resolutions referred by convention delegates to the AFT executive council are considered first by the resolutions committee. This body is made up of chairs of the AFT program and policy councils (Teachers, PSRP, Higher Education, Public Employees, and Nurses and Health Professionals) and chairs of executive council and standing committees. They meet between the end of the convention and the spring executive council meeting to consider all resolutions referred to the executive council. The resolutions committee’s recommendations are considered as one report by the full executive council. Following this meeting, the original makers of the motions are notified of the final outcome of their resolutions.

Final Action on All Resolutions Considered by Delegates to the 2016 AFT Convention

Title

Taking Action on the Promise of the Every Student Succeeds Act, #1

Educational Issues

1 Concurrence Adopted Passed

Building a National Movement for the Public Schools All Our Students Deserve with the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools and through ESSA Reauthorization, #2

Educational Issues

2Concurrence with substitute resolution

Adopted Passed

Introduce Exploratory Career and Technical Education (CTE) Courses in the Middle School Grades, and Restore and Expand CTE in All High Schools, #6

Educational Issues

3Concurrence as amended

Adopted Passed

Reclaiming the Promise of Public Charter Schools through Rigorous Authorizer Reform, #4

Educational Issues


Referred to AFT executive council

Recommends concurrence

Adopted Passed

Protecting Next-Gen Workers: Health and Safety Education for Young Workers in the 21st Century, #7

Educational Issues

5 ConcurrenceReferred to AFT executive council


Adopted Passed

Ending Discipline Disparities and Improving School Climate, #11

Educational Issues




Adopted Passed

Preparing Stakeholders to Reduce Students’ Chronic Absenteeism, #3

Educational Issues




Adopted Passed

Reauthorization and State-Level Campaigns for Sustainable Community Schools, #5

Educational Issues

8

Precluded by recommendation of concurrence with Resolution 2


Agrees with recommendation of precluded

No action No action

Merit Pay and High-Stakes Testing, #8

Educational Issues

9Refer to AFT ex-ecutive council


Recommends concurrence as amended

Amended and adopted

Passed

Campaign Promoting Education as a Public Good, #9

Educational Issues



Amended and adopted

Passed

End Misuse of Testing and Support Teacher and Parent Rights, #10

Educational Issues




Adopted Passed

The Healthy Student—Student Recess Time, #12

Educational Issues




Adopted Passed

Committee RankCommittee Action

Convention Delegate Action

Resolution Committee Action January 2017

Executive Council Action

Final Action

2 / AFT

Putting an End to Out-of-Control Prescription Drug Prices, #15

Healthcare Access/Quality


Adopted Passed

Reining in Abusive Medical Billing Practices and Crippling Debt, #14



Fighting Back against Consolidation in Healthcare, #13



Support Public Health Infra-structure, #17




Adopted Passed

Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act, #18




Adopted Passed

Rising Drug Prices, #16Healthcare Access/Quality

6

Precluded by rec-ommendation of concurrence with Resolution 15



No action No action

The Fight against Student Loan Debt and for Public Investment in Higher Education, #19

Higher Education


Adopted Passed

Legislative Initiative to Rectify Unfair and Detrimental Employment Practices in Higher Education, #21

Higher Education


Adopted Passed

End Garnishment of Social Security to Pay Student Loan Debt, #25

Higher Education


Adopted Passed

Higher Learning Commission, #22

Higher Edu-cation


Recommends con-currence

Adopted Passed

Restore the Promise of Free, Quality Public Higher Education for All, #20

Higher Edu-cation

5



Agrees with rec-ommendation of precluded

No action No action

In Support of Two Free Years of Postsecondary Education, #23

Higher Edu-cation

6




No action No action

UPI Supports Free Public Higher Education, #26

Higher Edu-cation

7




No action No action

In Support of Giving Adjuncts Fair Access to Unemployment Insurance Benefits, #24

Higher Edu-cation

n/aNo action; maker of the resolution withdrew it


No action Withdrawn No action

Racial Equity, #27Human Rights


Against Deportation, #28Human Rights


Title Committee RankCommittee Action




Final Action


School Safety and Educational Opportunity for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ) Students, #29

Human Rights


Amended and adopted

Passed

Support of the Rights of Transgender Persons— AFT Stands in Unity against Discrimination in North Carolina and Mississippi, #30

Human Rights



Recommends concurrence as further amended

Amended and adopted

Passed

Ban the Box, #32Human Rights



Adopted Passed

LGBT Equality in the Work-place Includes Labor Rights: Addressing the Fundamental Flaws of the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, #33

Human Rights

6Refer to AFT executive council


Recommends non-concurrence

Not adopted Not passed

AFT Stands in Unity against Discrimination in North Carolina and Mississippi, #31

Human Rights

7




No action No action

Push Back: Defeating the Global Movement to Privatize Education and Public Services, #34

International Relations


Adopted Passed

Immigration and Islamopho-bia, #36



Hand in Hand, #37International Relations


Colombia Labor Violations and Impunity, #39




Adopted Passed

Condemning the Harassment of Academics in Turkey, #35



Recommends tabling Tabled Tabled

Support for Implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2272—S/Res/2272 (2016), #38




Adopted Passed

Encouraging Higher Educa-tion Faculty Not to Adopt Pearson Textbooks, #40


7 Non-concurrenceReferred to AFT executive council



International Solidarity with Teachers, Students and Parents Struggling to Protect Public Education, #41


8




No action No action

Attack Economic Inequality, #42

Labor and the Economy


Oppose Trans-Pacific Partner-ship, #45



Adopted Passed

Achieving Tax Fairness by Cracking Down on Offshore Tax Havens, #46



Adopted Passed





Final Action

4 / AFT

Tax All Income Subject to the Federal Carried-Interest Tax Break, #48




Amended and adopted

Passed

Take on Wall Street, #43Labor and the Economy



Adopted Passed

Raise the Minimum Wage, #47




Adopted Passed

Reforming the Taxation of Graduate Tuition Remission, #44




Adopted Passed

Advancing Our Professional-ism, #49

Organizing & Collective Bargaining

1 ConcurrenceAmended and adopted

Passed

Engaging Our Members in Reclaiming the Promise of America, #50



Early Childhood Educators and Adult Educators, #55



Bargaining LGBTQ Equity for Health Benefits and Working Conditions, #51





Adopted Passed

Support for United Nations Staff Union, #54




Adopted Passed

Improved Sick Leave for All University Employees, #56




Adopted Passed

Establishing an Academic Fair Labor Practices Code of Conduct, #52




Adopted Passed

Friedrichs v. CTA, #53Organizing & Collective Bargaining



Amended and adopted

Passed

¡Si Se Puede!: Improving Outcomes for Latino Children and Youth and Addressing the Needs of the Latino Com-munity, #57

Political Action/ Legislation

1 ConcurrenceAmended and adopted

Passed

Lobby to Remove the Con-gressional Block on Funding for Gun Violence Research, #59



Overturn Citizens United Decision, #62



A Just Transition to a Peaceful and Sustainable Economy, #64




Recommends concurrence with substitute resolution as amended

Amended and adopted

Passed

Ban Fracking, #66Political Action/ Legislation

5Refer to AFT ex-ecutive council


No recommendation No action No action

Promoting the Expansion of SNAP Eligibility to Include Graduate Employees, #58




Adopted Passed





Final Action


The AFT Presidential Endorse-ment Process and Selection, #60





A More Inclusive Presidential Endorsement Process, #61




Not adopted Not Passed

Calling on AFT’s Endorsed Candidate to Break with Economic Austerity Policy for Higher Education, #63


9Refer substitute resolution to AFT executive council



Climate Change, #65 Political Action/ Legislation

10

Precluded byrec-ommendation of concurrence with Resolution 64



No action No action

Supporting the Recommenda-tions of the AFT Racial Equity Task Force and the Work Per-formed by the Constituent Members of the AFT Criminal Justice and Public Safety Task Force, #67

Public Services


Adopted Passed

No More Flints: Stop Child-hood Lead Poisoning— Guarantee All U.S. Children Lead-Free Water and Communities, #70

Public Services


Adopted Passed

Planning for the Looming State and Local Public Em-ployee Retirement Tsunami, #68

Public Services


Adopted Passed

Support of the U.S. Census 2020, #69

Public Services



Adopted Passed

Flint Water Crisis, #71Public Services

5




No action No action

In Support of More Accurate COLA Adjustments to Social Security, #73

Retirement 1 Concurrence Adopted Passed

Protect and Expand the Social Safety Net, #75

Retirement 2Concurrence as amended

Adopted Passed

Promote Retirement Security through Full Funding, Invest-ment Manager Transparency, and Accountability, #72

Retirement 3 Concurrence Adopted Passed

Holding TIAA-CREF Responsi-ble for Its Corporate Invest-ment in Land Grabs Destroy-ing the Brazilian Rainforest, #76

Retirement 4 ConcurrenceReferred to AFT executive council


Adopted Passed

Retirement Security, #74 Retirement 5 TableReferred to AFT executive council


Divestment from Fossil Fuel Industries, #77

Retirement 6Refer to AFT ex-ecutive council



Amended and adopted

Passed





Final Action

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Championing Professional Standards in the Midst of a Changing Healthcare System, #78

RNs/Health-care Workers


Petition the Occupational Safety and Health Administra-tion (OSHA) for a Workplace Violence Prevention Standard for All Healthcare Workers, #79



Sepsis Awareness and Educa-tion, #80



Support, Respect and Dignity for PSRPs, #82

Schools & Colleges Support Staff Issues


Summer Nutrition Programs, #83



Work Shouldn’t Hurt— Safe Schools for All, #84



Adopted Passed

NYU Must Obey the Law and Bargain with UCATS, #81




Environmental Protection in and around Public Schools, #85





Adopted Passed

Stand with PlannedParent-hood, #86

Women’s Rights


Girls and Young Women’s Education, #87

Women’s Rights


Adopted Passed

Paid Sick Days, #90Women’s Rights


Promoting Students’ Behav-ioral, Emotional and Mental Health, #88

Women’s Rights



Adopted Passed

Strengthening School-Based Medicaid Programs, #89

Women’s Rights



Adopted Passed

The Healthy Student—Man-datory Minimum of 25 Min-utes Seated Lunch Time, #91

Women’s Rights



Adopted Passed

American Federation of Teachers’ Endorsement of Hillary Clinton for President

Adopted Passed

Fighting for Safe Commu-nities and Racial Justice for Our Citizens and Our First Responders

Adopted Passed

Support for the Mexican Teachers’ Civil Rights

Adopted Passed





Final Action


AFT Resolutions Approved By Executive Council Since the 2016 Convention

AFT Resolutions Approved by Executive Council since the 2016 Convention

CONDEMNING THE REPRESSION IN TURKEY (2016)

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers has a long and honorable history of support for democracy here and abroad; and

WHEREAS, the democratically elected government of Turkey has recently survived an unwarranted military coup, preserving the democratic process in a vital NATO ally and a keystone country for regional security; and

WHEREAS, the government of Turkey continues to punish educators, nurses and government employees in response to the attempted coup is using the current political climate to justify the silencing of anyone who may not agree with the government; and

WHEREAS, nearly 24,000 teachers and Ministry of Education employees, in addition to 9,000 civil servants, have been detained in recent days, including public employees, nurses, judges, religious figures and others; and

WHEREAS, while the Turkish government has the right to hold accountable in a lawful manner those involved in the recent coup attempt, the speed and scale of these retaliations is a politically motivated purge, rather than due process based on evidence:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will join with the American Association of University Professors, Education International and Public Services International in demanding the government of Turkey respect the rule of law and adhere to international human rights norms and standards; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will immediately communicate its concern to the president of the United States, the National Security Council and the U.S. secretary of state; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will strengthen our ties with the Academics for Peace, representing Turkish academics in defense of their rights to free speech and association.

