Cal. teachers oppose contras, aid P-9 strike
1986Bianca Goldman 1986-06Read it in the scan (PDF at ETOL), page 5 →
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HORMEL STRIKERS INVITE YOU TO SAN JOSE, Calif.—The more than 600 delegates to the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) 1986 Annual Convention unanimously rose to their feet to oppose American Federation of Teachers President Albert Shanker for his publicly stated support to aid to the Nicaraguan contras.
Contra aid, school reform, greater professional status for K-12 teachers—and a series of social, political, and educational issues resolutions—were debated at the April convention.
The spontaneous floor demonstration against Shanker's support to the contras followed an extended debate in an earlier session. At that session delegates had unanimously passed a resolution censuring Shanker "for promoting an escalation of violence in Nicaragua." The resolution urged Shanker to follow the 1979 policy established by the AFT Convention. The earlier AFT resolution had opposed "any direct or indirect [U.S.] military inter -vention...in Nicaragua."
The CFT resolution also opposed Shanker for supporting increased U.S. aid to the Nicaraguan contra terrorists at the 1985 AFL-CIO Convention.
On a special order of business, CFT delegates voted unanimously to support the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) P-9 Austin, Minn.
In addition to supporting the Hormel boycott, the delegates voted a $500 donation to the P-9 "adopt-a-family" fund. They also took up an on-the-spot collection for P-9 and recommended that all CFT locals adopt a P-9 family.
This action also served notice on Shanker, who had supported the UFCW International after the November 1985 Bal Harbour meeting of the AFL-CIO. Shanker had lobbied heavily inside the AFT against support to the P-9 strike.
The U.S. government's "gross acts of aggression against Libya," as well as the U.S. State Department's denial of a visa to Professor Julio Portillo, general secretary of ANDES 21 de Junio (The National Association of Salvadoran Educators), were opposed in successful resolutions.
Dr. Portillo had been invited to address the CFT convention. An additional reso -lution included support to the Shell Oil boycott as an act of solidarity against South African apartheid.
Shanker's address on school reform forecasted a national crisis in the supply of teachers. Professional schools of education turn out only 120,000 teachers annually. By 1990, 250,000 new teachers will be needed annually just to maintain current teacher-student ratios. Steps must be taken