[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 72 (Monday, May 9, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S2629]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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    SENATE RESOLUTION 456--RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
            FOUNDING OF THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS

  Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Durbin, and 
Mr. Reid) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 456

       Whereas May 9, 2016, is the 100th anniversary of the 
     founding of the American Federation of Teachers (referred to 
     in this preamble as the ``AFT'');
       Whereas the AFT was founded in Chicago on May 9, 1916, when 
     8 local unions formed the AFT and were granted a charter 
     signed by the AFL President, Samuel Gompers;
       Whereas those 8 local unions were--
       (1) the Chicago Teachers Federation;
       (2) the Chicago Federation of Men Teachers;
       (3) the Chicago Federation of Women High School Teachers;
       (4) the Gary, Indiana, Teachers Federation;
       (5) the Teachers Union of New York;
       (6) the Oklahoma Teachers Federation;
       (7) the Scranton, Pennsylvania, Teachers Association; and
       (8) the High School Teachers Union of Washington, D.C.;
       Whereas, during the first century of the AFT, the AFT has 
     grown mightily into a diverse union of professionals that 
     champions principles of fairness, democracy, economic 
     opportunity, and high-quality public education, healthcare, 
     and public services for students, the families of the 
     students, and communities;
       Whereas the AFT advances those principles through community 
     engagement, organizing, collective bargaining, political 
     activism, and the daily work of members of the AFT in the 
     communities the members serve; and
       Whereas members of the AFT and affiliates of the AFT have 
     played a crucial role in major milestones such as the civil 
     rights movement, education reform, women's rights, and the 
     evolution of the middle class: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commemorates May 9, 2016, as the 100th anniversary of 
     the founding of the American Federation of Teachers; and
       (2) expresses hope that the American Federation of Teachers 
     will honor its proud past by meeting the challenges of the 
     future with the same level of commitment to the goals, 
     ideals, and principles it championed during the first century 
     of the American Federation of Teachers.

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