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AFT Convention Daily: Sunday July 17, 2022
AFT officers and vice presidents honored to represent our union
Near the close of the AFT’s 2022 election, the union’s three national officers were honored to be re-elected and to serve along with the 43 vice presidents elected to comprise the union’s executive council. They are committed to raising AFT members’ voices, and they know that together we will accomplish what is impossible to do alone.
Stirring up the youth vote, promising to deliver
Santiago Mayer became old enough to vote just six months ago, but he is already a national leader in the get-out-the-vote movement. On Sunday, this co-founder of Voters of Tomorrow—a nonprofit group designed to engage young people in the voting process—stood before thousands of cheering AFT members to describe just how powerful his generation can be. “With our rights on the line, Gen Z is about to deliver a blow from which the far right will never be able to recover.”
Val Demings shows up for working people and public education
Rising star Val Demings is running against anti-choice, pro-gun incumbent Marco Rubio for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat, championing AFT priorities: ending gun violence, a woman’s right to choose, and the right to vote. AFT President Randi Weingarten asked cheering delegates: “Are we going to help her win?” The answer—and control of the U.S. Senate—will be riding on getting out the vote in Florida in November.
Women’s Rights Award goes to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Whether it’s fighting for working families in the halls of Congress or setting straight a former president of the United States, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has long been a champion for what is right, and remains a true friend of the AFT and the communities we serve. That’s why the AFT presented Pelosi with the AFT Women’s Rights Award during our union’s 2022 convention in Boston.
Delegates debate resolutions on solidarity, the future of work, pensions and retirement, and technology
On the final day of the convention, delegates completed their work by passing 13 resolutions. The Human Rights and International Relations Committee’s resolutions were unanimously passed, expressing solidarity with the people of Ukraine, condemning racially motivated crimes against Asians and Asian Americans, and emphasizing the importance of issues affecting the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. A Special Order of Business calling on the AFT to condemn the recent Supreme Court decisions attacking our freedoms and rights was presented and passed from the convention floor. The Public Services Committee’s three resolutions supported workers in the digital age, workers experiencing homelessness, and legislation and initiatives to hold the federal government accountable for the trauma caused by Indian boarding school policies. Resolutions from the Retirement Committee supported legislative efforts to repeal provisions that limit access to Social Security benefits; efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion on pension boards and among pension asset managers; and efforts to identify and develop climate-friendly and green investment opportunities for members’ pension funds. Finally, the Labor and the Economy Committee’s resolutions supported career and technical education, social media regulation to protect children, and the right of all children to a free and appropriate public education. All unfinished business was referred to the AFT executive council.
Worth checking out
This daily update is produced by the AFT communications department. Photos by Pamela Wolfe, Michael Campbell and Suzannah Hoover.