[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4393]
[From the U.S. 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 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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