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The American Federation of Teachers made history at its biennial convention in July, electing three women to the federation’s top national posts for the first time.
Nearly 3,000 delegates — including more than 100 UUP members — elected United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten as AFT president during the convention. They also chose Baltimore paraprofessional Loretta Johnson as AFT executive vice president and former NYSUT Vice President Antonia Cortese as secretary-treasurer.
Delegates were kept busy during the event, held July 10-14 in Chicago. They welcomed Sen. Hillary Clinton — the AFT’s original choice for U.S. president — and endorsed Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for president less than 24 hours later.
UUPers made their mark at the convention, beginning with President Phillip Smith, who was one of 39 AFT vice presidents elected. Smith was one of 10 vice presidents elected to their first four-year terms.
Five UUP retirees won kudos for decades of dedication to organized labor. The AFT honored Jo Schaffer of Cortland with its Diamond Recognition Award for 50 years of labor service. Former UUP president Nuala Drescher of Buffalo State (40 years) and fellow UUPers Judith Wishnia of Stony Brook, Ora Bouey of Stony Brook HSC and Susan Lehrer of New Paltz (30 years) received the AFT’s Living Legacy Awards for their advocacy for women’s rights.
The AFT formally recognized former UUP president William Scheuer-man, an AFT vice president, for his contributions to AFT and labor. The AFT also recognized UUPer Carol Anne Germain as a recipient of a $1,000 continuing education grant given through the Robert G. Porter Scholars Program.
“As always, UUP had a strong showing at the AFT convention,” Smith said. “We are proud of our members’ show of solidarity at AFT and thank them for their dedication to UUP and organized labor.”
During the gathering, UUPers joined with other AFT delegates in approving dozens of resolutions. Several measures dealing with higher education were ranked and selected for submission to the full delegation during a July 10 higher education committee meeting, chaired by Smith. Those include promoting academic freedom and faculty diversity, and supporting the AFT’s Faculty and College Excellence campaign.
Delegates also supported the passage of HR 676, the single-payer health care legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-Mich). HR 676 would create a single national health insurance program that would negotiate fees with providers, purchase prescription drugs and medical supplies in bulk, and monitor budgets for hospitals and other medical facilities.
They also voted to: repeal the federal No Child Left Behind Act; oppose U.S. expansion of the Iraq War; strengthen Social Security; improve Medicare; and support equal rights for women.
Weingarten, who spoke to delegates a day after her July 13 election, vowed to continue AFT’s tradition of “confronting injustice, embracing the excluded, questioning conventional wisdom, challenging the status quo and working 24/7 to improve the institutions where our members work.”
The AFT “will never waver in our commitment to our public schools, our health care centers, our public institutions and our labor movement,” she said.
UUPers were treated to an impromptu visit by Weingarten, who stopped by a UUP breakfast meeting to say she would work to focus on higher education issues as AFT president.
During her rousing 20-minute speech, Clinton thanked delegates for their support and urged them to vote for Obama in November. Clinton called for a change to the nation’s higher education system, one that caters to the privileged and leaves middle- and lower-income students to struggle to find the means to attend college.
“We need a higher education system that won’t shirk its responsibilities and is seeing its campuses turned into enclaves of students of the rich and famous,” she said.
Delegates jumped to their feet and waved “Obama 2008” signs before the Illinois senator’s live 10-minute satellite address to the convention. Minutes before, NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi introduced a special order of business for AFT to endorse Obama, which delegates did with a resounding yes vote.
“I want to lead a new era of mutual responsibility in education, where we all come together — parents and educators, the AFT, leaders in Washington, citizens all across America — united for the sake of our children’s success,” Obama said.
UUPers also took part in an AFT rally to support workers attempting to unionize at Chicago’s Resurrection Health Care facility. Delegates raised $7,600 in a collection for Emma Escobedo, who was fired by Resurrection for union activities.
— Michael Lisi