TEACHER TENURE

WHEREAS, in states all across the nation the laws providing for tenure of teachers are under concerted attack; and

WHEREAS, in the State of New York this attack has succeeded in drastically weakening the tenure act; and

WHEREAS, this threat to tenure endangers not only the job security of teachers but also the free development of our profession and most of all the education of youth; and

WHEREAS, the success of attacks upon tenure laws causes a chilling effect upon the exercise by educational workers of their rights to organize and to choose freely their collective bargaining representative; and

WHEREAS, teacher tenure laws prevent teachers from being pawns of big business, political organizations, and other pressure groups in controlling the pupil and teacher learning situations in the classrooms of the United States of America:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers in convention assembled uphold the principle of tenure as an essential protection of the schools and colleges from attack and as a guardian of academic freedom for educational workers; and

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers urges state and local affiliates to actively oppose legislation which would destroy teacher tenure laws; and

RESOLVED, that the Executive Council be directed to develop a strategy for assisting state and local federations in this task and for educating the people of the nation as to their stake in good tenure laws; and

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers officially urge the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations to help defeat regressive legislation which would contribute to destruction of teacher tenure laws.