SUPPORTING PEACE IN COLOMBIA (2016)

WHEREAS, on Aug. 24, 2016, the government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) agreed to a historic and comprehensive peace accord, bringing an end to Colombia’s 50-year civil war, and on Oct. 2, Colombian citizens will vote on the peace deal in a national plebiscite; and

WHEREAS, the reparations program created by the Colombian government in 2011 has registered 7.7 million victims of forced displacement, murder, torture, sexual violence, forced disappearance and kidnapping, among other grave violations of human rights. This indicates that about 15 percent of the population has suffered directly from the internal armed conflict, including:

6 million internally displaced people, the second-highest number of IDPs in the world, exceeded only by Syria;

100,000 victims of forced disappearance, equal to the total number reported in the recent military dictatorships of Argentina, Brazil and Chile; and

220,000 victims of murder, out of which 80 percent were civilians, including one attorney general, one minister of justice, three presidential candidates, 16 congressmen, 175 city mayors, 200 judges and 1,042 educators; and

Over 2,500 trade unionists killed in the last 20 years, making Colombia the most dangerous country in the world in which to exercise labor rights; and

WHEREAS, in the last two decades, educators have been disproportionately affected by the violence in Colombia, suffering thousands of murders, death threats, forced displacements, disappearances, arbitrary detentions and instances of torture; and

WHEREAS, the peace agreement is embraced by many Colombians as an opportunity for a nationwide social and economic transformation that goes beyond

8 / AFT

the ending of the guerrilla war; and

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers stands with the Colombian Federation of Education Workers (FECODE) in embracing the opportunity for peace, justice and reconciliation that this agreement represents:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will maintain and strengthen its long-standing solidarity with the Colombian Federation of Education Workers, in recognition of FECODE’s leadership position in the peace consolidation process, where its educators are positioned to teach tolerance and civic responsibility in their classrooms and lead political reconciliation in their communities; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT, working closely with Education International, will assist FECODE in its immediate mobilization efforts to secure the “Sí” vote in the national plebiscite, as well as in its longer-term efforts to create a culture that embraces the concept of schools as “territories for peace”; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will inform the Obama administration and Congress of its support for legislation providing U.S. foreign assistance to Colombia in implementing the peace agreement. DEFENDING STUDENTS AND PUBLIC EDUCATION AND REJECTING THE NOMINATION OF BETSY DEVOS FOR SECRETARY OF EDUCATION (2016)

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers, its members and its leaders have worked for more than a century to help all children, their families and working people secure the things they need to have a chance at achieving the American dream; and

WHEREAS, the AFT is committed to protecting and expanding the American pathway to success and security, including a fair and vibrant economy that offers good jobs and a ladder of opportunity to all; a public education system that nurtures children in a safe learning environment and is adequately supported, not defunded or privatized; a system of public higher education that is affordable and inclusive and promotes free inquiry, not ideological tests; democratic values rooted in pluralism and equality, with a free press, an independent judiciary and a thriving labor movement; a healthcare system

that provides all Americans with access to affordable, high-quality care; and dignity and respect for every person, with freedom from discrimination, bigotry and bullying; and

WHEREAS, the AFT and all Americans believe in the unique promise that our public schools make to every child—rich, poor, native- and foreign-born, and of all abilities—that our public school system will welcome and teach all children seeking an education; and

WHEREAS, the AFT and all Americans believe in the unique promises that our higher education institutions make to students, to science and other learned disciplines, and to the larger world to embody the universe in a city, expanding the frontiers of knowledge and of humanity; and

WHEREAS, President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Betsy DeVos to be secretary of education poses an existential threat to the American system of public education, including higher education, and makes it clear that his administration’s education policy will be about privatizing, defunding and destroying public education in America, from early childhood education through college; and

WHEREAS, DeVos and her track record are antithetical to public education; she has no meaningful connection with public schools, having sent her children to exclusive private schools and lacking experience in the classroom, has close ties with and has prioritized funding anti-LGBT groups, and has described her crusade for vouchers as “advancing God’s kingdom”; and

WHEREAS, DeVos’ record demonstrates that, if confirmed, she poses a threat to students’ access to affordable, quality higher education because she would turn back the clock on curbing the predatory practices of for-profit colleges; and

WHEREAS, DeVos and her family for decades have wielded their billions in wealth to undermine public education, while promoting private, for-profit schooling with little or no regulation, transparency, accountability or respect for civil rights or the Constitution’s separation of church and state—an approach that has done little or nothing to improve the education of children in her home state of Michigan, while draining resources from the schools that most students attend:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers, its state and local affiliates, and its


members oppose the nomination of Betsy DeVos to become secretary of education because of her unquestioned record as an anti-public-education activist and her long history in the public arena supporting policies that isolate, outsource and abandon the American vision for public education at every level. Her confirmation would exact a terrible and unconscionable cost from America’s public schools and institutions of higher education, and from the students, families and communities that rely on them; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT and our members will educate and mobilize everyone in our communities who shares our values and support for public education, and will work to defeat the DeVos nomination because of the danger her policies and agenda pose to public education and our students. OPPOSING MAKING THE LABOR DEPARTMENT ANTI-LABOR (2016)

WHEREAS, for more than 100 years, the American Federation of Teachers , a union of professionals, has stood with working families to advance fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public schools, higher education, healthcare and public services for all Americans and their communities; and

WHEREAS, AFT members are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do—all with the goal of helping all children, their families and working people secure the things they need to have a chance at achieving the American dream; and

WHEREAS, the AFT is committed to protecting and expanding the American pathway to success and security, including a fair and vibrant economy that offers good jobs and a ladder of opportunity to all; a public education system that nurtures children in a safe learning environment and is adequately supported, not defunded or privatized; democratic values rooted in pluralism and equality, with a free press, an independent judiciary and a thriving labor movement; a healthcare system that provides all Americans with access to affordable, high-quality care; and dignity and respect for every person, with freedom from discrimination, bigotry and bullying; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Labor was created to help American workers by protecting their rights in the workplace, valuing their labor, improving working conditions and expanding opportunities for economic security; and

WHEREAS, President-elect Donald Trump—contrary to his campaign promises—has assembled a band of Cabinet nominees who, if confirmed, will put many federal departments and agencies in the control of America’s corporate and financial titans; and

WHEREAS, his nominee for secretary of labor—corporate executive Andrew Puzder—has repeatedly advocated and/or implemented anti-worker practices in his own businesses, including outsourcing jobs overseas, opposing an increase in the minimum wage, hiring union-busting firms to stop his own workers from forming a union, and opposing the Affordable Care Act because it requires him to provide healthcare benefits to his employees; and

WHEREAS, Puzder’s views on protecting workers—the mission of the Labor Department—are in line with Trump’s own record, which includes buying steel overseas and putting Americans out of work, fighting to keep his Las Vegas employees from forming a union, refusing to pay subcontractors who have worked on his projects, and pledging to put healthcare out of reach for millions of Americans by repealing the ACA:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers, its members and its affiliates reaffirm our commitment to the rights of workers in all jobs and professions, to our mission of advancing fairness and economic opportunity, and to supporting the Labor Department’s historic role of protecting working Americans; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT, its state and local affiliates, and its members oppose the nomination of Andrew Puzder to become secretary of labor because his record as an anti-worker corporate executive and manager makes clear that he does not believe in the mission of the department he seeks to lead, namely to advance the welfare of American workers; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will educate and mobilize our members and our communities with the goal of defeating the Puzder nomination.

10 / AFT

AFT MEMBERS WILL WORK TO PROTECT AND SECURE AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE FOR ALL (2016)

WHEREAS, access to affordable healthcare is critical to every individual’s quality of life; and

WHEREAS, any healthcare system must at a minimum provide a safety net of basic care for every person in every community regardless of race, socio-economic status, gender or sexual identity; and

WHEREAS, while clearly not perfect, the current federal healthcare framework of the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and Medicaid has provided millions of people with access to healthcare and the ability to get their most basic health needs met; and

WHEREAS, American Federation of Teachers members believe that access to affordable healthcare must be maintained—that it is a key economic and humanistic issue of our time, and that the cost of healthcare should never prevent people from receiving the care they need; and

WHEREAS, because affordable healthcare is critical to the economic stability of all families and our nation as a whole, the AFT has consistently supported a system of coverage—be that the ACA or a public, single-payer option—that is accessible and reliable for all Americans in the same way that Medicare is for seniors; and

WHEREAS, President-elect Donald Trump and his Health and Human Services nominee Tom Price have pledged to repeal the ACA and to end Medicare as we know it—pledges that put seniors at risk and threaten all Americans’ healthcare security; and

WHEREAS, this approach to healthcare would destabilize the financial structure of our healthcare system, leave up to 30 million Americans without affordable access to care, increase costs to older Americans and once again leave people with pre-existing conditions without adequate coverage; and

WHEREAS, the healthcare policies supported by Trump and Price pose an existential threat to Americans’ ability to receive the care that is essential to achieving a meaningful and secure life in 21st-century America:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers and its affiliates call for improving—not destabilizing and destroying—our healthcare safety net, including protecting and improving

Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT and its affiliates will continue to work to secure a healthcare system that puts patients before profits and recognizes every single person’s right to access quality, affordable healthcare; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT opposes the nomination of Tom Price to become secretary of Health and Human Services; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will educate and mobilize its members and our broader community to support access to affordable, quality healthcare and to defeat the Price nomination. BUILDING A NATIONAL MOVEMENT WITH AROS FOR THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS ALL OUR STUDENTS DESERVE: Now More Important Than Ever (2016)

WHEREAS, the purpose of public education is to help students at all educational levels develop the skills and knowledge they need to be prepared for successful and fulfilling lives; and

WHEREAS, educators every day make a difference in the lives of students, working to foster the joy of learning and to create a welcoming and safe environment that engages students in powerful learning, safe from bigotry and hate; and

WHEREAS, this election period has unleashed an environment of fear and hate, and many students—particularly immigrants, Muslims, girls, Latinos and other youth of color, LGBTQ students and those with disabilities—have felt the effects of this, and fear the effect President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed policies will have on their safety and their families and homes; and

WHEREAS, America’s public schools, which educate 90 percent of our children, face an unprecedented challenge to their very existence from a president and his nominee for secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, who seek to destabilize and defund public schools and end public education as the key opportunity agent for the nation’s children; and

WHEREAS, DeVos and her family have spent millions of dollars to defund and destabilize public schools, and to promote private school vouchers and


for-profit charter schools with little or no regulation, transparency, accountability or respect for civil rights or the Constitution’s separation of church and state; and

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers is committed to protecting our students, our schools and institutions of higher education, and our communities; and

WHEREAS, the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools was formed out of local coalitions, with the AFT playing an important leadership role, and has now grown into a national community-union alliance for educational justice; and

WHEREAS, AROS is leading a national campaign for the public schools all our students deserve, and has already organized three days of nationally coordinated “walk-ins,” with more than 100,000 people participating in 300 cities and several thousand schools and campuses, highlighting full funding and support for community schools, calling for more teaching and less testing, demanding that all schools that are publicly funded be held to the same high standards, and calling for fair funding for public colleges and universities; and

WHEREAS, member engagement and working with community partners are essential to safeguarding our values and aspirations:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers reaffirms its commitment to protect our students, our public schools and institutions of higher education, and our communities; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT recommits itself to reclaiming the promise of public education at all levels, and to making every public school and college campus a place where all students are engaged in powerful learning and feel safe, welcome and valued; and

RESOLVED, that to advance this purpose, the AFT supports the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools national day of action on Jan. 19, 2017, to protect our schools and institutions of higher education, communities and students; and

RESOLVED, that Jan. 19 will also be a day to affirm the value of public schools, colleges and universities; to support sufficient funding and evidence-based strategies to strengthen them; to ensure that schools and colleges are sanctuary spaces free from racism, bullying and risk of

deportation; and to call for the rejection of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will work to mobilize affiliates throughout the nation—joining with AROS to make Jan. 19 a powerful moment in the building of our movement to fight the president-elect’s agenda to dismantle public education, and to ensure that all students have the opportunity to pursue their dreams free from fear.

