Albert Shanker
Encyclopedia
Albert Shanker was President of the United Federation of Teachers
from 1964 to 1984 as well as President of the American Federation of Teachers
from 1974 to 1997.
and union members. His father Morris delivered newspapers and his mother Mamie worked in a knitting factory. The experience of watching his mother work 70 hour weeks made Shanker aware of the need for societal changes from an early age.
Shanker read several newspapers daily as a young boy, with a vast thirst of knowledge and a love of philosophy. By the time he was a teen, Shanker avidly read the philosophy of Thomas Hook. His idols were Franklin D. Roosevelt
, Clarence Darrow
, and Bayard Rustin
, the civil rights leader.
In 1946, Shanker graduated from Stuyvesant High School
where he was the head of the debate team. His academic life continued at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He joined the Congress of Racial Equality
. Shanker picketed segregated movie theaters and restaurants and was a member of the Young People's Socialist League
and chair of the Socialist Study Club. In 1949 he graduated with honors and enrolled in Columbia University
. In order to earn money while writing his dissertation, Shanker became substitute teacher at PS 179 in Manhattan's upper West Side
.
in 1917. The Teacher's Guild would merge with New York City's High School Teacher's Association to form the United Federation of Teachers
or UFT in 1960. During the 1960s, Shanker received national attention and considerable criticism for his aggressive union leadership and skillful negotiation of pay increases for New York City teachers. He left his teaching job to organize full time. He felt that a teachers union would be more effective if it was united with a common set of goals. In 1964, Shanker succeeded Charles Cogen as UFT president a position he held until 1985. In 1967, and again in 1968, he served jail sentences for leading illegal teachers' strikes. The New York City teacher's strike of 1968
closed down almost all New York City schools for 36 days.
Perhaps Shanker is best known for organizing workers in the Ocean-Hill Brownsville district. In 1968, Shanker organized Ocean-Hill Brownsville's teaching staff in the mostly black neighborhood. Shanker called for a strike after white teachers were purged from the school district by the recently appointed administrator.
For more than a decade, Shanker authored essay-like advertisements in The New York Times
and other publications. Accompanied by a small photograph of Shanker, the columns, entitled "Where We Stand," sought to rationally and dispassionately clarify the union's position on various matters of public interest.
and would be elected president of the American Federation of Teachers
in 1974. He was re-elected every two years until his death.
In 1975 the UFT authorized a five-day strike, leading to allegedly saving New York City from bankruptcy after he asked the Teachers' Retirement System to invest $150 million in Municipal Corp. bonds.
On September 21, 1981, Shanker had dinner with Leon B. Applewhaite, a personal friend and one of the heads of the Federal Labor Relations Authority
. Applewhaite was involved in deciding whether to uphold the decertification of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization for the strike they had called in August of that year. During the dinner Shanker urged Applewhaite not to decertify the union
, an action which plainly violated the prohibition on ex parte
contact contained in the federal Administrative Procedure Act
. Although the contact was not ultimately found to have legal consequences, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
criticized Shanker's behavior in their review of the FLRA's decision. See 685 F.2d 547.
. Despite his efforts, he never saw this convergence. In 1991, President Bush appointed him as an original member of the Competitiveness Policy Council
. He died of bladder cancer in 1997 at the age of 68.
Shanker was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
in 1998 by President Bill Clinton
.
"..a lot of people who have been hired as teachers are basically not competent"
“There is no more reason to pay for private education than there is to pay for a private swimming pool for those who do not use public facilities.”
“It is as much the duty of the union to preserve public education as it is to negotiate a good contract.”
"It's dangerous to let a lot of ideas out of the bag, some of which may be bad. But there's
something that's more dangerous, and that's not having any new ideas at all at a time when the world is closing in on you." (Speech to the AFT QuEST Conference, 1985)
is often attributed to Shanker.
The Albert Shanker Institute attempted to find the source of this quote, and determined that Shanker never said it. The first appearance of the quote that they could find was in the Meridian (Mississippi) Star, August 13, 1985.
