WOMEN'S RIGHTS

Throughout the history of this nation, organized labor has been in the leadership of the social justice movement. Unions have consistently fought for the strengthening of human rights, civil rights, and equal rights for their members and all citizens.

The American Federation of Teachers has fulfilled a special responsibility in fighting for social justice. As educators, we incorporate into our teaching and impart to our students those credos which we fight for as part of organized labor.

The rights of women have always been a special priority in the work of the AFT, and women have historically been a part of the AFT leadership.

As a union, we have benefited from the expertise and insight of the thousands of AFT women who have led our union at all levels and in all eras of our growth. We are proud that Florence Rood and Mary Barker were elected national presidents of our union at a time when few women gained national recognition in other than all women organizations.

Because of the high percentage of women in the teaching profession, the AFT program speaks to the concerns of women in education. Issues such as the universally accessible early childhood education, continuing education, and organizing the unorganized are major components of AFT policy.

The effect of a sliding economy upon the work force and the fear of regression in areas where progress has been made makes necessary a reaffirmation of where we stand in the area of women's rights.

The American Federation of Teachers stands on record in support of:

• Use of collective bargaining contracts to strengthen compliance with Title Vll of the Civil Rights Act and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972,

• Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,

• Equal pay for equal work and work of comparable value,

• Equal employment opportunity and equal access to promotional opportunities,

• Elimination of sex-bias in fringe benefits plans, social security and pensions,

• Revision of income tax regulations which discriminate against working women in a two-salary family, including prohibitions on child care deductions,

• Universally accessible voluntary early childhood education programs,

• Educationally based after-school programs to serve the children of working parents,

• Increased participation of women unionists in AFT, COPE, local labor councils, state labor federations, and the AFL-CIO,

• Encouragement of active participation by AFT locals and members in the Coalition of Labor Union Women,

• Elimination of sex role stereotyping in textual materials and curricula,

• Elimination of sex-segregated tracking in academic, vocational, and athletic recruitment and training,

• Development and implementation of special programs to meet the employment needs of the displaced homemaker, including career ladder programs,

• Guarantee of rights of paternity leave to all employees,

• Extension of child rearing leave policies to all parents, natural or adoptive, regardless of marital status, with full seniority rights upon termination,

• Initiation of recruitment, hiring and promotion procedures in the field of higher education which will lead to the correction of inequities caused by previous practices of discrimination,

• Establishment of programs covering all recognized information in sex education.