SUPPORTING CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY AND CIVIL SOCIETY IN HUNGARY (2017)

WHEREAS, after 25 years of attracting faculty and students from around the world for research, open debate and the critical exchange of ideas, Central European University—which was founded by George Soros—now represents everything the current Hungarian government sees as a threat: critical thinking, liberal values and academic freedom; and

WHEREAS, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and President János Áder have imposed a new law—widely referred to as Lex CEU—that effectively targets only CEU and threatens its existence by imposing new standards that have been intentionally written to be impossible to meet; and

WHEREAS, this clear attempt to shutter this university is completely antithetical to all common values of scholastic independence and academic freedom; political attacks on academic institutions are an indefensible blow against the values of intellectual inquiry shared among democratic nations; and

WHEREAS, waves of marchers have demonstrated in the streets of Hungary to protest the law, and worldwide condemnation has been swift from hundreds of organizations, including other governments, universities, teacher unions and scholarly associations, as well as from artists, writers and journalists, and human rights defenders; all have criticized the Hungarian government’s move as a clear attempt to silence independent civil society; and

WHEREAS, in many parts of Hungarian society, space for dissent and criticism is rapidly shrinking; opposition media are censored; political opponents are marginalized; migrants and asylum seekers are subject to publically sponsored hate campaigns, violence and detention; and the country is steering a course toward authoritarianism that has already cast

12 / AFT

a shadow on its place in the community of European democracies:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers expresses its solidarity with the faculty, students, education support staff and administration of Central European University in their battle for independence and academic freedom; that the AFT opposes attacks on the independence and academic freedom of any university under the Viktor Orbán government; and that the AFT will communicate its support for CEU to the White House, Congress, the European Union’s commissioner for justice, and education allies worldwide; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will continue to work with Education International and its Hungary affiliates to advocate for a political and media campaign that demands the government repeal its irrational and dangerous legislation targeting CEU, and urges respect for human rights and the rule of law. STANDING IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE ASOCIACIÓN DE MAESTROS DE PUERTO RICO AND THE AMPR-LOCAL SINDICAL (2017)

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers and the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico have a long and proud tradition of fighting to improve the lives of working families; and

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers, the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico and its local union the AMPR-Local Sindical are committed to our shared values:

A healthy economy that provides opportunity for workers, a living wage, a decent retirement, and the right to join a union and bargain collectively;

Great neighborhood public schools for every child, including high-quality and affordable public higher education;

Affordable, quality healthcare;

A strong and thriving democracy with self-determination and local control; and

The elimination of discrimination, hatred and bigotry, so we can create a more fair and just society for all; and

WHEREAS, the AFT and the AMPR-Local Sindical have been working together over the last several months on projects such as:

The AFT and the AMPR-Local Sindical sent a joint letter to the PROMESA (Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act) control board to oppose devastating funding cuts to Puerto Rico’s education program;

The AFT and AFT-affiliated unions in New York City ensured that Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico President Aida Diaz’s testimony on education funding cuts before the PROMESA board was amplified by a demonstration and press conference;

Supported by the AFT, Hedge Clippers—a Wall Street accountability campaign—continues to expose vulture hedge funds for their role in causing and exacerbating the fiscal crisis in Puerto Rico;

The AFT conducted trainings with AMPR-Local Sindical on organizing and leadership development to improve communications and member engagement;

AMPR-Local Sindical mobilized members around an Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools action; and

Recognizing the shared threats to our organizations and the common concerns of our members, the AFT and the AMPR-Local Sindical continue to fight for the resources and protections our members and the communities they serve need and deserve; and

WHEREAS, Puerto Rico is in an ongoing financial crisis related to the staggering debt owed by the government, in large part due to exploitive practices by vulture hedge funds; and

WHEREAS, there has never been a time of greater urgency in Puerto Rico; and

WHEREAS, the AFT has been a leader in working with Wall Street accountability campaigns, bringing attention to the suffering caused by vulture hedge funds and to hold them accountable; and

WHEREAS, in continuing to exploit and take advantage of the people of Puerto Rico, hedge fund operators and the banks are attempting to be first in


line to be repaid by the government—leapfrogging ahead of the government’s obligations to the children in our schools and working people who have labored for and earned pensions; and

WHEREAS, as a result of the financial emergency in Puerto Rico, the educators, students and families of Puerto Rico are facing the threat of 184 school closings—which will displace some 27,000 K-12 students and 2,088 educators; and

WHEREAS, other harmful proposals are being considered, including shortening the school year, reducing the number of school days and other cuts that will have a devastating impact on students—particularly the large numbers of those who are economically disadvantaged and rely on school nutrition programs; and

WHEREAS, in an attempt to resolve the financial crisis, there is a proposal to cut higher education funding by 50 percent, which would endanger accreditation and threaten students’ ability to access federal financial assistance; and

WHEREAS, educators in Puerto Rico face significant attacks on their pensions and on collective bargaining rights; and

WHEREAS, students and educators already learn and teach in grossly underfunded schools, which will face even further deterioration; and

WHEREAS, public education and the rights of working people are under siege and at risk every day, everywhere—in the U.S. mainland and in Puerto Rico and the other territories:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will work to assist the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico and the AMPR-Local Sindical in every way appropriate, including in advancing community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining, political activism and member mobilization; and

RESOLVED, that as educators and trade unionists, we must stand together to protect public education and to improve the lives of the people of Puerto Rico; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT stands in solidarity with the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico, the AMPR-Local Sindical and other trade unions to find solutions that advance our shared values of safeguarding public education and workers’

rights through collective bargaining.

CURRENT REPUBLICAN TAX REFORM PROPOSAL (2017)

WHEREAS, a healthy and vibrant economy depends upon a federal tax system that raises sufficient revenue to adequately provide for the safety, security and well-being of Americans, including the education, healthcare, infrastructure and social safety net that gives Americans the opportunities they want and deserve; and

WHEREAS, the new proposals advanced by President Trump and a Republican-led Congress would actually make the tax code less equitable and provide less revenue for the safety, security and well-being of most Americans; indeed, the proposals would enact tax “reform” in which 80 percent of the benefits would go to the top 1 percent of earners; and

WHEREAS, the new proposals eliminate the state and local tax deduction, which allows Americans to deduct from their federal taxes the amount they pay in taxes to their states and localities; this deduction has been a staple of the tax code for more than a century and is used by 44 million taxpayers in all 50 states; and

WHEREAS, the elimination or capping of the state and local tax deduction puts at risk funding for state and local services, including public safety, education and emergency operations, as well as funding for long-term infrastructure projects; and

WHEREAS, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the new proposals will increase the federal debt by $10 trillion over the next decade. By 2027, the deficit could reach $1.4 trillion, or 5 percent of the economy; and

WHEREAS, the new proposals enshrine a loophole that lets hedge fund billionaires pay a lower tax rate than their secretaries, further rigging the economy in favor of the wealthy; and

WHEREAS, the new proposals includes a 25 percent tax on “pass-through” businesses, where corporate income "passes through" the business to the owner, who is then taxed at the individual tax rate. The pass-through tax is used more and more by top earners to circumvent a higher personal rate, benefiting those in the top tax bracket; and

WHEREAS, as the recent healthcare and budget

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fights make clear, Americans stand to lose vital services such as funding to federal student aid, nutrition assistance, Medicaid and other important programs:

RESOLVED, the American Federation of Teachers will encourage tax reform that improves working people’s lives, makes the tax system fairer, and protects adequate revenues for necessary government responsibilities; and we will do so in the same way we did with healthcare—by working in coalition with community partners and communicating our values to our members, lawmakers and the public; and

RESOLVED, the AFT commits to fighting for the middle and working class and their families by ensuring that sorely needed revenue for investments in education, infrastructure and the like is prioritized; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will fight for comprehensive tax reform that ensures that:

The richest Americans, large corporations and Wall Street pay their fair share of taxes;

Tax cuts must not be paid for by cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, education and other vital programs; and

The state and local tax deduction is retained so that public services are supported; and

RESOLVED, the AFT recommits itself to fighting for high-quality public services—paid for collectively and fairly through taxes—that benefit families, strengthen communities, ensure safety and bolster the economy. DEFENDING AND STRENGTHENING UNIONS (2017)

WHEREAS, unions are composed of people who fight every day for a better life for themselves and others, and who deeply care about the people they serve and the people they represent; and

WHEREAS, unions promote and defend the freedom of working people to earn a decent living, to support their families, to have work-life balance, to access important public services like good schools and high-quality healthcare, and to retire with dignity. We champion economic and racial justice; a strong and

vibrant democracy, including a free press, an independent judiciary, a thriving labor movement and the protection of the right to vote; and the civil rights of all; and

WHEREAS, we secure these freedoms for all working people through our work at the bargaining table, at the ballot box and in grass-roots actions, and through the work our members do for students, patients and our communities; and therefore unions, historically and today, are the best vehicle for working people to join together to seek and secure a better life and the American dream; and

WHEREAS, public sector unions and the work we do are severely at risk in light of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to hear the Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 case, which threatens to upend 40 years of precedent affirming the constitutionality of fair-share fees—meaning that if a person has the benefits of union representation, the person pays a fair share for that representation; and

WHEREAS, this case is being pushed by corporate interests and right-wing politicians who want to further rig our economy and politics against working people. These anti-union forces understand that unions give working people power and create a level playing field. That’s why, in addition to Janus, these corporate interests and politicians are waging an $80 million campaign across the country to, in their words, “defund and defang” unions:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers is a family that will help each of our 1.7 million members and our affiliates in the fight against this right-wing assault on our existence and funding. However, building a union movement for the future is not simply about repelling and resisting the attacks of those who seek our demise—it is about strengthening the work of each and every affiliate so our members and our communities see themselves and their aspirations in our advocacy and DNA. That is what unionism is—the collective work to achieve a better life for the people we serve and represent.

That is why this commitment to fight together to resist the assault comes with the responsibility to strengthen our union by pursuing our core values through the work of member engagement and community involvement.

1. This starts with one-on-one conversations, building worksite leadership structures and


mobilizing around campaigns, including contract and issues campaigns, that matter to our members and their communities.

2. Power is built through member and community-engagement mobilizations. We will support actions around contract and legislative fights so that our members experience the power of collective action through their union.

3. We will focus, nurture, and grow long-term capacity and sustainability of affiliates to educate, organize and mobilize members. We will shore up worksite leadership structures that build these relationships through ongoing one-on-one conversations and by providing opportunities for members to mobilize with their union. We will build cohesion by creating opportunities to get to know our union, to experience it on a daily basis, and to build the relationships one forms with those who call themselves “unionists.” We can do this by utilizing multiple pathways for engagement, such as Share My Lesson, student debt clinics, First Book, political campaigns, contract campaigns or legislative fights.

4. We will continue to focus on growth. New members are drawn to the values that define the AFT. Our union has grown dramatically over the last 30 years, taking a leadership position in fighting back against attacks on our core values: great schools and colleges that fulfill the promise of public education, good jobs that support a middle-class life, affordable healthcare, an end to discrimination and bigotry, and the defense of democracy and pluralism. Unions are about fighting and caring. We will continue to lead in these critically important fights by continuing to organize and grow, and to extend the benefits of collective action to every community where these values are under assault; and when these communities are in need—in the face of catastrophes both natural and manmade—we will offer an open hand of assistance and compassion.

