RATIFICATION OF EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers in 1973 requested that the AFL-CIO change its position on ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution of the United States from opposition to support; and

WHEREAS, the AFT delegates to the AFL-CIO 1973 convention successfully cosponsored a resolution calling for AFL-CIO support for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment; and

WHEREAS, the Equal Rights Amendment needs ratification by only three more states before March 22, 1979; and

WHEREAS, the ERA will die if passage is not achieved by that date; and

WHEREAS, only a few of the unratified states have regular sessions of their legislatures in 1978:

RESOLVED, that the 1977 AFT National Convention sends the following resolution to the 1977 AFL-CIO convention for action:

"WHEREAS, the AFL-CIO strongly supports ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; and

"WHEREAS, the ERA will die on March 22, 1979, if it is not ratified by three more states by that date:

"RESOLVED, that the AFL-CIO directs its state affiliates and local central labor bodies in the unratified states t (1 ) make ratification of the ERA a high priority in its legislative program; (2) question all candidates for state legislature that seek labor's endorsement about its position on the ERA, and make every effort to convince AFL-CIO endorsed candidates that they should support ERA ratification; (3) coordinate ERA lobbying efforts with other organizations in the pro-ERA coalition, and

"RESOLVED, that the AFL-CIO not schedule meetings of its Executive Council in unratified states until ERA is ratified."