Riordan, Mary Ellen, 1920-

Helen Bowers Papers

dgolodner — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:56:31 -0400

Helen Marie Newman Bowers was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin on May 16, 1908. After graduating from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, she began teaching art in Detroit, Michigan in 1933 and quickly got involved with the Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT), Local 231. She left the teaching profession in 1958 to become the executive secretary of the DFT. Together with DFT President Mary Ellen Riordan, Detroit teachers won collective bargaining in 1964. Helen Bowers won duty-free lunch hours for elementary teachers, and conceived of “demonstration picketing” before schools opened in the morning to raise awareness to the community about why teachers were demanding collective bargaining. Ms. Bowers served on the Executive Board and became editor of the DFT newspaper, The Detroit Teacher.

The papers of Helen Bowers reflect her work with the DFT and education reform initiatives. This involves pre-collective bargaining rights in dealing with academic freedom, civil liberties as well as a living wage for teachers. Communism files contain a thorough documentation of the Maki Case trial from clippings from the three Detroit newspapers. The collection also contains very useful information about how the union gained power after collective bargaining was won. Their influence in education issues is seen in issues about accountability, decentralization and student rights.

Mary Ellen Riordan Papers

scaloia — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 11:32:42 -0500

Mary Ellen Riordan (1920-2010) was president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers from 1960-1981. In 1965, teachers and the school board signed their first contract, only the third teacher contract in the country. Riordan also guided the Detroit Federation of Teachers
through three strikes, the Detroit Public Schools desegregation case Bradley v. Milliken, and agency fee case Abood v. Detroit Board of Education. In addition to her work with DFT, she served on the AFT Executive Council as Vice-President, the AFT Executive Committee, and on the boards of many state and local organizations. The Mary Ellen Riordan Papers contain correspondence, meeting minutes, notes, reports, newsletters, clippings, court documents and legal briefs, contracts, pamphlets, lesson plans, reference material, and ephemera. Topics of note include collective bargaining and strikes; desegregation in the Detroit Public Schools, race relations generally, and especially surrounding the 1967 unrest in Detroit; fair share and agency fees and related court cases; teaching materials from the 1930s through post-World War II in the subjects of math, science, and home economics; and teacher retirement.

Sachs Waldman: Detroit Federation of Teachers Records

dgolodner — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 12:05:16 -0400

The law firm Sachs Waldman, Professional Corporation started in
October 13, 1922 by Nicholas J. Rothe, considered by many as the first
union labor lawyer in Michigan grew to represent the best interest of
unions and workers. In 1951 Theodore Sachs joined the firm and was
considered one of the best appellate attorneys in the country, under his
leadership the firm grew in clientele and personnel. In 1965, the law
firm began to specialize in public sector labor and began to represent
those unions that had just gained the right to bargain collectively,
notably with the Detroit Federation of Teachers and the Detroit
Fire Fighters Association. The Detroit Federation of Teachers was
founded in February 24, 1931 and remained a small but determined
organization that fought basic bread and butter issues for teachers in
Detroit. In 1964, the DFT became sole bargaining agent for Detroit
classroom teachers and by 1965 the DFT secured a comprehensive
contract. The DFT has remained the sole bargaining agent for Detroit
teachers since then and expanded their bargaining power to incorporate
various education reform issues. These records document the various
stages of collective bargaining for teachers in the 1970s-1990s in
Detroit that mirrors those issues faced by other teacher unions in large
cities.

How Mary Ellen Riordan Lead the Detroit Federation of Teachers' Fight for Collective Bargaining

scaloia — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 16:55:17 -0500

The Detroit Federation of Teachers has seen a number of challenges and triumphs since its founding in 1931 – a significant number of which occurred during the 21-year tenure of president Mary Ellen Riordan. Riordan guided the union through many transformative events, including the introduction of collective bargaining for teachers and the first teacher strike in Detroit, and was involved with various court cases that transformed education policy and public employee unions. read more »

(11920) Mary Ellen Riordan and Detroit Mayor Louis C Miriani

jhelpap — Mon, 17 May 2010 17:42:55 -0400

Mary Ellen Riordan greets Detroit Mayor Louis C. Miriani at the Foundation's 1960 Insititute at Cobo Hall.

(24952) Mary Ellen Riordan, Detroit Federation of Teachers, Local 231, AFT

jhelpap — Mon, 16 May 2011 14:55:16 -0400

Mary Ellen Riordan, Detroit Federation of Teachers, Local 231, AFT

(29098) Elaine Chisholm and Mary Ellen Riordan

jhelpap — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:43:12 -0400

Mary Ellen Riordan speaks at the AFT Midwest Civil Rights Conference

(29106) Mary Ellen Riordan

jhelpap — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:58:25 -0400

Mary Ellen Riordan, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, speaking at the 1972 AFT Midwest Civil Rights Conference

(29109) Al deRue and Mary Ellen Riordan

jhelpap — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 13:19:54 -0400

Al deRue speaking at the AFT Midwest Civil Rights Conference while Mary Ellen Riordan listens

(31269) David Selden, Mary Ellen Riordan

jhelpap — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 10:54:53 -0500

AFT President David Selden and Detroit Federation of Teachers President Mary Ellen Riordan speaking to a Channel 7 news reporter in Detroit.

(31274) David Selden, Mary Ellen Riordan and Sid Harris

jhelpap — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 11:39:32 -0500

AFT president David Selden sits between Detroit Federation of Teachers president Mary Ellen Riordan and United Federation of Teachers assistant secretary Sid Harris at a meeting.

(31280) Mary Ellen Riordan and John Elliot

jhelpap — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 13:09:17 -0500

Detroit Federation of Teachers president Mary Ellen Riordan speaks at a DFT meeting, John Elliot is to her left.

(34032) Mary Ellen Riordan, Antonia Kolar, Detroit Federation of Teachers, Detroit, Michigan, 1960

scaloia — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 15:24:26 -0500

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1960. Antonia Kolar presents Mary Ellen Riordan with a briefcase, the tag on which reads “Mary Ellen ‘The people’s choice’ from ‘The gang’” most likely in celebration of Riordan’s election to the presidency of the Detroit Federation of Teachers.

(34033) Mary Ellen Riordan, Detroit Federation of Teachers, Detroit, Michigan, 1960s

scaloia — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 15:19:59 -0500

Detroit, Michigan. Mary Ellen Riordan, president of AFT local 231 Detroit Federation of Teachers, smiles and holds up two fingers, with a crowd of people standing behind her.