5. We will strengthen our programs and supports in all the constituencies we represent, including healthcare, higher education, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel, and public employees. K-12 urban locals were our first locals and have the longest history; this history has given them a stronger stabilization of cohesion between members and their unions. We will, along with AFT state federations, help locals develop

thoughtful, intentional engagement with all constituencies by developing issues, messages and campaigns that reflect the special needs of these constituencies; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT executive council commits to do everything in our power to effectuate this resolution, and that the AFT shall publicize this resolution for every state and local affiliate in the country. ADDRESSING THE NATION’S OPIOID CRISIS (2017)

WHEREAS, an unprecedented drug abuse and opioid epidemic is ravaging communities across the United States, with an estimated 64,000 people dying each year from overdoses; and

WHEREAS, millions of patients suffering from addiction, which should be treated as a disease, are unable to access the care they need due to extreme shortages of providers, beds, funding and treatment options—a calamity that will be intensified if the Trump administration continues to cut healthcare funding and threaten the stability of the Affordable Care Act; and

WHEREAS, opioids play a vital role in the treatment of pain for many patients, the appropriate prescription of which is a clinical medical decision best left to the medical professional and not an insurance company; and

WHEREAS, bad actors in the pharmaceutical industry are generating astonishing profits from addictive prescription drugs, which are marketed as non-addictive by major pharmaceutical companies and distributed by companies that have failed to identify or combat opioid abuse; and

WHEREAS, public employee pension funds, including teacher pension funds, may hold investments in companies that manufacture, market and distribute opioids, as well as in companies providing addiction treatment and in hedge funds that support these companies; and

WHEREAS, communities and employers throughout America lack the resources needed to combat this public health crisis, while the Trump administration is worsening the problem by reviving the failed policies of prior wars on drugs, including mandatory sentencing and criminalization, which adversely affected communities of color, exacerbating racial and

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economic inequities and diverting resources needed for prevention and treatment, and as a result, AFT members are being called to prevent, diagnose and counteract drug abuse and overdoses in their schools, hospitals and communities without proper resources, training or protection from exposure hazards; and

WHEREAS, some for-profit addiction treatment companies offer inadequate treatment, poor staffing, and lax safety and security for patients and workers:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will continue the fight for resources to combat the opioid crisis, including the fight against cuts in Medicaid and the fight against repealing the Affordable Care Act; and

RESOLVED, the AFT will collaborate with unions, community and policy organizations, government officials and others to expose and address pharmaceutical companies’ role in the opioid crisis; and

RESOLVED, the AFT will support affiliates in seeking workplace policies and collective bargaining language that provide resources to those working to combat addiction and the opioid crisis through their work, that protect them from exposure to workplace hazards and hazardous drugs, and that strengthen employee assistance programs; and

RESOLVED, the AFT will work with pension fund trustees and staff to review their investments in companies and managers that are facilitating and/or profiting from the opioid crisis, advocate for greater accountability from their companies and managers, and, when appropriate, divest from these entities, as consistent with their fiduciary duty; and

RESOLVED, the AFT will fight to ensure that addressing the opioid crisis in our communities is a top priority, that people with addictions have adequate access to quality, affordable services, and that our members are fully equipped and supported to address the opioid crisis at all intersections with their work; and

RESOLVED, the AFT will oppose polices that re-create the failed war on drugs, and will support public policies that:

Focus on prevention and education about the abuse of opioids;

Expand and fund treatment options through federal and state funding;

Encourage collaboration between public safety officials, education institutions and healthcare institutions;

Establish standards for appropriate prescribing guidelines and other timely protocols that ensure therapeutic outcomes for drug prevention programs;

Expand the scope of practice for advanced practice registered nurses to fill the need for providers;

Ensure timely access to mental health interventions and enforce mental health parity laws; and

Reduce mass incarceration through criminal justice sentencing reform.

SAUDI VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS (2017)

WHEREAS, the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia has sentenced 14 political activists to death by beheading after pro-democracy protests during the Arab Spring, described by the United Nations as being peaceful; several were juveniles at the time of the alleged offense, and one was disabled. These young men include Mujtaba'a al-Sweikat, who was detained at the airport on his way to attend Western Michigan University, where a number of faculty members are represented by our union; and

WHEREAS, Saudi courts convicted the 14 after flawed trials based on confessions they had repudiated in court, saying they were coerced. Human rights investigators have long criticized the Saudi justice system for lack of due process and for coerced confessions that have been drawn by physical punishment and prolonged solitary confinement; and

WHEREAS, Saudi Arabia is the only country that carries out beheadings as a form of capital punishment; more than 50 of these horrific public beheadings have been conducted this year; and

WHEREAS, despite being signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and many international civil and human rights treaties, Saudi Arabia has been singled out time and again for policies of arbitrary arrest, unfair trials and conviction of peaceful dissidents. U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has said the


United States doesn't "support Saudi Arabia when it comes to human rights," and the U.S. Department of State has been critical of the country’s restrictions on universal rights, lack of equal rights that affect every aspect of women’s lives, denial of judicial due process, lack of equal rights for children, and failure to protect its noncitizen workforce; and

WHEREAS, Saudi Arabia seeks investment from partners worldwide, including major U.S. investment funds. Several of these U.S. investment funds manage the retirement savings of American Federation of Teachers members—educators, healthcare workers and public sector employees—into the hundreds of millions of dollars. These public sector workers, whose lifetime savings are placed in these funds, have a right to know that their savings have been invested wisely and ethically; and

WHEREAS, the AFT has stood at the front of social justice and civil rights movements worldwide for more than 100 years, both inside the labor movement and in the wider society:

RESOLVED, the American Federation of Teachers joins the international human rights community in calling on the government of Saudi Arabia to commute the death sentences—and grant the immediate and unconditional release—of the 14 young men accused and sentenced to death for peaceful, pro-democracy demonstrations; the unfair trials, years of confinement, forced confessions, torture, beatings and physical abuse they have suffered are horrific violations of human rights and basic humanity; and

RESOLVED, the AFT declares that the use, or even the threat, of capital punishment by beheading can never be justified; it is savage and barbaric, and, by definition, places outside the community of nations any modern state demanding its use and makes such state guilty of resorting to the cruelty used among terrorists; and

RESOLVED, the AFT will continue an awareness campaign among education and public sector employee pension funds that have financial interests in Saudi Arabia; and

RESOLVED, the AFT will continue to protest the case of the 14 young men among appropriate U.S. government and United Nations authorities, including calling on the intervention of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

and the United Nations Human Rights Council to act on their behalf; and

RESOLVED, the AFT joins Education International, wider voices of labor and international human rights defenders worldwide in criticizing Saudi Arabia’s attempt to transform its economy, and in criticizing its human rights violations. The society will fail without granting equal rights to women and girls, and without allowing its citizens universal rights guaranteed to all. CHILD MARRIAGE IS CHILD LABOR (2018)

WHEREAS, child marriage and forced marriage are harmful practices that deprive girls of their dignity and human rights. According to UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund), in the last 10 years, an estimated 60 million girls around the world were married before they turned 18 years old. If present trends continue, more than 100 million more girls will be married as children over the next decade, according to the Population Council; and

WHEREAS, forced marriage is a form of modern-day slavery. As of September 2017, for the first time, the International Labour Organization has begun to count forced marriage into its slavery statistics. On any given day in 2016, the ILO estimates that 40 million people were victims of modern-day slavery, and of these, 15.4 million were in forced marriage; and

WHEREAS, ILO Convention No. 182 (“Worst Forms of Child Labour”) explicitly forbids “all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children … and forced or compulsory labour.” Clearly, conditions in many child marriages overlap with these prohibitions; and

WHEREAS, even the United States is not exempt from these issues. According to the human rights group Unchained at Last, more than 248,000 children were married, mostly to adult men, in the United States between 2000 and 2010. While we have seen progress (for example, Florida’s state Senate recently voted unanimously to ban marriage to anyone under the age of 18), 25 states still have no minimum age for marriage; and

WHEREAS, the AFL-CIO represents the interests of U.S. workers in the tripartite arrangement at the ILO, and as such has the ability to advocate for the concept that child marriage is child labor; and

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WHEREAS, a global coalition, which includes the nonprofit AIDS-Free World, is working to combat the negative effects of child marriage, such as forced labor, physical and psychological abuse, and the loss of educational opportunities:

RESOLVED, that in as much as the American Federation of Teachers stands against child marriage and forced marriage as human rights violations, we will join forces with like-minded national and international unions and other organizations to advocate at the International Labour Organization that “Child Marriage Is Child Labor.” GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND SCHOOL SAFETY (2018)

WHEREAS, all students deserve safe, welcoming, supportive school environments where they can learn and thrive without fear; and WHEREAS, no parent should send his or her child to school and fear that the child may never come home; and

WHEREAS, no academic faculty, professional faculty, staff or student in an institution of higher education should fear for their lives or be victimized by gun violence while attending class or living the life of the academy; and WHEREAS, principals, administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals and other school staff have shown over and over again their instinct to shield and protect students in these tragic situations, and their acts of heroism should be lifted up while at the same time doubling down on the work needed to ensure safe working environments free from gun violence; and

WHEREAS, in the wake of the mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., we said, “never again,” yet there have been 239 school shootings since Newtown, with 438 people shot and 138 murdered—most recently the 17 students, teachers and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.; and

WHEREAS, the mass murder of students, teachers and staff at Stoneman Douglas High School was committed using a legally purchased AR-15—the same weapon used in mass murders in Newtown, Conn.; Aurora, Colo.; Orlando, Fla.; San Bernardino, Calif.; Sutherland Springs, Texas; Las Vegas, Nev.;

and more; and

WHEREAS, since the shootings at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colo., first shocked our nation, students, parents and educators have fought tirelessly to put an end to gun violence in our schools and communities and are now at the forefront of organizing efforts in the wake of the mass murder in Parkland; and

WHEREAS, the National Rifle Association has stood in our way, using money and threats and influence to fight every commonsense reform of gun laws as an assault on the Second Amendment rather than a means to ensure the safety of Americans, while also shielding gun manufacturers from all legal liability related to the sale or use of their products; and

WHEREAS, President Trump and Republicans have ignored this crisis, offering, at best, rhetorical gestures and, at worst, blatant hypocrisy—from singularly focusing on mental health interventions (and ignoring gun restrictions) while simultaneously slashing funding for and access to mental health care for everyone from school-age children to adults, to Betsy DeVos’ and others’ misguided suggestions that we arm teachers and staff and militarize our schools; and

WHEREAS, America’s students—led by the courageous young people of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School—are now leading the charge to prevent further tragedy:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will recommit ourselves to commonsense measures to stop gun violence in schools and institutions of higher education, including further school safety efforts, reforms such as bans on both assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, background checks and other vetting processes, revoking the federal Dickey Amendment (which has prohibited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from conducting research on gun-related deaths), and rescinding the gun industry’s immunity, while also opposing wrong-headed and counterproductive ideas like arming faculty and staff; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will continue to fight for expansion of mental health care for all, including: defending and fully funding the Affordable Care Act in all 50 states, expanding access to public mental health facilities and services for all Americans, and fully staffing every school in


America with qualified mental health counseling to identify and intervene before students reach a crisis point; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will be a conduit for listening to members and students, and for amplifying their voices and experience in the public sphere to more effectively fight this scourge, including convening an activist committee within the next month to recommend ways that national, state and local affiliates can seize this moment to end gun violence collectively in schools and institutions of higher education, including through lawful strikes, other concerted actions and disruption of business as usual to compel the nation to take action; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will work to find ways to combat the stranglehold the NRA and gun manufacturers have on policy in this arena, including exploring further divestment of pension funds and others from the gun industry; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will work to support the courageous efforts of the survivors of gun violence at Stoneman Douglas, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech and too many other schools and institutions of higher education, and of all those who have fought for schools that are free from gun violence, by ensuring that April 20—the anniversary of the Columbine massacre—becomes a day of action across the country to end gun violence in schools, and by supporting the student-led marches on March 14 and March 24; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will support the students’ and survivors’ movements in other ways as well, including through voter registration, engagement and mobilization efforts. IN SUPPORT OF AFT PARTICIPATION IN THE POOR PEOPLE’S CAMPAIGN: A NATIONAL CALL FOR MORAL REVIVAL (2018)

WHEREAS, the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign led by Martin Luther King Jr. was a courageous effort to address systemic racism and poverty in our country but was cut short by his murder; and

WHEREAS, the issues of systemic racial and economic inequality continue to plague our nation; and

WHEREAS, the current leader of the effort to build on the 1968 campaign, the Rev. William J. Barber II, is a friend of the American Federation of Teachers and is the architect of the successful Moral Mondays movement in North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, there is tremendous new energy and mobilization for social justice in our country, particularly since the election of President Trump, but much of it takes place within silos; and

WHEREAS, the tactics of nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience have a storied history in the struggle for racial and economic justice; and

WHEREAS, today’s Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is a multiyear undertaking to unite movements and organizations to fight systemic racism, systemic poverty, ecological devastation and the war economy, and to shift the nation’s distorted moral narrative; and

WHEREAS, the campaign will lead 40 days of moral action across the nation over a six-week period, from May 13 to June 23, 2018, in at least 30 states and the District of Columbia, by engaging in highly publicized, nonviolent moral fusion direct action; and

