ENDORSEMENT OF AL GORE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

WHEREAS, the one million members of the American Federation of Teachers have a proud tradition of advising the public and political decision makers of their views on the state of education, health care and human services in our country; and

WHEREAS, presidential candidates Al Gore and George W. Bush have clear and detailed records on education, health care and human services, providing the AFT and its members an opportunity to judge these two candidates for president on their records; and

WHEREAS, the AFT and its members are committed to improving the public and private institutions in which we work, preserving public education, raising standards of conduct and academic achievement for all students, expanding educational opportunities for disadvantaged children, increasing access to higher education, providing quality health care and needed public services to all Americans, and strengthening working families; and

WHEREAS, Al Gore has consistently opposed vouchers and other proposals that undercut public education, while his opponent, George W. Bush, favors voucher plans that divert public tax dollars to private schools; and

WHEREAS, Al Gore has championed the fight for federal funds to help local school districts toward hiring 100,000 new teachers to reduce class size, and George W. Bush, citing his push for "local control," signed a Texas law in 1995 allowing local school districts to "opt out" of several state standards, including teacher certification requirements; and

WHEREAS, Al Gore has a long and consistent record of supporting Title I funds, which provide support for those most in need, and George W. Bush supports converting Title I funds into "block grants" that allow each state to spend the money as it wishes, without regard to need; and

WHEREAS, Al Gore is a leading advocate for a Patients' Bill of Rights, and George W. Bush opposed the national Patients' Bill of Rights; and

WHEREAS, Al Gore's economic plan calls for setting aside 60 percent of the federal budget surplus to keep Social Security strong and stable for future retirees, and George W. Bush's proposed tax cut of $2.1 trillion may not leave enough money in the surplus to save Social Security for future retirees; and

WHEREAS, Al Gore fought against attempts in Congress to weaken the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and OSHA and the enforcement of health and safety protections for employees, while George W. Bush resisted state air-quality standards, asking polluting industries to develop voluntary measures; and

WHEREAS, Al Gore strongly favors the right of employees to elect a union to negotiate on their behalf and opposes "paycheck deception" proposals that limit the union's ability to represent members on legislative and political issues, while George W. Bush supports "paycheck deception" and opposes bargaining laws giving education employees the right to choose a union to negotiate on their behalf:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers, based on a careful review of the issues that most affect our members, endorse the candidacy of Al Gore for president of the United States; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT, its local affiliates and members commit their time and energy to supporting the election of Al Gore in 2000; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT, its state federations and its local affiliates disseminate all relevant facts to insure that members are well informed of the issues and each candidate's positions on these issues.