Fedrick Ingram, Secretary-Treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the AFT's role in civil rights, challenges in public education and the importance of organizing.
The AFT has a long history of supporting civil rights, dating back to its involvement in Brown v. Board of Education. Ingram highlighted the union's commitment to diversity, pointing out the Federation kicked out Local Unions in the 1950s and 1960s that refused to integrate. This principled stance, while impacting the AFT's membership in the South, showcases the organization's dedication to equality. According to Ingram, the AFT continues to champion diversity, representing a membership that reflects America's demographics across various sectors, including education and public services.
Public education faces significant challenges, particularly in states like Florida where Ingram previously served as president of the Florida Education Association. He recounted his experiences opposing policies implemented by Gov. Jeb Bush and Gov. Ron DeSantis, including merit pay schemes and attempts to weaken public sector unions. Despite these obstacles, Ingram emphasized the resilience of educators and union members in fighting back against harmful policies. He stressed the importance of preserving public education and resisting efforts to increase the use of vouchers, which hurt public school systems and could lead to inequitable access to quality education.
Ingram emphasized the critical role of organizing in strengthening unions and protecting workers' rights. He called organizing a key strategy for addressing workplace issues and building union power for workers. Ingram highlighted the importance of focusing on kitchen table issues that resonate with workers, such as fair treatment, decent pay and retirement security. He believes addressing these fundamental concerns, unions can attract new members and build solidarity across diverse workforces.
Listen to the episode above to hear more from Ingram about the AFT's ongoing efforts to protect public education and strengthen the labor movement.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.