WHEREAS, the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is closely aligned with the five values that have guided the AFT’s work since the 2016 election:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers and its affiliates fully support the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT and its affiliates will participate in the 40 days of moral action across the country by providing leadership and presence on social media, by mobilizing members to attend events and by encouraging members to volunteer their time to support events. INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT TO END SCHOOL GUN VIOLENCE (2018)

WHEREAS, the call to action against gun violence, led by the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., has drawn hundreds of thousands of activists to Washington, D.C., and inspired marches around the world, where demonstrators have joined together to demand an end to gun violence and call on U.S. lawmakers to

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enact tougher gun control laws; and

WHEREAS, unions and their members worldwide have aligned themselves with AFT members and the communities they serve:

The United Kingdom’s National Education Union, the largest education union in Europe, mobilized its leadership and members at its national convention to support the AFT and our members in anti-gun-violence campaigns, and announced plans for its own national day of action on April 20, 2018;

The Union of Education Norway sent a delegation of young leaders in solidarity to participate in the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, D.C., on March 24, and the union has launched an ongoing social media campaign of support;

In its public employees magazine, Canada’s Centrale des syndicats du Québec published interviews with AFT members from several locals on their perspectives on the Parkland tragedy and the alarming prospect of arming teachers in schools; and

More than 100 international unions have sent letters to President Trump and U.S. lawmakers—in line with the demands of the 187,000 members of the Australian Education Union—to demand a ban on assault rifles; and

WHEREAS, the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which tracks lives lost in every country, notes that the United States has 3.85 deaths due to gun violence per 100,000 people—eight times higher than the rate in Canada and 27 times higher than Denmark; and according to The New York Times, there are more public mass shootings in America than in any other country in the world, and our per capita ownership of guns is only exceeded by war-torn Yemen; and

WHEREAS, this unique political and social moment clearly presents an opportunity for students, educators and their families to participate in activism and mobilization on a worldwide scale:

RESOLVED, that the AFT expresses its gratitude for international support received in the wake of the Parkland tragedy, and that the AFT’s members and leaders acknowledge the deeply felt emotional solidarity shown by union family members worldwide; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will utilize other countries’ experience and evidence-based solutions as part of our union’s legislative campaigns at the local, state and national levels, to advocate for commonsense gun reform.


Summary of Action Taken on AFT Policy Resolutions Since the 2016 Convention

Summary of Action Taken on AFT Policy Resolutions since the 2016 Convention

A Just Transition to a Peaceful and Sustainable Economy Issued a statement in opposition to the United

States withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement.

Developed and participated in an environmental justice panel hosted at the 2017 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference.

Continued work with the BlueGreen Alliance, a partnership between labor and environmental groups, signing on to letters, participating in dialogues and developing budget recommendations that are consistent with this issue.

Achieving Tax Fairness by Cracking Down on Offshore Tax Havens Invited Martha Hamilton, an investigative

journalist who spent a year sifting through the Panama Papers in order to shine a light on offshore tax havens, to speak at the Jim McGarvey Memorial Breakfast at the 2016 convention.

Informed affiliates about state legislation, like Montana’s and Oregon’s, that would prevent multinational corporations from using overseas tax shelters to avoid state corporate taxes.

Worked with longtime partner Americans for Tax Fairness and others to oppose a variety of proposals to expand overseas tax loopholes and shelters as part of the battle over President Trump’s tax cuts, including the creation of a so-called “Territorial Tax System.”

Joined the coalition sponsoring the Tax March and the related Not One Penny campaign to battle the Trump tax cuts and raise awareness about the problems with the GOP’s tax plan, including the continued issue of offshoring.

Addressing the Nation’s Opioid Crisis (2017) Developed opioid addiction online training

resources with Harvard University for AFT members, which will be available in September 2018.

Developed training for accidental exposure to synthetic opioids for healthcare workers.

Worked with the AFL-CIO and health and safety groups on worker policies regarding opioid use.

Continued to advocate for increased funding to address the opioid crisis. Our most recent success was the $6 billion in funding (over two years) included in the most recent budget deal.

In April 2018, joined Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Elijah Cummings in highlighting a bill to provide $100 billion in additional funding to address the crisis (the Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency Act).

Advocated for making the expansion of scope of practice included in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act permanent and has seen this proposal raised as a possibility in recent bipartisan discussions. Bipartisan opioid legislation, currently moving through Congress, has included language aimed at improving collaboration, prevention and education and may be approved this fall.

Shared information with affiliates on state-level policies that could address the opioid crisis.

Worked with partners to draft legislation to place a windfall profits tax on opioid manufacturers and processors.

Advancing Our Professionalism Continued the work of the Professionalism Task

Force, which released a report at the 2016 convention.

Expanded the AFT Teacher Leaders Program. Started an e-learning platform to advance

professional development for members. Started a collective bargaining certification to

support affiliate leaders and bargaining teams.

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Developed campaigns that focus on professional issues, such as class size and testing, safe patient care and nursing caseloads, maintaining quality public services in an age of privatization, enhancing school support staff credentials to create opportunities for service in certified positions, and the essential role of adequate compensation for preparation time and office hours for adjunct faculty.

AFT Members Will Work to Protect and Secure Affordable Healthcare for All (2016) Participated in mass events opposing repeal of

the Affordable Care Act throughout 2017. Supported a number of state legislative initiatives

to protect residents from harmful changes to ACA enrollment.

Produced a webinar educating members on the ACA.

Played a key role in successfully defeating the attempt by President Trump and Congress to repeal the ACA and significantly reduce Medicaid funding.

Partnered with the AFL-CIO and groups like Protect Our Care and Healthcare for America Now, while also independently activating our affiliates and e-activists and utilizing robocalls and other tools.

Leading up to the vote on the nomination of Tom Price for secretary of health and human services, the AFT expressed our concerns through an e-action/lobbying and partook in coalition activities to echo these alarm bells. Price eventually resigned from serving as HHS secretary.

Given the current political realities, the majority of the AFT’s efforts have focused on defending the Affordable Care Act from attacks. We have also supported Sen. Bernie Sanders’ push for Medicaid for all.

Against Deportation Worked aggressively with community partners to

develop timely resources to assist affected members, students and families impacted by President Trump’s xenophobic enforcement-only policies.

Created a cadre of social justice crusaders, DREAM defenders and “unafraid educators” through the Protecting Our Students and Their Families initiative.

Conducted thousands of patch-through calls targeting members of Congress to co-sponsor the DREAM Act.

Participated in marches, rallies, civil disobedience and local mobilizations, and issued op-eds, press releases and statements from AFT officers.

Made consistent use of new and traditional media outlets, including the AFT’s quarterly journal, American Educator, to support immigrant youth and DREAMers and defend DACAmented individuals and families from the threats of deportation.

Joined various court cases challenging the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the termination of the Temporary Protected Status program for Haitian immigrants, and the threat to withhold funding for sanctuary cities.

Hosted more than 100 professional development “Know Your Rights” and deportation defense trainings for AFT members, students, parents and diverse community stakeholders across the country.

American Federation of Teachers’ Endorsement of Hillary Clinton for President Conducted extensive member-to-member

outreach on behalf of the AFT’s endorsed candidate for president, Hillary Clinton.

Conducted a comprehensive member-to-member political program in support of Clinton’s candidacy, which included mail, digital and social media, telephone town halls and polling.

Conducted independent communications with the general public, and investment and engagement with community organizations, including those related to the rising American electorate.

Attack Economic Inequality Incorporated economic inequality in the AFT’s

Federal Candidate Questionnaire (“Economic Justice and Tax Fairness”), a key component of candidate interviews and endorsements.

Conducted legislative mobilization and member engagement efforts to defeat the American Health Care Act of 2017 and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1).


Hosted the AFT Women’s Economic Forum in October 2016.

Ban the Box AFT affiliates signed on to the Kalmanovitz

Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor.

Bargaining LGBTQ Equity for Health Benefits and Working Conditions Updated a school closings research brief with

current research, and assisted affiliates with accessing and using related research.

Responded with critical comments to proposed Health and Human Services changes allowing providers to discriminate against LGBTQ patients and services.

Building a National Movement for the Public Schools All Our Students Deserve with the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools and through ESSA Reauthorization Approximately 150 AFT locals, with members at

more than 1,100 schools, participated in the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools’ October 2016 school walk-ins.

Approximately 240 AFT locals participated in AROS actions, including walk-ins, on Jan. 19, 2017—the day before President Trump’s inauguration.

Approximately 120 AFT locals participated in AROS actions on May 1, 2017, to “Build Schools, Not Walls.”

Developed an Every Student Succeeds Act toolkit to help affiliates and members understand the law and how they could engage as stakeholders (https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/essa101-1.pdf and https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/essa101-2.pdf).

Convened the AFT’s K-12 program and policy council, along with state educational issues coordinators, to review a selection of draft state plans and engage around potential strategies for advocacy around improving plans and implementation efforts.

Conducted ESSA-focused webinars over the course of two years for our K-12 members, featuring AFT national staff and partners.

Provided technical and policy support for work on state plans, and assisted in ESSA advocacy around stakeholder engagement and implementation to local affiliates and state federations, including those in Baltimore, California, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Utah.

Campaign Promoting Education as a Public Good Promoted #PublicSchoolProud, a campaign that

highlights education as a public good that serves students and communities.

Supported walkouts around the country that were held to highlight the need for consistent and sufficient funding streams to properly fund schools.

Continued to educate elected officials, nationally and locally, on the importance of a strong public education system and the lack of necessary resources for public schools, and continued to lobby for adequate funding streams.

Championing Professional Standards in the Midst of a Changing Healthcare System The work of the Professionalism Task Force

addressed many of the resolved clauses in this resolution. See the bullets under “Advancing Our Professionalism.”

Child Marriage Is Child Labor (2018) Ongoing work with the AFL-CIO as the

International Labor Organization workers’ representative, in advance of the annual ILO International Labor Conference.

Distributed the AFT’s policy, as reflected in the resolution, to human rights organizations.

AFT President Randi Weingarten sent a letter to Education International, asking EI to raise the topic at the ILO conference.

Colombia Labor Violations and Impunity AFT Executive Vice President Mary Cathryn Ricker,

a National Democratic Institute board member, visited Colombia for pro-democracy discussions.

Sent a letter after the bombing attack at the headquarters of FECODE (the Colombian

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Federation of Education Workers), in protest of the government’s failure to fully eradicate anti-union violence.

Fought to uphold the ILO’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work in our advocacy for a stronger labor chapter during NAFTA negotiations.

Condemning the Repression in Turkey (2016) Sent protest letters. Included items and updates in the international

affairs department’s newsletter.

Current Republican Tax Reform Proposal (2017) Participated in dozens of meetings with

congressional offices in support of Americans for Tax Fairness principles for tax reform. These congressional meetings opposed specific provisions of the Republican tax bill, such as eliminating (or capping) the state and local tax deduction.

Provided resources to members of the Ways and Means Committee about the negative impact of the tax bill on educators and education.

Coordinated and authored/led briefings and fact sheets for the education community about the negative impact of the tax bill on education funding.

Directed thousands of e-actions and phone calls to congressional offices.

Coordinated with allied groups to provide speakers and build crowds for rallies throughout the country and in Washington, D.C., opposing the tax bill.

Had AFT members and leaders speak at rallies and events opposing the tax bill.

Coordinated a press conference with AFT President Randi Weingarten and bipartisan members of Congress opposing the state and local tax (SALT) provision.

Defending and Strengthening Unions (2017) In response to the many attacks on the freedom

of all working people to have a collective voice and build power through their union, the AFT implemented a comprehensive program of member engagement.

AFT departments developed plans and integrated their programs to support member outreach and engagement.

Launched membership recommit campaigns in 10 states, with 530,000 members signing cards declaring their continuing commitment to union membership.

Assembled and deployed, along with state and local affiliates, a wide array of communications materials, organizing resources and benefits information to help locals retain and build membership and inform members about the attacks on our union and who is behind this war on workers.

Created a hotline and website where members can report “drop” campaigns and download information explaining these anti-union actions.

Defending Students and Public Education and Rejecting the Nomination of Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education (2016) Led unprecedented opposition efforts against the

nomination of Betsy DeVos for secretary of education, including social media, rallies in Washington, D.C., and throughout the country, calls and letters.

