Teachers Union Adopts Positions on Iraq, Lebanon Wars

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By Nathan Burchfiel
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
July 25, 2006

(CNSNews.com) - Just weeks after the National Education Association came under fire for adopting a controversial resolution that critics said didn't apply to public education, another teachers union has adopted resolutions opposing the war in Iraq, supporting Israel in its struggle against Hizballah and opposing Wal-Mart.

At its biennial convention July 19-22, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) adopted an official position against the war in Iraq, calling on U.S. officials to "withdraw all troops, bases and military operations in a rapid and timely manner and to put a stop to the unending military presence that will waste lives and resources, undermine our nation's security and weaken our military."

The 1.3 million-member union also approved a "special order of business" resolution that criticizes Hizballah for kidnapping two Israeli soldiers, an act that is blamed for inciting the Israeli shelling of Hizballah positions in southern Lebanon.

"[T]he American Federation of Teachers condemn the bombings, killings and kidnappings by Hezbollah and Hamas that precipitated this current crisis," the resolution stated. It added that "the AFT recognize Israel's right and responsibility to defend its borders and citizens from terrorist attacks and other threats to its sovereignty."

The union also approved a resolution vowing to "monitor the condition of human and trade union rights in China" and "demand that the Chinese government extend to all Chinese citizens their basic human rights, including freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of religion."

Other resolutions encouraged members to boycott Wal-Mart because of the retail giant's alleged anti-union efforts and reiterated the AFT's longstanding support for abortion rights.

Jaime Zapata, a spokesman for the AFT, told Cybercast News Service that union members voted on these issues because "we believe that there is a direct connection between what happens here in the United States and what happens around the world."

He said union members voice their opinions on issues outside the realm of education because "so many of our members are involved in other areas of civic life."

Zapata said the issue of whether the AFT should address non-education related topics "didn't come up at all" during debate on the resolutions. He added that the union has members "who work not just as teachers or school staff but as other professionals, public employees, higher education workers, health care workers, so our work ... extends beyond the classroom in every sense."

But Sara Dogan, a spokeswoman for the conservative Students for Academic Freedom (SAF), said the AFT has its priorities "in the wrong place." She said instead of focusing on controversial issues like the Iraq war, the union should concentrate on "preserving the academic freedom for both teachers and students."

In another resolution passed during the conference, the AFT outlined its staunch opposition to the Academic Bill of Rights at the federal, state and university levels. The Academic Bill of Rights is a document created by SAF that Dogan said protects academic freedom for college and university students and their professors.

The AFT resolution warns that Academic Bill of Rights legislation, which has been introduced in at many as 20 state legislatures but has yet to be enacted on a statewide level, "would result in government intervention to ensure that more right-wing content is inserted into the college curriculum and classroom discussion."

In June, the National Education Association (NEA) enraged conservative family groups for proposing a resolution that would have voiced support for the legalization of same-gender marriages. The NEA eventually passed a watered down version of the resolution that voiced support for homosexual marriage and same-gender civil unions in the states where they already legally existed.