History of the AFT Michigan

In l934, in Grand Rapids, local unions of the American Federation of Teachers came together to enhance their power, and therefore, their effectiveness by exploring the idea of forming a state federation. On January 19, 1935 a meeting was convened in Ann Arbor to formally organize the Michigan Federation of Teachers and became the state affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers organized in 1916.

During our over seventy years we have grown into a state-wide federation with over ninety locals, and 35,000 members working in PreK-12 schools, Intermediate School Districts, community colleges, universities, and yes one city and one credit union. Our biggest local is the Detroit Federation of Teachers.

During the early years before collective bargaining, the MFT and our locals used every tool available to protect and enhance the rights and benefits of our members. In l937 the MFT led the successful fight for a tenure law. At the local, state and national level the state federation was active politically. We used the courts. And most of all we informed and mobilized our members to fight for what should be our rights.

Thanks to the enormous support of the AFL-CIO's private sector unions, including the UAW and Steelworkers, collective bargaining for public employees became law in Michigan in 1965.

Groundbreaking contracts were negotiated and improved upon over time. The fact is that many of the foundation rights and benefits our members enjoy today are the result of over forty years of hard work at the bargaining table, along with over seventy years in the political, legislative and legal arenas. And the backbone of all of our state federations work has always been and will always be an active membership.

While we bargain and defend contracts, are active politically and legislatively and organize for the benefit of our members, over the years we have become more and more involved with education issues, fighting for public education, and advancing what is best for the students, collectively we educate.

Recognizing the growing number of support staff joining our union, delegates to the 1992 convention voted to change the state federation's name to the Michigan Federation of Teachers & School Related Personnel. At the 2005 convention, in order to enhance our power by highlighting that whether national, state or local we are one union, the name was changed once more to AFT Michigan.

AFT Michigan has an incredible history, obviously much richer than noted here. We intend to honor this history and the women and men who made it happen by continuing to grow our union, mobilize our members and enhance our power so that by working together we can all achieve what our members deserve.

Note: A detailed, comprehensive history of AFT Michigan is currently being developed.