All of these efforts led to the vice president needing to cast the tiebreaking vote—the first time in history for a Cabinet secretary.

Because of these efforts, DeVos took office significantly weakened (and has never recovered), and with a public that does not support her privatization and destabilization motives or actions.

Divestment from Fossil Fuel Industries As a member of the BlueGreen Alliance, the AFT

focused on clean jobs and clean infrastructure, including renewable energy jobs, and ensuring that new construction includes renewable energy.

Early Childhood Educators and Adult Educators Researched and synthesized data from the U.S.

Bureau of Labor Statistics showing state by state the hourly median wage for preschool teachers and child care workers, whether the median wage was above $15 per hour, how many preschool teachers and child care workers made under $15 per hour, whether wages for preschool teachers and child care workers were keeping up


with inflation, and whether the median wage for preschool teachers and child care workers was a living wage for a single parent. The data are available on the AFT’s website.

Released on its website a ranking of states by their level of median compensation for preschool teachers and child care workers.

Released on its website national statistics on low compensation in early childhood education and care.

Compiled statistics that were turned into an infographic comparing the costs of transformative public spending in child care and preschool (that would guarantee child care and preschool for all children and ensure just wages for early childhood educators) with the costs of President Trump’s tax cut.

Published and promoted through social media blogs calling for better compensation in early childhood education and care. These blogs were used to raise awareness within AFT locals and among the general public of unjust compensation in early childhood education. The blogs were authored by AFT-West Virginia President Christine Campbell, a Cincinnati preschool teacher active in an AFT organizing campaign, a Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers member working with families in their early childhood program, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott.

A wide range of partners, including the Center for American Progress and MomsRising, promoted our social media content during the first week of May for Worthy Wage Day. AFT locals and state affiliates, including AFT-West Virginia, the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers and AFT Pennsylvania, promoted the blogs on social media.

Provided research assistance to locals, such as the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, that were in bargaining over the compensation levels of early childhood educators in their membership. This research assistance outlined multiple examples of school districts that compensate preschool teachers and paraprofessionals at the same rates and on the same salary schedules as K-12 teachers and paraprofessionals.

Worked with locals, including the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, to help advocate for better compensation and more continuing

education and professional development opportunities for private-sector early childhood educators. The AFT provided organizing, research and professional development assistance.

Worked with local unions to develop and bargain for collective bargaining agreement language that advances the economic interests of adult educators, with provisions like healthcare insurance eligibility and longevity payments.

Advocated for increased state spending on programs that assist adult learners with GED attainment as well as other continuing education opportunities.

End Misuse of Testing and Support Teacher and Parent Rights Convened leaders to engage around strategies

for advocacy to improve state plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act, and provided technical support to locals and state federations to assist in their efforts to ensure state plans incorporated multiple assessment measures and adopted accountability systems that went beyond test scores.

Continued advocacy for an engaged and socially relevant curriculum that is student-based, providing direct support for that mission through expanding AFT Professional Learning Online and Share My Lesson.

End the Garnishment of Social Security to Pay Student Loan Debt Promoted the Government Accountability Office

report issued in December 2016 that highlighted the issue of Social Security garnishment for defaulted student loan debt.

With the AFL-CIO, endorsed Sen. Ron Wyden’s “Protection of Social Security Benefits Restoration Act” (introduced in spring 2017), which would end the garnishment of Social Security for student loan debt.

Partnered with the Alliance for Retired Americans to work on this issue.

Ending Discipline Disparities and Improving School Climate Refocused our “Managing Student Behavior”

PSRP training to include how school culture and climate affect student behavior and discipline.

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Engaging Our Members in Reclaiming the Promise of America In response to the many attacks on the freedom

of all working people to have a collective voice and build power through their union, the AFT implemented a comprehensive program of member engagement.





Environmental Protection in and around Public Schools Advocated for expanding funding for farm-to-

school programming. Addressed the issue through our work with the

BlueGreen Alliance.

Establishing an Academic Fair Labor Practices Code of Conduct Ongoing work with higher education affiliates to

promote academic fair labor standards in recognition, collective bargaining and legislative advocacy campaigns.

After consultation with the AFT’s Higher Education program and policy council in October 2017, as well as other higher education labor organizations, determined that implementing a certification system would be unfeasible.

Fighting Back against Consolidation in Healthcare AFT Nurses and Health Professionals affiliates

continue to support laws to provide standards to protect jobs and services during hospital consolidation.

Provided research on hospital systems in a number of states to support affiliates during consolidations/mergers.

While our primary focus has been protecting the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, the AFT has continued to oppose the SMARTER (Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews through Equal Rules) Act, which would weaken anti-trust protections.

Fighting for Safe Communities and Racial Justice for Our Citizens and Our First Responders During the 2017 AFT Public Employees

professional issues conference, a three-hour workshop, “Managing Conflict through De-Escalation Techniques: How to Recognize and Respond to Crisis Situations Using Verbal and Non-Verbal Skills,” was presented by Judicial Professional Employees Union (AFT Local 4200-B) President and Connecticut state probation officer Carmen Roda and attorney Marshall Segar.

Developed opioid addiction online training resources with Harvard University for AFT members, which will be available in September 2018.

Friedrichs v. CTA Launched a massive member engagement and

agency fee conversation campaign in anticipation of the Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME.

In response to Friedrichs v. CTA (and its successor, Janus) and other attacks on the freedom of all working people to have a collective voice and build power through their union, the AFT implemented a comprehensive program of member engagement.






Girls and Young Women’s Education In collaboration with coalitions and partners, such

as the National Women’s Law Center and the American Association of University Women, the AFT has supported and promoted Title IX and worked to maintain existing protections for girls and young women.

Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety (2018) Provided support for the March for Our Lives rally

on March 24, 2018, with a Maryland pediatric bereavement specialist on site.

Made presentations to Broward Teachers Union stewards on March 1 (webinar) and March 15 (face-to-face) on preventing the onset of post-traumatic stress disorder and supporting students.

The AFT’s Share My Lesson created new collections related to gun violence and school safety, including: Gun Violence in the United States. Helping Children Cope with Traumatic Events. Mental Health. Social & Emotional Learning.

Share My Lesson ran two webinars on gun violence during its 2018 virtual conference: “When Enough Is Enough: Ending School Gun

Violence,” which had 519 registrations. “Trauma-Informed Practices at School: How

to Support Children Exposed to Violence,” which had 746 registrations.

Hand in Hand A team from the Hand in Hand Center for Jewish-

Arab Education in Israel conducted a well-received conflict dialogue session at TEACH 2017.

Hosted two webinars with Hand in Hand pedagogical dialogue and instructional advisers to lay the groundwork for documenting best practices.

Worked with Hand in Hand staff to develop guidelines and a template for documenting instructional practices, activities and projects that can then be shared between teachers and schools.

The foundation has been laid for this work to be sustained and rooted in teacher empowerment, advocacy and voice.

Higher Learning Commission Ongoing consultations with affiliates about

interactions with and means to improve accreditation processes (with all accreditors, not just the Higher Learning Commission).

Advocated for legislation requiring faculty participation in accreditation site-visit teams and in the formulation of recommendations from these visits.

Holding TIAA-CREF Responsible for Its Corporate Investment in Land Grabs Destroying the Brazilian Rainforest Organized with TIAA, Professional Staff Congress

and United University Professions representatives to review the resolution and its resolves. The union delegation attendees agreed that TIAA was responsibly investing in Brazilian farmland. The PSC’s Michael Fabricant published a blog post about the meeting in November 2017.

Immigration and Islamophobia Sent letters to the president of the United States,

the National Security Council and the secretary of state.

The AFT Democracy Committee hosted human rights activist Dalia Mogahed.

AFT leaders hosted a racial equity workshop at the World Social Forum.

An AFT leader attended Education International’s international conference on refugees and migrants.

An AFT leader attended Education International’s conference on education and indigenous populations.

Created teaching resources on immigration and restorative practices for the AFT’s Teach Human Rights website and Share My Lesson.

Hosted, with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, a forum on Islamophobia.

AFT Executive Vice President Mary Cathryn Ricker attended the 2017 GEW congress, with integration of immigrants and refugees a key topic.

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Ricker worked with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights to share ideas for curriculum development and about migration and diversity issues.

Promoted immigrant rights and combating Islamophobia through the Speak Truth to Power student video contest.

Issued statements; drafted letters; partnered with national, state and local advocates; and participated in actions across the nation to support legislation and policies that support immigrants and their families.

Worked with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and a member of Congress to develop a private bill that protected an immigrant family that was set to be deported, and promoted this bill through social and traditional media.

Improved Sick Leave for All University Employees Ongoing work with state and local affiliates to

promote state and local legislation for paid sick days.

Ongoing provision of research and organizing support to implement changes in sick leave policies through collective bargaining.

In Support of More Accurate COLA Adjustments to Social Security Joined other labor organizations in supporting

Rep. John Garamendi’s CPI-E (Consumer Price Index for the Elderly) Act of 2017. This bill would make Social Security fairer to seniors by requiring the program to use the CPI-E to calculate cost-of-living adjustments for retirement benefits. This would increase benefits and better ensure that cost-of-living adjustments in Social Security actually reflect the real rising costs for seniors and people with disabilities in America.

Introduce Exploratory Career and Technical Education (CTE) Courses in the Middle School Grades, and Restore and Expand CTE in All High Schools Advocated, with the Association for Career and

Technical Education, for increased funding for high-quality CTE and the development of new avenues for students to explore career options while in high school.

Brought parents to Washington, D.C., for a lobby day to meet with legislators to urge reauthorization of the Perkins Act and underscore the importance of CTE programs for their children.

Partnered with North America’s Building Trades Unions to provide students with information on youth apprenticeship opportunities, and held a session at TEACH 2017 and a webinar in 2018 for teachers and guidance counselors.

Legislative Initiative to Rectify Unfair and Detrimental Employment Practices in Higher Education Held meetings with most Democratic offices on

the House and Senate education committees to discuss Higher Education Act reauthorization, and discussed our priority on seeing unfair and detrimental employment practices in higher education addressed through legislation.

Included faculty issues in comments submitted to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on accountability in higher education (as part of HEA reauthorization).

Raised the importance of faculty (and fair employment practices) in comments submitted to the Senate HELP committee on priorities for HEA reauthorization.

Worked with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to get clarification about contingent faculty access to Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Worked with state affiliates to develop a state legislative agenda to improve working conditions for contingent faculty.

Supported local affiliate efforts to improve working conditions for contingent faculty via collective bargaining.

Lobby to Remove the Congressional Block on Funding for Gun Violence Research Continued our advocacy, along with national

partners, for increased research on gun violence. After the Parkland, Fla., shooting, language was added to the FY 2018 omnibus spending bill that clarifies that the Dickey Amendment, which prohibits the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from funding research advocating for gun control measures, does not prohibit the CDC from awarding grants to study gun violence. In other words, the congressional block on gun violence research has


been removed and this resolution has been wholly fulfilled.

Merit Pay and High-Stakes Testing Supported affiliates in legal and policy efforts to

fight the inappropriate use of high-stakes testing in teacher evaluation systems.

The AFT has been instrumental, since 2012, in the creation of differentiated compensation systems in Cleveland, Austin and Baltimore.

The AFT has had an impact, although to a lesser extent, on compensation systems throughout the country.

No More Flints: Stop Childhood Lead Poisoning—Guarantee All U.S. Children Lead- Free Water and Communities Sent a liaison (a staff member from the New York

State United Teachers) to a workshop on “Eliminating Lead Risk in Schools & Childcare Facilities,” which produced a report (http://www.healthyschools.org/eliminating_lead_in_schools_and_childcare.pdf).

Joined the Children’s Environmental Health Network advisory group; CEHN staff have collaborated with Washington Teachers’ Union members to offer professional development.

Attended the National Lead Summit in December 2016.

Supported funding efforts for clean water, the testing of water and improving infrastructure.

Oppose Trans-Pacific Partnership Signed on to national opposition letters with

allies, and shared these letters broadly on social media and with education, healthcare and other progressive allies that are not necessarily concerned with trade.

Participated in a broad coalition of labor, environmental and consumer protection groups and human rights defenders to defeat it.

