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American Federation of Teachers Oral History Collection

Call Number

OH.008

Date

1985-1987, inclusive

Creator

American Federation of Teachers. United Action Caucus
American Federation of Teachers. Local 3882 (Clerical Union)
Filardo, Anne Levine, 1922-2010 (Role: Donor)
Loane, Scott (Role: Donor)
American Federation of Teachers. Local 3882 (Clerical Union) (Role: Donor)
Wheeler, Joyce (Role: Donor)
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives

Extent

2.4 Linear Feet in 2 cassette boxes, 1 card box, and 1 half manuscript box
63 audiocassettes

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Abstract

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is the second largest national teachers union in the United States and was founded by Margaret Haley in Chicago, Illinois in 1916. As of 2021, its members include pre-K through 12th grade teachers; paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; government employees at local, state, and federal levels; college and university faculty and staff, and nurses and other healthcare professionals. The American Federation of Teachers Oral History Collection consists of audio recordings of interviews with American Federation of Teachers (AFT) members, staff people, and officers, with a concentration on union activities in the 1950s and 1960s. The interviews were conducted between 1985 and 1987, and topics include the role of women in the AFT, the Civil Rights movement and minority members within the AFT, opinions of past and present union leaders, the 1960 merger of New York City locals, and the Progressive Caucus.

Historical Note

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is the second largest national teachers union in the United States and was founded by Margaret Haley in Chicago, Illinois in 1916. Haley served as the first national organizer and Charles Stillman as the first president. Over the first four years of the AFT it claimed 174 locals and approximately 9,000 members. During the 1930s membership increased in urban areas along with general labor union growth in cities and the AFT successfully lobbied for teacher tenure laws in 17 states. After investigations of Communist infiltration and influence in some locals, the AFT expelled two New York City locals and the Philadelphia union in 1941. One of the New York locals went on to become the New York City Teachers Union. During World War II, AFT locals in some cities won contracts through collective bargaining. The AFT continued to emphasize the need for collective bargaining in the postwar period and locals began to strike for better wages in contract, with the St. Paul, Minnesota the first local to strike, in 1946. In the 1950s, teacher discontent increased as wages in private employment continued to outpace teacher salaries and the battle for collective bargaining in education began in New York City. Albert Shanker and David Selden brought about a merger of the fragmented New York locals in 1960 under the title of United Federation of Teachers within the AFT. In 1960, the UFT won bargaining rights, and after a short strike in 1962, concluded a contract with the New York City Board of Education. The UFT victory in New York moved it into a dominant position within the AFT. In 1963 the AFT national convention repealed its no-strike policy. Attempts to effect a national merger of the AFT and the National Education Association (NEA) collapsed in the late 1990s. In 2017, the AFT included over one million members in major cities across the United States. As of 2021, its members include pre-K through 12th grade teachers; paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; government employees at local, state, and federal levels; college and university faculty and staff, and nurses and other healthcare professionals.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in alphabetical order by the narrator's last name.

Scope and Contents

The American Federation of Teachers Oral History Collection consists of audio recordings of interviews with American Federation of Teachers (AFT) members, staff people, and officers, with a concentration on union activities in the 1950s and 1960s. The interviews were conducted between 1985 and 1987 with members who were active throughout the United States, but most interviews focus on activities in New York, New York; Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; and East Coast cities. Topics include the role of women in the AFT, the Civil Rights movement and minority members within the AFT, opinions of past and present union leaders, the 1960 merger of New York City locals, and the Progressive Caucus. Narrators include David Elsila, editor of The American Teacher, and David Selden, past president of the AFT. Index summaries or transcripts exist for all the interviews, with the exception of Carl Megel, Fred Nauman, and Rebecca Simonson.

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Because of the assembled nature of this collection, copyright status varies across the collection. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creator of individual items in the collection; these items are expected to pass into the public domain 120 years after their creation. The Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce some materials from this collection.

Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by the American Federation of Teachers, Local 3882 were transferred to New York University in 1997 by American Federation of Teachers, Local 3882. Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by Anne Filardo were transferred to New York University in 1997 by Peter Filardo. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from the Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives. Please contact Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, special.collections@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.

The Claffey, Daly, Elsila, Fewkes, McGourty, Megel, Porter, Riordan, Roth, and Selden recordings all have narrator release forms that stipulate how their recordings can be accessed and used. Please contact Special Collections for specific use information on each of these recordings.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date; American Federation of Teachers Oral History Collection; OH 008; box number; folder number or item identifier; Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Scott Loane on behalf of the American Federation of Teachers, Local 3882 in 1997; additional materials were donated by Anne Filardo and Peter Filardo in 1997. Some materials were found in the repository and added to the collection, there is no documentation concerning the provenance of these materials. The accession numbers associated with this collection are 1997.054, 1997.055, 1997.056, 1997.057, 1997.058, and 2009.031.

Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures

Access CDs for some audiovisual materials in the collection are available by appointment for reading room viewing and listening only. Other audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, special.collections@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596 with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.

Collection processed by

Megan O'Shea

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-20 16:44:54 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English.

Processing Information

Decisions regarding arrangement, description, and physical interventions for this collection prior to 2021 are unknown. In May 2021, box numbers were attached at interview level and collection level notes were written for compliance with DACS and ACM Required Elements for Archival Description.

Revisions to this Guide

May 2021: Edited by Megan O’Shea for compliance with DACS and ACM Required Elements for Archival Description, and to reflect addition of box numbers to individual interviews

Repository

Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012