About Us
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WSTU, Local 571 Organized in 1938, Local 571 currently is a 5000-member union of teachers, paraprofessional and school-related personnel (P5RPs) employed in school districts in western Cook and Local 571 exists to serve the interests of its members as determined by democratic processes at the council, local, state, and national levels. For the most part, those interests have to do with: · Establishing job security and fairness, usually through collective bargaining and legislation; · Empowering members to act to uphold high standards for their professions and their schools; · Disseminating information on professional issues and providing programs of leadership training and professional development; · Acting in coalition with other organizations to address issues affecting all working Americans. Local 571 is affiliated with the STRUCTURE: The governance and policy of Local 571 is set by: · The Executive Board, consisting of elected officers and trustees from each of the councils; · The House of Representatives, consisting of elected representatives from each council on a proportionate basis; · The Biennial Convention which delegates from each council attend to vote on changes to the Local's Constitution and Bylaws and participate in workshops. Employee groups are represented in councils. Each council has its own Executive Board and officers. Councils are encouraged to hold regular executive board and general membership meetings. DUES: Dues paid to Local 571 include membership in the 1FT, AFT, the AFL-CIO, and its affiliates. Approximately 30% of the dues stays at the Local level, permitting local autonomy. State staff, attorneys, defense funds, and other services and benefits are also made possible through your dues. Local 571 provides all of these services to you while maintaining one of the lowest dues structures of any major educational organization in the state. NEGOTIATIONS: Local 571, through its professional staff, works directly with councils in formulating contract demands and negotiating the package. Contract demands reflect the interests of the members in each council. Local 571 encourages the formation of bargaining teams with representatives from each school and job category. Since 1940 when a Local 571 council negotiated one of the first teachers' contracts in the nation, its councils have been pioneers in securing contract benefits, including: · Family/dependent insurance coverage; · Dental insurance; · Employer-paid employee pension; · Sick leave pools; · Seniority and job protection clauses; · Retirement pay, early retirement programs. LEGAL ASSISTANCE: IFT attorneys are available at no additional cost to the member or council in work-related cases involving civil, professional, or constitutional rights. Legal cases are handled through the Local's office; Local 571 is not required to obtain approval from the state office. SERVICES AND BENEFITS: Local 571 and 1FT staff are available to assist with any job-related needs of the councilor individual employees. Local 571 and the IFT conduct workshops and training programs on a variety of union leadership and professional issues. Resources in the form of printed materials, CDs, and videos are also available. A complete list of membership benefits is provided on a separate sheet. POLITICAL ACTION: Our Political Action Committee reviews incumbents' voting records and surveys new candidates to determine which it can support and recommend to our members. Local 571 informs its members of pending legislation and coordinates lobbying campaigns to insure that our voice is heard on collective bargaining, pension, school funding, and other education issues.
For a list of affiliated Councils click here. |
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Learn more about the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which was founded in 1916 to represent the economic, social and professional interests of classroom teachers and is an affiliated international union of the AFL-CIO.
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Learn the history of the AFT, including the union's founding in Chicago in 1916, its affiliation with the AFL-CIO, its battles for workers and human rights and its continued work to uphold the proud traditions on which the union was created.
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AFT Mission Statement
The mission of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, is to improve the lives of our members and their families, to give voice to their legitimate professional, economic and social aspirations, to strengthen the institutions in which we work, to improve the quality of the services we provide, to bring together all members to assist and support one another and to promote democracy, human rights and freedom in our union, in our nation and throughout the world.
--From the Futures II report adopted at the AFT Convention, July 5, 2000. |
Throughout this century, the AFT has been a major force for preserving and strengthening America's democratic commitment to public education and public service. Desegregating public schools, passing the landmark Elementary and Secondary Education Act, establishing collective bargaining for teachers and other public employees, and addressing the needs of disadvantaged children are just a few of the causes the AFT has championed.
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The Paraprofessional and School-Related Personnel (PSRP) division of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, represents more than 350,000 school support staff in K-12 districts, colleges and universities. Our jobs include office employees, custodians, maintenance workers, bus drivers, instructional paraprofessionals, food service workers, school nurses and health aides, technicians, groundskeepers, secretaries, bookkeepers, mechanics, special education assistants and hundreds of other job titles. |
