COMMITMENT OF THE DELEGATES TO POWER FORWARD

WHEREAS, the delegates of the 2013 Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) Convention reaffirmed that the IFT advocates for due process, equality of funding in schools and public services, support for social justice, safe and comfortable learning and working conditions, appropriate class sizes to meet every student's needs, dignity and respect for all public workers, a fair economy, resources for students facing poverty, proper resources for early childhood education, maintenance of programs to keep students engaged in their learning, equitable access to appropriate postsecondary education, and efforts to protect professional rights and careers in public service; and

WHEREAS, communities throughout our state and nation face the acceleration of economic inequality, which divides our society and exacerbates challenges and struggles for working and middle-class families; and

WHEREAS, the AFT embraces deep and lasting community engagement that involves outreach and partnerships with public employee unions, trade unions, parents, faith-based organizations and community groups; and

WHEREAS, effective community engagement can be further developed through one-on-one member conversation and support, legislative visits, public presence as union members through avenues such as print, social media, and through coordinated statewide action; and

WHEREAS, it is essential in this age of austerity that the AFT and its affiliates focus on internal organizing capacity, understanding members' rights and contract enforcement education as well as the context and effects of the attacks on public employees; and

WHEREAS, the AFT has a renewed effort aimed at forging internal and external alliances, civic engagement, community forums and building solidarity within the labor movement; and

WHEREAS, member fear and uncertainty can be combated with education, whether it be sharing ideas and knowledge within the union, engaging policymakers, parents, taxpayers, legislators and the community about the effects of poverty, diversion and inequity of resources, and disinvestment and privatization of our students and communities; and

WHEREAS, the public understands that public education is underfunded but promoters of "knee-jerk" policy initiatives continue to seek a diversion of core educational investment to new, unproven policies, without regard to the resources required for quality implementation; and

WHEREAS, the current disinvestment in public education and services causes a significant disadvantage to minority communities and is perpetuated by irresponsible city and state actions; and

WHEREAS, the AFT believes that the investment and engagement with candidates, public policy leaders and elected officials is a continuous and consistent process of communication to ensure that the agenda of public service professionals is a fundamental priority in Illinois:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will encourage and assist affiliates to engage members in educating each other and organizing to achieve our common purpose by pursuing issues relevant to our communities, our students and their families; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT work with affiliates to educate members regarding their workplace rights, provide assistance when members' rights are violated and support concerted actions to redress wrongs and seek workplace, economic and social justice by lawful means; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT continue to fight for and protect collective bargaining rights and to assist our affiliates to best use the collective bargaining process to strengthen working, learning and teaching conditions, and to stabilize neighborhood schools, higher education and public services; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT and its affiliates advocate for the dignity of—and respect for—careers in public schools, colleges, universities, or public service and the value of workplace experience; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT encourage and assist its affiliates in coming together in concerted actions that focus on grass-roots mobilization to influence the development of public policies that strengthen public services and raise awareness of the professionalism and dignity inherent in public work; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT encourage and assist its affiliates to work with community groups and allies who share our values, issues and priorities; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT and its affiliates engage as an ongoing learning organization that fosters conversation between members, locals, allies, parents and community partners to lift up all workers' standards of living, growing our communities and thus developing a stable learning environment at home and at school to support lifelong learning; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT and its affiliates work with allies to address the struggles of the unemployed and underemployed to create jobs that support a thriving middle class, which will strengthen local communities and their schools; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT aggressively promote opportunities for members to be volunteers and advocates for issues that matter to us and the communities in which we work; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT and its affiliates educate opinion leaders and policymakers so they acknowledge the dangers of a one-size-fits-all approach to strengthening our schools, but that critical first steps are a deep understanding of—and engagement with—the local community, a focus on providing a stable learning environment to meet the learning needs of an increasingly diverse student population, and provision of social programs and support in order to alleviate poverty in our communities; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT encourage and assist in the development and delivery of training and best practices for mapping community stakeholders, developing engagement processes, fostering deep partnerships, and planning mutually designed and implemented campaigns; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT and its affiliates commit to a renewed focus on positive communication as a vital element of our success, through one-on-one conversations with members; in locals and councils; among community members, faith-based organizations, elected officials, and progressive partners; and through local and statewide media and messaging to improve the perception of public employees and the services they provide; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT take practical steps, at every level of government, to cultivate and nurture relationships with elected officials and other decision-makers who are willing to put petty politics aside and work with us to advance equality, social justice and public services; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT aggressively encourage and assist local and member engagement in political activities, including running for public office at all levels and supporting political candidates who support us, our work and our collective rights; and

RESOLVED, that we, the delegates of the 2014 AFT convention, pledge to be innovative, energetic and committed to educating ourselves and each other on the issues that impact those whom we serve; to build invigorated organizational structures that are strong, effective, democratic and inclusive; and to commit that we, as a union, operate at a higher standard than ever before and work together to develop and hold each other accountable to power our union forward and reclaim the promise of America.