Teachers Union Passes Iraq Resolution (strongly supporting efforts to disarm Saddam)

AP ^ | 1/24/2003 | AP

[TLBSHOW]

Teachers Union Passes Iraq ResolutionThe American Federation of Teachers, the nation's second-largest teachers union, passed a resolution Friday strongly supporting American and international efforts to disarm Saddam Hussein.

"AFT supports the U.N. resolution with the hope that war can be avoided, but with sober recognition that military conflict may become unavoidable as a last resort," the resolution said.

The resolution passed the union's executive council by an overwhelming margin, despite stated concerns that President Bush is pursuing "a partisan domestic agenda at a time of war." The statement called for any military action to be followed by a Marshall Plan-style effort to rebuild Iraq's economy.

AFT president Sandra Feldman said the statement reflects the union's long history of supporting democratic movements, including the fight against dictatorship in Chile and efforts to overturn apartheid in South Africa.

The AFT has about 800,000 members, second largest teachers' union that is outnumbered only by the National Education Association.

[my4kidsdad]

Oh my gosh...is this from the Onion? Amazing!

[johniegrad]

School teachers make a political statement about Iraq. Outside of their ability to indoctrinate children into their political beliefs, what makes this group of socialist union thugs think that their opinions on military matters carries any weight?

[xm177e2]

The AFT is the more sensible of the two teachers' unions (the NEA is completely off its rocker)

[aynrandfreak]

For a while now the AFT has been trying to position themselves as being a more moderate alternative to the NEA. But while I'm glad that they have taken a view that I happen to agree with, they really shouldn't be taking a position on the issue one way or the other. JUST TEACH OUR KIDS!

[Jean S]

American Federation of Teachers Passes Resolution Strongly Supporting Efforts to Disarm Saddam Hussein

AFT Supports Efforts to Disarm Saddam Hussein 
U.S. Newswire
24 Jan 16:50

American Federation of Teachers Passes Resolution Strongly
Supporting Efforts to Disarm Saddam Hussein
To: National Desk
Contact: Leslie Getzinger for the American Federation of Teachers,
202-585-4373; http://www.aft.org

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The American Federation
of Teachers (AFT) Executive Council, in recognition of the security
threat that Saddam Hussein's regime poses to the world, voted
overwhelmingly to approve a resolution that supports United
Nations, NATO and congressional resolutions calling for his
government to disarm.

"AFT supports the U.N. resolution with the hope that war can be
avoided, but with the sober recognition that military conflict may
become unavoidable as a last resort," reads the AFT resolution. It
expresses the AFT's strong preference that "military action in Iraq
be taken in concert with an international coalition of allies or
the United Nations," but "recognizes that the United States may at
times have to act unilaterally in defense of its national
security."

The AFT resolution stresses the importance of long-term American
support to provide the Iraqi people "both the freedom and means to
run their government" and to develop a democratic civil society.
Recalling the post-World War II Marshall Plan to assist Europe in
rebuilding its economies, the AFT called it "a moral and practical
imperative that any international military action in Iraq must be
followed by a comprehensive and fully funded international
program." The resolution also acknowledges the Executive Council's
concern that President Bush is pursuing a partisan domestic agenda
at a time of war. "Nevertheless," the resolution states, "we know
that our position on national security issues must be taken in
response to security threats and not from our disagreement with the
administration on other issues."

Before debating and voting on the resolution, AFT Executive
Council members were briefed by Rend Rahim Franke, executive
director of the Iraq Foundation. Ms. Franke spoke about the
activities of the anti-Saddam Hussein Iraqi coalition and recounted
the atrocities perpetrated against the Iraqi people by Saddam
Hussein's government.

"This resolution reflects AFT's long history of support for
democratic movements, both nationally and internationally," said
Sandra Feldman, AFT president. "Throughout the 1980s and '90s, AFT
supported the efforts of teachers and workers to fight the Pinochet
dictatorship in Chile and to overturn apartheid practices in South
Africa, as well as to provide moral and material support to the
Solidarity movement in communist Poland."

The AFT works with educators in many parts of the world to
promote democracy through education. In 1989, AFT created
Education for Democracy/International, a project that promotes
educational activities that improve the teaching of democracy and
civics throughout the world.

The full text of the resolution is available at
http://www.aft.org/about/resolutions/2003/iraq.html.

The AFT represents more than 1.2 million pre-K through
12th-grade teachers, paraprofessionals and other school support
employees, higher education faculty, nurses and other healthcare
workers, and state and local government employees.

http://www.usnewswire.com

[ex-snook]

"We're all New Worlders now."

[TLBSHOW]

"We're expecting a lot from our teachers," Mr. Bush said, referring to the "No Child Left Behind" Act of 2001, which he signed into law in January. The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, in part, overhauled the preparation, recruitment, and induction of the nation's teachers. ("States Gear Up for New Federal Law," Jan. 16, 2002.)

"We expect them to know their subjects," the president said. "We want new teachers to be able to pass rigorous examinations so as to not only earn the confidence of parents and administrators, but to increase the professionalism of a very important field."

http://www.edweek.org/ew/ew_printstory.cfm?slug=26teach.h21

[Tax Government]

Time to decertify this union everywhere.

[L_Von_Mises]

The AFT is the more sensible of the two teachers' unions (the NEA is completely off its rocker)

They are more like the traditional trade union as opposed to the NEA whose sole objective is leftist social causes both in and out of the classroom. Even so, this still surprises me give that the AFT is run by Sandra Feldman who is pretty radical.

From AFT's website:

"Today, she participates as a board member or activist in many community and civic organizations. Among them are: Council on Competitiveness; co-chair of Child Labor Coalition; National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; chair of AFL-CIO Committee on Social Policy; United States Committee for UNICEF; International Rescue Committee; Freedom House; A. Philip Randolph Institute; Center for National Policy; Jewish Labor Committee; Coalition of Labor Union Women; National Council of Americans to Prevent Handgun Violence; New York Urban League; New York Chapter, NAACP; Women’s Forum; Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children; Vice President's Leadership Group on 21st Century Skills for 21st Century Jobs; National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century; George Meany Center for Labor Studies; and IBM's early learning program "Kid Smart." Ms. Feldman also was selected as one of New York City’s "75 Most Influential Women" by Crain’s New York Business."

[RobbyS]

For one thing, their PAC solidly supports DEMOCRATIC candidates. The AFT is part of the LEFT wing of the Democratic Party.

[xm177e2]

I didn't say "sensible," I said "more sensible," as in "less f$#%ing insane"

[HumanaeVitae]

Why don't the teacher's unions stop worrying about foreign policy and START WORRYING about the fact that 40% of poor black kids can't FREAKING READ?

What a joke.

[L_Von_Mises]

I didn't say "sensible," I said "more sensible," as in "less f$#%ing insane"

I wasn't disagreeing with you. You were the only one I saw who pointed out that there was a distinction between the two. I only added the stuff about Feldman to illustrate that while they are more reasonable than the NEA, their leadership is still pretty left-leaning which is why I was surprised that they made this statement. Don't get me wrong, they are horrible, but compared to the NEA.....