American Federation of Teachers - Early History

Early History

The AFT claims that it received the title of "labor union" on April 15, 1916. By contrast, the NEA claims that it received the title of professional association in 1857 and received the title of an "adopted union" in the 1960s. At first, the AFT failed several times at forming a national teachers union. The AFT succeeded when three Chicago unions along with a union from Gary, Indiana met to collaborate. The Chicago and Indiana unions obtained support from unions in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, New York, and Washington, D.C. Eventually, the unions acquired a charter from the American Federation of Labor.

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