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AFT Historical Timeline

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

1910

    April 15, 1916 First meeting and formation of the AFT.
    May 9, 1916 AFT chartered by the AFL
    June 14, 1916 First local chartered after AFT founded. Armstong-Dunbar H.S. Teachers Union of Washington DC
    September 1916 American Teacher becomes official organ of the AFT
    July 1, 1918 Canal Zone chartered
    1918 AFT called for equal pay for African-American teachers, the election of African-Americans to local school
    boards, and compulsory school attendance for African-American children.
    October 1919 California State Federation of Teachers formed and chartered. First in the AFT.
    1919 AFT formally asked Congress to support a bill that would give Howard University $1,580,000
    1919 AFT demanded equal educational opportunities for African-American children

1920

    1920 American Teacher ends publication and begins a semi-monthly bulletin
    1926 American Teacher resumes normal publication.
    July 1927 Chicago Public School Teacher granted the right to sabbatical leave
    July 1928 Seattle school board forces teachers to sign a yellow dog contract
    1928 AFT passes resolution calling for more black history in all schools

1930

    April 1933 Chicago Loop Bank Demonstration led by John Fewkes in demand for 8 months back pay
    April 1934 John Dewey presents report on Communist control of Local 5
    May 26, 1934 First Ohio State Federation of Teachers Convention held in Springfield Ohio. OFT chartered by AFT, 2/26/38
    August 1935 "The Split"-700 members of Local 5 walk out of convention after convention refused to revoke Local 5's charter for communist infiltration. These members later formed the Teachers Guild #2.
    August 1936 Henry Arthur Callis, the first African American AFT VP, elected.
    September 1937 Chicago Teachers Union formed, merging the women and the men

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1940

    May 1941 Locals 5 (NYC), 537 (city college of NY) and 192 (Philadelphia) had their charters revoked due to communist leaders in the locals.
    1946 Four teachers from Morton High School sued district after being fired for being married. Court case was finally won in 1956.
    November 25, 1946 - January 1, 1947 St. Paul Federation of Teachers go on strike. First AFT teachers strike.
    1948 The AFT stopped chartering segregated locals
    February 1949 Los Angeles, Local 430 and the University of Washington Local 401 get charters revoked for communist affiliations.

1950

    December 1953 Carl Megel abolishes the secretary - treasurer position. Not re-instated until August 1964
    May 17, 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education. The AFT filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs in the Brown vs. Board of Education case before the Supreme Court.
    December 5, 1955 The two largest labor organizations in the U.S. merged to form the AFL-CIO
    December 10, 1956 Atlanta Local 89 voted to leave the AFT because it could not comply with the AFT action that all locals integrate.
    First Collective Bargaining Election, East St. Louis, NEA-201 AFT - 226
    September 30, 1957 Local 28 and Local 43 merge to form the St. Paul Federation of Teachers
    1957 The AFT expelled any local unions that refused to admit African-Americans. As a result, the AFT, then only a small union, lost nearly 7,000 members.
    1959 Prince Edwards County, VA closes schools due to forced integration.

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1960

    March 1960 UFT formed by the merger of the Teachers Guild and the High School TEachers Association
    November 7, 1960 The UFT one day strike
    December 16, 1961 UFT wom collective bargaining election for New York City Teachers, UFT represents 43,500 teachers.
    January 17, 1962 JFK issues executive order #10988 Employee Management Co-operation in Federal Service.
    April 12, 1962 UFT Strike
    Summer 1963 Richard Parrish leads scores of AFT members to provide emergency remedial educaiton for black students of Prince Edwards County, later becaming known as "Freedom Schools"
    1963 AFT convention ends no-strike policy
    1964 IUD pledges to match dollar for dollar funds to organize teachers
    May 11, 1964 Detroit Federation of Teachers wins bargaining rights in Detroit
    1964 Project Head Start created
    February 1965 Philadelphia Federation of Teachers wins bargaining rights for the city teachers
    April 16-29, 1965 Hamtramck Federation of Teachers hold a sit-down strike.
    1965 LBJ signs Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
    1966 AFT Civil Rights Department created
    January - June 1966 St. John Strike. First at a four-year institution of higher learning
    December 1966 National Conference on Racism in Education sponsored by the AFT
    1967 UFT strikes for pay raise as well as the right for teachers to remove disruptive children, extension of a program for educating poor children called 'More Effective Schools'
    1967 105 teachers strikes in one year
    May 11-13, 1967 Racism in Education Conference held in Detroit, MI
    1968 AFL-CIO forms the Council of AFL-CIO professional employees
    June 1968 US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that the Constitution gave teachers the right to engage in union activities.
    May 8, 1968 First Ocean Hill-Brownsville Strike
    September 9 - November 17, 1968 Second Ocean Hill-Brownsville Strike
    February 3, 1969 UFT president Albert Shanker jailed a second time for 15 days.
    August 1969 AFT Black Caucus formed
    November 7, 1969 3,500 NYC paraprofessionals join the UFT

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1970

    February 1, 1970 United Teachers of Los Angeles formed.
    February 23, 1970 David Selden arrested in Newark, NJ for supporting the striking teachers. The third international United States union president to go to jail.
    December 2, 1970 First legal teacher strike conducted at the Philadelphia Community College, Local 2026
    December 13, 1970 First Where We Stand published
    January 1971 Marjorie Stern appointed chair of the Women's Rights Committee.
    1971 AFL-CIO supports teachers and public employees right to strike
    April 3-5, 1972 First QuEST conference
    October 20, 1973 Albert Shanker elected to AFL-CIO executive council.
    February 1974 Supreme Court strikes down mandatory maternity leave.
    1974 FEA-United formed
    March 22, 1974 Coalition of Labor Union Women is founded (CLUW)
    1975 UFT's pension bail-out of New York City
    1976 Tuition Tax Battles
    1977 First PSRP conference
    November 29, 1978 FNHP formed
    December 22, 1978 AFT wins bargaining right for SUNY employees.

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1980

    1980 Yeshiva Case decision
    September 19,1981 400,000 unionists, the largest labor rally in American history takes place in Washington.
    1983 A Nation at Risk released
    1985 Federation of State Employees created. Renamed Federation of Public Employees
    November 8, 1985 AFT national headquarters building dedicated
    1985 The Revolution That is Overdue published
    1988 Congress enacts the Civil Rights Restoration Act

1990

    1994 AFT delegation participated as observers for the 1994 South African elections.
    1995 AFT Future's Report released, restructures of the AFT.
    February 22, 1997 Albert Shanker dies

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