Sent e-activists to ask members to contact their members of Congress to tell them why they should oppose it.

Engaged with healthcare workers and provided educational materials on how the TPP could make medicines unaffordable.

Organized social media days of action and awareness.

Included AFT leadership as speakers at anti-TPP rallies and anti-TPP pressers on Capitol Hill.

Opposing Making the Labor Department Anti-Labor (2016) Led, with others, efforts to oppose the Trump

administration’s first pick for secretary of labor, Andrew Puzder, leading him to withdraw from consideration.

Continued to support legislative efforts to protect the rights of workers.

Organized lobby days for members and regularly advocated for worker rights in partnership with the AFL-CIO and other organizations.

Overturn Citizens United Decision Supported a bill introduced by Sen. Tom Udall

and others that would create a constitutional

amendment overturning Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

Paid Sick Days Through our support for legislation, our work

with coalitions and our participation in rallies and other events, the AFT has strongly advocated for paid sick leave in many forums.

Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act Supported the bipartisan, bicameral Palliative

Care and Hospice Education and Training Act. This bill would expand opportunities for training in palliative and hospice care and offer incentives to attract and retain providers. In addition, through existing programs, the bill would create a national campaign to educate patients, families and health professionals about the benefits of palliative care. The legislation would also expand vital research on palliative care at the National Institutes of Health. As of July 2018, this bill has 277 sponsors in the House and 29 sponsors in the Senate, and has passed out of its House subcommittee.

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Petition the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for a Workplace Violence Prevention Standard for All Healthcare Workers Led a coalition of unions and the AFL-CIO in July

2016 in petitioning the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for a workplace violence prevention standard that would apply to the healthcare and social assistance industries, and has continued to advocate for the standard in multiple ways. For example, members and leaders spoke about the need for a standard in a January 2017 stakeholders meeting, where outgoing Assistant Secretary David Michaels announced OSHA’s intent to promulgate the standard.

Submitted a response to OSHA’s “Request for Information” in April 2017. In 2018, we have been working with allies in the House and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committees who are drafting a bill that would compel OSHA to promulgate an interim final standard.

Offered policy analysis and information to affiliates considering lobbying for new or strengthened state laws to prevent workplace violence, including the Health Professionals and Allied Employees, the Alaska Nurses Association and the Washington State Nurses Association.

Continued to provide training for affiliates, locals and members on workplace violence prevention. These workshops build member awareness of prevention solutions and strengthen locals’ capacity to work with management to implement prevention programs through the labor-management process.

Continued to educate members and leaders about the importance of reporting all incidents of workplace violence to the employer so that the employer has accurate data on the extent of workplace violence in the facility.

Continued to inform members of their right to report assaults to the police and press charges against perpetrators. We educate members about the existence of state laws stating that assaulting a healthcare worker is a felony and advocate that affiliates and locals work with and educate local law enforcement and prosecutors about the need to uphold these laws.

Planning for the Looming State and Local Public Employee Retirement Tsunami Participated in state-by-state actions through the

National Public Pension Coalition to strengthen and prevent the devolution of defined benefit pension plans. The NPPC, of which the AFT is a member, assists state coalitions with strategic planning, communications, testimony and member engagement to protect defined benefit pension plans.

The AFT Public Employees division is doing state-by-state research on how states are preparing for baby boomer retirements.

Preparing Stakeholders to Reduce Students’ Chronic Absenteeism Served on an advisory group for a health impact

assessment of the Every Student Succeeds Act needs assessment requirement, which produced a report (http://bit.ly/2wiP5sw).

Helped develop state action guides to integrate health metrics into needs assessments under ESSA (https://healthyschoolscampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ESSA-State-Framework.pdf and https://healthyschoolscampaign.org/state-essa-framework.

Promote Retirement Security through Full Funding, Investment Manager Transparency, and Accountability The AFT is a full partner in the National Public

Pension Coalition, an organization established to protect our members’ pensions through research, lobbying and financial support of statewide coalitions.

Issued six Asset Manager reports calling out financial institutions that ask to invest members’ pension contributions but support organizations that seek to dismantle members’ pensions. These reports are shared with our pension trustees, who can consider investment manager support for defined benefit plans when selecting investment advisers.

Promoting Students’ Behavioral, Emotional and Mental Health Trained approximately 1,000 members in

supporting grieving students and trauma-


informed practices through staff and member trainers.

Promoting the Expansion of SNAP Eligibility to Include Graduate Employees Submitted comments on the work restrictions

that prevent graduate employees from gaining access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and educated members of Congress of this situation.

In advocating against Republican farm bill proposals, included information about the detrimental impact of denying access to SNAP for graduate employees.

Protect and Expand the Social Safety Net Incorporated the protection of our social safety

net in the AFT’s Federal Candidate Questionnaire (“Retirement Security for All” and “Healthcare Affordability and Access”), a key component of candidate interviews and endorsements.

Established partnerships with allied organizations to protect access to affordable healthcare and to protect Medicare and Medicare.

Led legislative mobilization and member engagement efforts to defeat the American Health Care Act of 2017 and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1).

Supported the Social Security Expansion Act, introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Peter DeFazio, which would provide an expansion of benefits and extend the solvency of Social Security for the next 61 years. Specifically, the bills would increase benefits by about $1,300 a year for seniors now making less than $16,000 annually, and would increase cost-of-living adjustments by more accurately measuring the spending patterns of seniors so that a typical Social Security recipient would see a $43 per month increase at age 80 and a $73 per month increase at age 90.

Supported Rep. Linda Sanchez’s Protecting Our Widows and Widowers in Retirement (POWR) Act, which would ensure that in their darkest hours of losing a spouse, those on Social Security would still be able to have some financial security and peace of mind. Instead of losing half of their monthly household income, seniors would be able to keep a little more of their combined benefits.

Protecting Next-Gen Workers: Health and Safety Education for Young Workers in the 21st Century In 2017 alone, our 130 trained career and

technical education teachers provided more than 20,000 hours of instruction to CTE students in New York City, Connecticut and Chicago on Occupational Safety and Health Administration rights through the OSHA Authorized Program.

Working on the implementation of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Youth at Work—Talking Safety curriculum (on Share My Lesson) in CTE in Chicago and Connecticut for all ninth-graders.

Push Back: Defeating the Global Movement to Privatize Education and Public Services Hosted an Education International anti-

privatization meeting in 2017. Communicated with and activated members to

have them sign petitions. Distributed the Public Services International

“Privatization Watch” to AFT leaders. Distributed Educational International studies that

expose the growing inequity in education as a result of privatization in Kenya, the Philippines and Uganda.

Held a screening at TEACH 2017 of “Backpack Full of Cash” on the growing privatization of public education. The film has been downloaded on YouTube more than 250,000 times.

Hosted an anti-privatization workshop in 2018. AFT Secretary-Treasurer Lorretta Johnson

consulted with Australian unions to share anti-privatization strategies.

Co-hosted, with Public Services International, an international video conference to brief union leaders around the world on the potential impact of the Supreme Court’s Janus v. AFSCME decision; 40 unions participated.

AFT leadership shared strategies with Scandinavian leaders for strengthening public education and fighting privatization.

AFT leadership at the Public Services International World Congress in Geneva, Switzerland, introduced and supported numerous worker rights and anti-privatization resolutions.

Joined with the AFL-CIO in lobbying against trade agreements.

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Hosted an anti-hedge fund workshop during the World Social Forum.

Sent a protest letter to the World Bank. Protested against Bridge International Academies

during World Bank meetings in 2016 and 2017. Held an anti-Pearson demonstration in London at

Pearson’s annual general meeting in 2017 and 2018.

Sent a protest letter against Pearson in wake of a textbook scandal in South Africa.

Sent protest letters to Pearson shareholders regarding Bridge International Academies.

Participated in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s International Summit on the Teaching Profession in 2017 and 2018.

Lobbied for the passage of the Education for All Act, which was signed into law in December 2016.

Lobbied the U.S. government in support of Sustainable Development Goal 4, to “ensure inclusive and quality education for all.”

Providing ongoing support of Global Campaign for Education advocacy through sign-on letters.

Sent solidarity letters in the aftermath of court rulings in Uganda and Kenya.

Sent a protest letter regarding Liberia’s increasing number of Bridge International Academies schools.

AFT leaders attended Education International’s Unite for Quality Education conference.

An AFT vice president addressed the Educational Institute of Scotland union regarding the Trump administration and quality education.

Hosted a Public Services International subregional workshop in February 2017.

Putting an End to Out-of-Control Prescription Drug Prices Supported the Improving Access to Affordable

Prescription Drugs Act (Rep. Jan Schakowsky) and the Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act (Sen. Bernie Sanders).

Racial Equity Supported the Poor People’s Campaign in May

and June 2018. Supported preserving racial equity in the Higher

Education Act. Supported the I AM 2018 gathering.

Continued work on diversifying the educator workforce.

Continued work on bilingual education. Convened a teacher diversity summit at the AFL-

CIO with the National Education Association as a co-sponsor.

Conducted a Grow Your Own (GYO) boot camp at TEACH for members.

Developed our first publication on the union’s role in diversifying the educator workforce.

Provided ongoing technical assistance to existing AFT pilot programs.

Convened local leaders for a teacher diversity work group to build national and local agendas for developing GYO programs.

Raise the Minimum Wage Supported legislation and coalition efforts to

raise the minimum wage, and specifically to address wage discrepancies in the workforce.

Reclaiming the Promise of Public Charter Schools through Rigorous Authorizer Reform Created an evaluation metric, which we are in the

process of using to evaluate state laws. In the Public Interest released a report in March

2018, in consultation with the AFT, outlining weaknesses in California’s authorizer scheme.

Working with the Center for State Legislative Strategies and six states, we introduced 11 charter school reform measures in the 2017-18 legislative session. In 2016-17, 24 proactive bills were introduced in 12 states, and two passed.

Worked with the AFT’s charter school advisory group members (at meetings in Washington, D.C., in 2017) to craft a rubric that dives into the heart of what is troubling with the charter sector—transparency in governance, contracting, school discipline and facilities. Additionally, we are presently using the metric to evaluate state charter laws and to actively seek to reform charter legislation that is detrimental to communities and students.

The metric includes indicators on employee rights, such as those contained in Maryland’s law, and a guarantee of neutrality in organizing drives. We also focused on the connection between district and charter schools regarding coordinated planning and the fiscal impact of new charters on


existing district schools. Since this document was created by teachers who work in charter schools, we are able to walk that tightrope of being critical of charter schools and their proliferation while not running the risk of seeming “anti-charter.”

Reforming the Taxation of Graduate Tuition Remission Organized a lobby day with graduate employees

and sent hundreds of letters to Congress through our e-activist system to push back on proposed changes in tax law that would have ended tuition tax benefits.

Attended dozens of meetings with congressional staff about the importance of Public Service Loan Forgiveness and engaged with congressional offices about ways to strengthen the program, including changes that would benefit graduate employees.

Participated in the Save Student Aid campaign and coalition to influence the congressional appropriations process and education committee legislation regarding federal student aid.

Participated in Committee for Education Funding meetings and signed on to letters to Congress about the need for additional funding for education and federal financial aid.

Held meetings with most Democratic offices on the House and Senate education committees to discuss Higher Education Act reauthorization, and discussed increasing tuition (and proposed solutions) as a high priority to be addressed through legislation.

Included increasing college costs in comments submitted to the Senate education committee on accountability in higher education (as part of HEA reauthorization).

Raised the importance of addressing increased college costs in comments submitted to the Senate education committee on priorities for HEA reauthorization.

Ongoing advocacy, with state and local affiliates and campus and community allies, to increase state funding for higher education and use increased revenues to address the affordability crisis.

Reining in Abusive Medical Billing Practices and Crippling Debt Endorsed, and was one of the lead organizations

highlighted as supporters of, the End Surprise Billing Act introduced by Rep. Lloyd Doggett and Sen. Sherrod Brown.

Saudi Violations of Human Rights (2017) Sent a protest letter to Saudi Arabia’s ambassador

to the United States.

School Safety and Educational Opportunity for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ) Students The AFT’s Share My Lesson created two new

collections related to school safety and accountability for LGBTQ students: LGBTQ Resources

(https://sharemylesson.com/collections/lgbtq-resources).

