WORKING TOGETHER TO HIGHLIGHT THE LABOR MOVEMENT'S POSITIVE CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETY

WHEREAS, unions are under constant attack by politicians, the media and the community; and

WHEREAS, unions fight for the civil, social and economic rights of all working members of society; and

WHEREAS, unions have fought and received many rights for all working people; and

WHEREAS, unions have contributed to the passage of many laws that protect all workers, including child labor laws, whistleblower protection laws, sexual harassment laws, wrongful termination laws and laws ending sweatshops in the United States; and

WHEREAS, unions have been instrumental in the passage of many legislative acts, such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Civil Rights Act/Title VII, and the Family and Medical Leave Act:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will use its political, legislative, legal and public relations resources to collaborate with its local, state and national affiliates to launch a pro-union campaign that highlights the accomplishments of unions that benefit all working people and families; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will continue and expand its efforts to promote the integration of labor history and the contemporary role the labor movement plays in our nation's economic, political, social and cultural life; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will continue and expand its support of the mission of the American Labor Studies Center (ALSC), which is to provide curriculum materials and resources, as well as training, to teachers at the elementary, secondary and postsecondary levels; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will urge its members and affiliates, and the broader labor movement, to actively promote the inclusion of the study of labor history and its role in today's society in their publications and education programs and through the use of and support of the ALSC.