United Federation of Teachers
The United Federation of Teachers is the labor union that represents most educators in New York City public schools. , there were about 118,000 in-service educators and 17,000 paraprofessionals in the union, as well as about 54,000 retired members...
from 1964 to 1984 as well as President of the American Federation of Teachers
American Federation of Teachers
The American Federation of Teachers is an American labor union founded in 1916 that represents teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; local, state and federal employees; higher education faculty and staff, and nurses and other healthcare professionals...
from 1974 to 1997.
Early life
Shanker was born in Queens, New York to a Russian-Jewish immigrant family. His parents were both immigrants from PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and union members. His father Morris delivered newspapers and his mother Mamie worked in a knitting factory. The experience of watching his mother work 70 hour weeks made Shanker aware of the need for societal changes from an early age.
Shanker read several newspapers daily as a young boy, with a vast thirst of knowledge and a love of philosophy. By the time he was a teen, Shanker avidly read the philosophy of Thomas Hook. His idols were Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, Clarence Darrow
Clarence Darrow
Clarence Seward Darrow was an American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenage thrill killers Leopold and Loeb in their trial for murdering 14-year-old Robert "Bobby" Franks and defending John T...
, and Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin was an American leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, pacifism and non-violence, and gay rights.In the pacifist Fellowship of Reconciliation , Rustin practiced nonviolence...
, the civil rights leader.
In 1946, Shanker graduated from Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
where he was the head of the debate team. His academic life continued at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He joined the Congress of Racial Equality
Congress of Racial Equality
The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE was a U.S. civil rights organization that originally played a pivotal role for African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement...
. Shanker picketed segregated movie theaters and restaurants and was a member of the Young People's Socialist League
Young People's Socialist League
The Young People's Socialist League , founded in 1989, is the official youth arm of the Socialist Party USA. The group's membership consists of those democratic socialists under the age of 30, and its political activities tend to concentrate on increasing the voter turnout of young democratic...
and chair of the Socialist Study Club. In 1949 he graduated with honors and enrolled in Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. In order to earn money while writing his dissertation, Shanker became substitute teacher at PS 179 in Manhattan's upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
.
Founding the United Federation of Teachers
Shanker took a year off after graduating from college, then began teaching mathematics at an East Harlem School from 1952-1959. He began his tenure as a union organizer in 1959 to help organize the Teacher's Guild - NYC's AFT affiliate that was started by John DeweyJohn Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
in 1917. The Teacher's Guild would merge with New York City's High School Teacher's Association to form the United Federation of Teachers
United Federation of Teachers
The United Federation of Teachers is the labor union that represents most educators in New York City public schools. , there were about 118,000 in-service educators and 17,000 paraprofessionals in the union, as well as about 54,000 retired members...
or UFT in 1960. During the 1960s, Shanker received national attention and considerable criticism for his aggressive union leadership and skillful negotiation of pay increases for New York City teachers. He left his teaching job to organize full time. He felt that a teachers union would be more effective if it was united with a common set of goals. In 1964, Shanker succeeded Charles Cogen as UFT president a position he held until 1985. In 1967, and again in 1968, he served jail sentences for leading illegal teachers' strikes. The New York City teacher's strike of 1968
New York City teacher's strike of 1968
The New York City teachers' strike of 1968 was a months-long confrontation between the new community-controlled school board in the largely black Ocean-Hill Brownsville section of Brooklyn and New York City’s United Federation of Teachers...
closed down almost all New York City schools for 36 days.
Perhaps Shanker is best known for organizing workers in the Ocean-Hill Brownsville district. In 1968, Shanker organized Ocean-Hill Brownsville's teaching staff in the mostly black neighborhood. Shanker called for a strike after white teachers were purged from the school district by the recently appointed administrator.
For more than a decade, Shanker authored essay-like advertisements in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and other publications. Accompanied by a small photograph of Shanker, the columns, entitled "Where We Stand," sought to rationally and dispassionately clarify the union's position on various matters of public interest.
Activist legacy
Despite Shanker's organizing efforts, and the fifteen days that he would spend in jail due to his organization, Shanker was branded a racist by critics. Yet Shanker would persist in building the United Federation of TeachersUnited Federation of Teachers
The United Federation of Teachers is the labor union that represents most educators in New York City public schools. , there were about 118,000 in-service educators and 17,000 paraprofessionals in the union, as well as about 54,000 retired members...
and would be elected president of the American Federation of Teachers
American Federation of Teachers
The American Federation of Teachers is an American labor union founded in 1916 that represents teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; local, state and federal employees; higher education faculty and staff, and nurses and other healthcare professionals...
in 1974. He was re-elected every two years until his death.
