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| Minneapolis Federation of Teachers | |
|---|---|
| Name | Minneapolis Federation of Teachers |
| Abbreviation | MFT |
| Type | Labor union |
| Headquarters | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Location | Hennepin County, Minnesota |
| Founded | 1930s |
| Affiliation | American Federation of Teachers, Minnesota AFL–CIO |
| Members | K–12 teachers, paraprofessionals, nurses |
Minneapolis Federation of Teachers The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers is a labor union representing educators and school staff in Minneapolis, Minnesota, affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers and the Minnesota AFL–CIO. The organization engages in collective bargaining with Minneapolis Public Schools and participates in local and statewide political advocacy, community partnerships, and professional support for members.
Founded during the labor mobilizations of the 1930s, the federation emerged amid national organizing by the American Federation of Teachers, the Congress of Industrial Organizations, and municipal teacher movements responding to economic pressures from the Great Depression, New Deal policies, and labor law developments like the National Labor Relations Act. During the postwar decades the federation interacted with Minneapolis municipal politics, civil rights campaigns linked to the NAACP and the Congress of Racial Equality, and education reforms influenced by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and landmark Supreme Court decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education. In the 1960s and 1970s the federation navigated tensions around desegregation efforts, community control experiments connected to the Black Panther Party and CORE, and teacher strikes paralleling actions by the United Federation of Teachers, Chicago Teachers Union, and United Teachers Los Angeles. Later decades saw collaborations with statewide affiliates including Education Minnesota and national affiliates including the AFL–CIO in responses to policy shifts under administrations like Reagan, Clinton, and Obama and to legislation such as No Child Left Behind and the Every Student Succeeds Act.
The federation's governance follows a structure common to American Federation of Teachers locals, with an elected executive board, a president, vice presidents, a treasurer, and standing committees that coordinate with affiliates like the Minnesota AFL–CIO and national bodies such as the AFT. Internal processes include member meetings patterned after traditional union democracy seen in the Teamsters, Service Employees International Union, and National Education Association locals, grievance procedures comparable to those used by the American Postal Workers Union, and bylaws informed by labor law precedents including decisions from the National Labor Relations Board and Minnesota Public Employment Relations Board. The leadership maintains relationships with municipal institutions including the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education, the Hennepin County Commission, and city officials, while coordinating with external partners such as community organizations, civil rights groups, and policy think tanks.
The federation represents a diverse membership including K–12 classroom teachers, special education teachers, paraprofessionals, school nurses, and related service providers similar to classifications in unions like the Chicago Teachers Union, Oakland Education Association, and Boston Teachers Union. Membership eligibility, dues structures, and representation rights are negotiated under state statutes and collective bargaining frameworks analogous to those governing Education Minnesota and the Minnesota Nurses Association. Members vote on contracts, elect representatives to building-level associations comparable to chapters in the United Federation of Teachers and United Teachers Los Angeles, and participate in professional development partnerships with institutions such as the University of Minnesota, Macalester College, and Augsburg University.
Collective bargaining with Minneapolis Public Schools covers salaries, benefits, class size, special education staffing, evaluation systems, and workplace safety, reflecting issues addressed in contracts negotiated by the Chicago Teachers Union, Los Angeles Unified School District unions, and the Boston Teachers Union. Bargaining tactics have included interest-based bargaining, mediation by the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services, and arbitration processes similar to those used by the National Labor Relations Board and state labor relations boards. Contract outcomes often intersect with state funding formulas administered by the Minnesota Department of Education, legislative actions by the Minnesota Legislature, and policy decisions influenced by governors such as Jesse Ventura, Tim Pawlenty, and Mark Dayton.
The federation has engaged in strikes, work-to-rule actions, and coordinated mobilizations alongside national teacher actions exemplified by the 2018 West Virginia strike, the 2018–2019 Red for Ed movement, and the 2012 Chicago Teachers Union strike. These labor actions have involved coordination with community groups, student activists, and other unions like the Minnesota Federation of Teachers, Education Minnesota, and local AFL–CIO chapters, and have prompted involvement by mediators, state officials, and courts in disputes reminiscent of litigation involving the National Labor Relations Board and state public employment relations boards.
Political advocacy includes lobbying at the Minneapolis City Council, engagement with the Minnesota Legislature, endorsements in municipal school board races, and coalition-building with organizations such as the AFT, the Minnesota AFL–CIO, the NAACP, and community advocacy groups. The federation has participated in campaigns on school funding, charter school regulation, teacher evaluation statutes, and public health policies aligned with guidance from institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments, while also interacting with advocacy networks like the National Education Association and grassroots movements.
Programs and services for members include professional development offerings in partnership with higher education institutions like the University of Minnesota and Hamline University, legal representation and grievance support coordinated with labor attorneys and labor law clinics, benefit administration akin to those provided by union benefit funds, and community outreach initiatives with nonprofits, civic organizations, and advocacy groups. The federation also sponsors member-driven committees on equity, special education, and health and safety, and collaborates with research organizations, policy institutes, and philanthropic foundations to address issues similar to those tackled by the Economic Policy Institute, Learning Policy Institute, and Brookings Institution.
Category:Trade unions in Minnesota Category:Education trade unions Category:Organizations based in Minneapolis