Michigan Federation of Teachers

Arthur Elder Papers

drice — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:23:45 -0500

Correspondence, reports, and a scrapbook relating to the AFL and education (1941–49); correspondence, reports, resolutions, studies, hearings, and clippings pertaining to the American Federation of Teachers (1934–50), the Michigan Federation of Teachers (1937–49), and the Detroit Federation of Teachers (1921–51); correspondence relating to the organizing efforts of the MFT (1939–53), and to the dismissal of teachers in the Flint area (1937–49); correspondence, clippings, and documents pertain- ing to the Workers Education Service (1936–48); and miscellaneous off ice files. The materials were collected by Mr. Elder, who served as vice-president of the AFT, president and secretary of the Michigan and Detroit federations, and director of the University of Michigan Workers Education Service. Subjects include AFT and the communist issue, history of the AFT, federal aid to education, New York City teachers' dispute, tenure for teachers, and the termination of the U of M Workers Education Service. Among the correspondents are Frank Martel, Frank Murphy, Mark Starr, Norman Thomas, and Arthur Vandenberg.

Lamphere Federation of Teachers Local 1614 Records

dgolodner — Tue, 03 May 2011 15:10:44 -0400

Lamphere Federation of Teachers, Local 1614 was chartered by the American Federation of Teachers on July 27, 1965. The local slowly grew to be the sole collective bargaining union for the district’s teachers. In 1973 the union went on strike against the district. Later that year the school board filed a lawsuit against the union seeking damages for refusing to bargain in good faith. By 1977 the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that a union could not be sued for damages.
The collection has materials of communications and board meeting minutes that document the growth and concerns of the local over the years. The legal documents of the lawsuit filed against the union gives a perfect example of the issues in the 1970s about how school districts fought teacher unions to hold onto their power.

Podcast: "Taxing Limits: The Political Economy of American School Finance"

teller — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 16:39:28 -0400

Kelly Goodman speaks about the political history of funding education through local and state taxes. Having worked as a data analyst for the Detroit public schools, Goodman pursued graduate school to explore the structural issues surrounding questions she often found herself asking: why are some schools perceived to be bad? Why do some schools receive less funding than others? How does the economy work, and for whom? read more »