In 1975 the UFT authorized a five-day strike, leading to allegedly saving New York City from bankruptcy after he asked the Teachers' Retirement System to invest $150 million in Municipal Corp. bonds.
On September 21, 1981, Shanker had dinner with Leon B. Applewhaite, a personal friend and one of the heads of the Federal Labor Relations Authority
Federal Labor Relations Authority
The Federal Labor Relations Authority is an independent agency of the United States government that governs labor relations between the federal government and its employees....
. Applewhaite was involved in deciding whether to uphold the decertification of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization for the strike they had called in August of that year. During the dinner Shanker urged Applewhaite not to decertify the union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
, an action which plainly violated the prohibition on ex parte
Ex parte
Ex parte is a Latin legal term meaning "from one party" .An ex parte decision is one decided by a judge without requiring all of the parties to the controversy to be present. In Australian, Canadian, U.K., Indian and U.S...
contact contained in the federal Administrative Procedure Act
Administrative Procedure Act
The Administrative Procedure Act , , is the United States federal law that governs the way in which administrative agencies of the federal government of the United States may propose and establish regulations. The APA also sets up a process for the United States federal courts to directly review...
. Although the contact was not ultimately found to have legal consequences, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit known informally as the D.C. Circuit, is the federal appellate court for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Appeals from the D.C. Circuit, as with all the U.S. Courts of Appeals, are heard on a...
criticized Shanker's behavior in their review of the FLRA's decision. See 685 F.2d 547.
Later years
Shanker was a visiting professor at Hunter College and Harvard University during the 1980s. He would continue to work to organize teachers throughout his life, attempting to bridge the AFT with the National Education AssociationNational Education Association
The National Education Association is the largest professional organization and largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become...
. Despite his efforts, he never saw this convergence. In 1991, President Bush appointed him as an original member of the Competitiveness Policy Council
Competitiveness Policy Council
The Competitiveness Policy Council was an independent federal advisory committee chartered in 1988 to advise the President and the Congress on more effective policies to promote U.S. competitiveness...
. He died of bladder cancer in 1997 at the age of 68.
Shanker was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
in 1998 by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
Quotations
"Public schools played a big role in holding our nation together. They brought together children of different races, languages, religions, and cultures and gave them a common language and a sense of common purpose. We have not outgrown our need for this; far from it." (Where We Stand, March 3, 1997)"..a lot of people who have been hired as teachers are basically not competent"
“There is no more reason to pay for private education than there is to pay for a private swimming pool for those who do not use public facilities.”
“It is as much the duty of the union to preserve public education as it is to negotiate a good contract.”
"It's dangerous to let a lot of ideas out of the bag, some of which may be bad. But there's
something that's more dangerous, and that's not having any new ideas at all at a time when the world is closing in on you." (Speech to the AFT QuEST Conference, 1985)
Bogus quote
The quote,
"When schoolchildren start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests of schoolchildren."
is often attributed to Shanker.
The Albert Shanker Institute attempted to find the source of this quote, and determined that Shanker never said it. The first appearance of the quote that they could find was in the Meridian (Mississippi) Star, August 13, 1985.
In popular culture
- There is a reference to Albert Shanker in the Woody AllenWoody AllenWoody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
movie Sleeper (19731973 in filmThe year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
). The protagonist is transported to the future, where he is told that the old world was destroyed when "a man named Albert Shanker got hold of a nuclear warhead."
See also
- United Federation of TeachersUnited Federation of TeachersThe United Federation of Teachers is the labor union that represents most educators in New York City public schools. , there were about 118,000 in-service educators and 17,000 paraprofessionals in the union, as well as about 54,000 retired members...
- American Federation of TeachersAmerican Federation of TeachersThe American Federation of Teachers is an American labor union founded in 1916 that represents teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; local, state and federal employees; higher education faculty and staff, and nurses and other healthcare professionals...
- Albert Shanker InstituteAlbert Shanker InstituteThe Albert Shanker Institute is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to advancing democratic ideals, improving the quality of public education, and conducting research into the labor movement and the sociology of work...