Bullying Prevention Resources (https://sharemylesson.com/preventbullying).

Presented workshops to discuss bullying policies and safe schools at the Time to Thrive conference in 2017 and 2018.

Published a series of articles on helping LGBTQ youth thrive in American Educator’s Winter 2016-2017 issue.

Passed a resolution in 2017 on “Ending Discipline Disparities and Improving School Climate,” including discipline disparities for LGBTQ students.

Sepsis Awareness and Education Participated in sepsis awareness events on Capitol

Hill in 2016 and 2017. Created 10 lesson plans across PreK-12 for the

Rory Staunton Foundation, available on Share My Lesson (https://sharemylesson.com/partner/rory-staunton-foundation-sepsis-prevention).

¡Si Se Puede!: Improving Outcomes for Latino Children and Youth and Addressing the Needs of the Latino Community Elevated awareness of the issue with officer

participation in numerous local union events, election drives and outreach efforts throughout the country.

Hosted several outreach efforts to Latino immigrant families with locals throughout the

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country (an event in Hammond, Ind., was featured in a cover story of American Educator’s Winter 2017-2018 issue).

Ongoing widespread outreach and assistance efforts to the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico.

Participated in widespread Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals actions, including a civil disobedience action where AFT President Randi Weingarten was arrested.

Developed a DACA memorandum of understanding to protect DACA recipients in the workplace from losing employment permanently in the unfortunate event of deportation.

Participated in events with coalition partners, including the National Association for Bilingual Education, TESOL, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and UnidosUS.

Continued our partnership with PBS Station WETA to co-produce Colorín Colorado. Usage data in 2017 shows an increase to 3 million users, most of whom work with Latino ELLs in their classrooms.

Revamped our professional development English Language Learner 101 course strand to better meet the needs of members.

Established a Latino Issues Task Force comprised of national and local leaders reflective of the five constituency divisions. The work of the taskforce is organized in five areas: cross-organizational work, internal development/awareness, member engagement, departmental-specific work and international work.

Established a cross-departmental working group to provide technical assistance to the newly affiliated Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico and the AMPR-Local Sindical.

Launched an aggressive “know your rights” campaign to provide educators, students and parents with information regarding the educational access rights of undocumented students.

Created a robust collection of resources, including

a train-the-trainer curriculum, to help students and their families prepare emergency immigration raid plans.

Launched AFT.org in Spanish. Launched a bilateral collaborative with the

Mexican teachers union Sindicato Nacional de

Trabajadores de la Educación (SNTE)—participating together in a “We Build Bridges, Not Walls” conference—to foster a partnership with AFT locals and SNTE locals near the U.S. southern border.

Created a rapid response team to address issues impacting the Hispanic community.

Stand with Planned Parenthood Produced a fact sheet on the effect of healthcare

cuts on women’s health. Worked successfully in coalition with Planned

Parenthood to defeat the New York Constitutional Convention ballot proposal.

Planned Parenthood stood with the AFT when the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools mobilized its members to join a May 1, 2017, action in Cincinnati and other cities.

Planned Parenthood supported our teach-in/speak-out rally.

Delivered with Planned Parenthood 500,000 petitions against the nomination of Tom Price as secretary of health and human services in February 2017.

Standing in Solidarity with the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico and the AMPR-Local Sindical (2017) Following hurricanes Irma and Maria, deployed

staff and resources to Puerto Rico as soon as travel was possible to assist in clean-up efforts, as well as health and safety monitoring, which enabled schools to reopen.

A team of AFT nurses and health professionals went to Puerto Rico to assist in protecting the well-being of members, their families and other community members.

Launched Operation Agua, which provided free water filtering devices to households in areas where clean drinking water was not available.

Provided school supplies to teacher members and individual students. AFT members from across the United States made contributions through their local and state affiliates.

Lobbied elected and other federal officials to speed the delivery of resources needed for recovery and to secure adequate Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster aid.

Continued to work to support and represent AMPR member interests and to ensure continued viability of Puerto Rico’s public education system,


in the context of ongoing public bankruptcy proceedings, by providing or assisting with lobbying, legal support, public relations and communications, and internal organizing.

Assisted AMPR in fighting proposals that would result in massive closures of public schools without taking into account the impact that such actions would have on communities, neighborhoods and the children forced to change schools.

Built coalitions with national Hispanic and Latino organizations and others to fight the proposed “reform” legislation that would open the door to charter operators and voucher systems while shutting down community public schools.

Strengthening School-Based Medicaid Programs The AFT is a partner and organizer in the

“Healthy Students, Promising Futures” policy collaborative.

Leading a national research project on local education agency uses of funds for student health initiatives.

Participated in the “Save Medicaid in Schools” advocacy coalition.

AFT President Randi Weingarten wrote an op-ed with Daniel Domenech of the American Association of School Administrators on Medicaid in schools (http://time.com/4835036/medicaid-schools-health-care).

Summer Nutrition Programs Worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture,

the Food Research and Action Center and other allies to promote summer nutrition programs.

Advocated to Congress for additional funding and expanding summer nutrition programs.

Worked with school support staff in conjunction with the American Association of Classified School Employees to lobby on behalf of school nutrition programs.

Helped affiliates maximize participation within the parameters of the Community Eligibility Provision and implement best practices around breakfast in the classroom.

Support for Implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2272—S/RES/2272 (2016) Sent a support letter to then-U.N. Ambassador

Samantha Power thanking her for U.S. leadership on this issue.

Support for the Mexican Teachers’ Civil Rights Conducted a campaign “43 #Ayotzinapa” with

Education International, and engaged 15 AFT affiliates.

Participated in a vigil in front of the Mexican Embassy on the 2017 anniversary of the kidnapping of the 43 Mexican teachers.

Filed a complaint with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights with five major Latin American teachers unions; this complaint was amended by Education International on behalf of its 400-plus education union affiliates.

Support for United Nations Staff Union Provided training in these areas:

Building rep responsibilities (April 2017). Grievance handling (May 2017). • Pension trustee training, which included

meeting with Coordinating Committee of the International Staff Unions and Associations of the United Nations System leaders (April, May and November 2017).

Leadership training (May 2018). The AFT has a national representative working

with the United Nations Staff Union on organizing and member engagement.

AFT Public Employees and the Northeast Regional deputy director have regular monthly meetings with UNSU leadership and with the UNSU Staff Council, as invited.

The UNSU’s president attended the Public Services International World Congress in Geneva, Switzerland.

Support of the Rights of Transgender Persons—AFT Stands in Unity against Discrimination in North Carolina and Mississippi The California Federation of Teachers supported a

law, which was passed in California in September 2017, to make all single bathrooms gender neutral.

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Helped Texas defeat an anti-transgender bathroom bill in August 2017.

The New York State United Teachers supported updated practice guides and resource materials for New York state in February 2018.

Support of the U.S. Census 2020 Joined with more than 150 organizations to sign

on to an amicus brief filed by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Muslim Advocates and the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation against the Trump administration’s addition of a Census question that asks the citizenship status of every person in America.

Formed a U.S. Census team comprised of several departments. We actively participate in the Leadership Conference’s U.S. Census coalition work to make sure that our voices are heard; have signed our name on coalition letters and statements—especially around the citizenship question; stay apprised of developments; and are in the planning stages for our campaign actions related to the 2020 U.S. Census that we will take to engage, inform and mobilize members.

Support Public Health Infrastructure Lobbied against repeated Republican attempts to

defund the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which was created under the Affordable Care Act to support activities like community and clinical prevention initiatives; research, surveillance and tracking; public health infrastructure; immunizations and screenings; tobacco prevention; and public health workforce and training.

Supported legislation to strengthen the nation’s public health infrastructure, including the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Act, which, if signed into law, would provide funding to the Public Health Emergency Fund to acquire drugs, vaccines and other biological products, and medical devices for deposit into the Strategic National Stockpile.

Advocated for the reauthorization of the Public Health Service Act’s workforce training programs and against proposed cuts to these programs.

Support, Respect and Dignity for PSRPs Created new professional development training

on the roles and value of PSRP members within school educational teams, with emphasis on respect, dignity and appreciation.

Highlighted the respect and dignity of PSRPs through our annual conference and through our ongoing professional development trainings.

Trained 36 activists on the importance of speaking up and out on the important role of PSRPs and how they make a difference.

Supporting Central European University and Civil Society in Hungary (2017) Sent protest letters to the government of

Hungary, and solidarity letters to Central European University and the European Trade Union Committee for Education.

Hosted CEU staff for a briefing and follow-up meeting.

Conducted a study mission where CEU hosted AFT President Randi Weingarten for a briefing in Budapest.

Supporting Peace in Colombia (2016) AFT Executive Vice President Mary Cathryn Ricker,

a National Democratic Institute board member, visited Colombia for pro-democracy discussions.

Sent a letter after the bombing attack at the headquarters of FECODE (the Colombian Federation of Education Workers), in protest of the government’s failure to fully eradicate anti-union violence.

Supporting the Recommendations of the AFT Racial Equity Task Force and the Work Performed by the Constituent Members of the AFT Criminal Justice and Public Safety Task Force During the 2017 AFT Public Employees

professional issues conference, a three-hour workshop, “Managing Conflict through De-Escalation Techniques: How to Recognize and Respond to Crisis Situations Using Verbal and Non-Verbal Skills,” was presented by Judicial Professional Employees Union (AFT Local 4200-B) President and Connecticut state probation officer Carmen Roda and attorney Marshall Segar.


Held a joint meeting of the AFT Civil and Human Rights Committee and the AFT Criminal Justice and Public Safety Task Force.

Take on Wall Street Hedge Clippers introduced and is supporting

carried interest legislation in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Taking Action on the Promise of the Every Student Succeeds Act Developed an ESSA 101 toolkit to help affiliates

and members understand the law and how they could engage as stakeholders.

Convened the AFT’s K-12 program and policy council, along with state educational issues coordinators, to review a selection of draft state ESSA plans and engage around potential strategies for advocacy around improving plans and implementation efforts.

Provided technical and policy support to local affiliates and state federations on state plans, including webinars with experts, and assisted in ESSA advocacy around stakeholder engagement and implementation.

Tax All Income Subject to the Federal Carried-Interest Tax Break Worked with affiliates and coalition partners,

including Strong Economy for All, Patriotic Millionaires and the Take on Wall Street coalition, to support the introduction of state-level carried interest legislation in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C.

The Fight against Student Loan Debt and for Public Investment in Higher Education Tracked and analyzed debt-free and free college

plans at the federal, state, municipal and institutional levels.

Advocated for debt-free college plans as an electoral issue in the 2016 election.

Worked with state and local affiliates to promote and implement debt-free college plans where opportunities were present.

Continued providing both student debt clinics and student debt clinic train-the-trainers to AFT affiliates.

Opposed the initial Trump/GOP budget proposal to eliminate Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Continued working with coalition partners to oppose Trump/DeVos efforts to roll back accountability measures aimed at predatory for-profit higher education institutions, including “gainful employment” regulations.

Worked with state attorneys general and state affiliates to produce state legislation and regulations to oversee student loan servicing and for-profit higher education institutions.

The Healthy Student—Mandatory Minimum of 25 Minutes Seated Lunch Time Published and promoted “Breakfast Blueprint”

with the Food Research and Action Center on improving breakfast-after-the-bell programs.

As part of the AFT’s recommendations on the Child Nutrition Reauthorization program, we advocated that Congress can instruct the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide guidance to school districts on thoughtful scheduling that would result in children having enough seat time at mealtime.

The Healthy Student—Student Recess Time Sought to protect whole-child supports under the

Every Student Succeeds Act, especially funded by Title IV, Part A.

Work Shouldn’t Hurt—Safe Schools for All Worked with the Oregon School Employees

Association to pass “Work Shouldn’t Hurt” legislation.

Produced extensive communications surrounding the problem of school support staff being hurt on the job and discussed solutions.

Created a “Work Shouldn’t Hurt” training on how affiliates can educate members about these concerns and create solutions.

Documents

AFT RESOLUTIONS...AFT Resolutions and Policy / 3School Safety and Educational Opportunity for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ) Students, #29 Human