[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 57 (Thursday, April 14, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E471-E472]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   IN RECOGNITION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HENRY FORD COLLEGE 
                 FEDERATION OF TEACHERS AFT LOCAL 1650

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                          HON. DEBBIE DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 14, 2016

  Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th 
anniversary of the Henry Ford College Federation of Teachers AFT Local 
1650. The members of Henry Ford AFT have been dedicated to the Dearborn 
community and Southeast Michigan since their inception, demonstrating 
the power of education in uplifting a community.
  Henry Ford Community College was founded in 1938 as a public two year 
college in Dearborn, Michigan. Henry Ford College, as it is called 
today, has been a gateway to higher education for thousands of 
students, offering high quality programming at an affordable tuition 
rate. Throughout the years, Henry Ford College has been able to deliver 
top level education because of their excellent faculty and staff.
  In 1966, full time teaching faculty, counselors, and librarians at 
Henry Ford College chartered the AFT Local 1650 to ensure that

[[Page E472]]

the staff at the college had a voice in the future of the college. 
Their devotion to fair pay and workplace rules, security, academic 
freedom, and quality have created a tremendous benefit for both the 
faculty and the students, and have contributed to the strength of Henry 
Ford College. In their first year, AFT Local 1650 became the first 
college faculty bargaining unit in the country to go on strike; this 
action instilled a level of solidarity among staff members that exists 
even today. In 2013, the faculty bargaining unit negotiated a new 
community college contract with the Henry Ford College board of 
trustees. This agreement is widely interpreted as a model community 
college contract agreement in the country and has set the precedent for 
other educators throughout the country to pattern their agreements on. 
Through their efforts, AFT Local 1650 has preserved a tradition of 
shared governance for the common good and has ensured that teachers, 
faculty, and students will always have their voices heard by the 
College administration.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today to celebrate the 
50th anniversary of the Henry Ford Community College Federation of 
Teachers AFT Local 1650 and wish them many more years of success.

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