The 90th Anniversary of TFT
The following collages were created by TFT and Board of Directors member Therese Gordon to commemorate the past, present and future of the Toledo Federation of Teachers. Thank you, Therese for your beautiful work!
We Are the Union:
Celebrating the Past, Present, and Future of Toledo Federation of Teachers
By: Therese Gordon
TFT Board of Directors Member
A Story of Service
Toledo Federation of Teachers Local #250 will soon celebrate 90 years of service to Toledo. This coming year will mark the historic anniversary of the signing of its charter on February 11, 1933, establishing TFT as one of Toledo’s great unions.
TFT has always been committed to supporting members in the classroom and out in our community. TFT leadership, along with the collective voice of its members, has successfully advocated for better working and learning conditions in our schools, positively impacting the decisions that most affect the students and families that the Toledo Public Schools serve.
A History Lesson
The Great Depression hit Ohio especially hard. The state’s unemployment rate reached 37.3 percent in 1932, according to Ohio History Central. Because of this, many Ohioans were forced to default on their property tax payments, which then deprived public school districts of their primary source of revenue. A retrospect from TFT archives describes
various school programs in the Toledo Public Schools district being attacked, labeled both frivolous and unnecessary. TFT historians go on to tell a story both difficult yet inspiring in its outcome. When the Toledo Chamber of Commerce pressured the TPS Board of Education to cut programs to reduce the cost of operating the schools, the Board passed a series of resolutions to eliminate entire courses. Industrial Arts, Home Economics, and even Kindergartens were dropped across the district. New materials including books, desks, and other resources students and teachers needed in their classrooms were not purchased and supplied.
In addition, the Board passed a resolution that required teachers to live within the school district, dismissed all women from payroll whose husbands were also employed by the district, and mandated that siblings living in the same household could not teach. Those who taught high school were paid on a different, higher salary scale than elementary teachers, despite having similar workloads and the same academic credentials. Contracts between the Board and teachers were not upheld. Unfair, unsafe, and discriminatory practices against students and teachers went unchecked.
During the 1931-1932 school year, salaries were cut by 10 percent. A 2012 article in the International Journal of Community Currency Research notes that the Toledo Public Schools district was allowed by the Marshall Act of 1933 to pay teachers in “Marshall Scrip,” named for an Ohio senator who proposed that teachers be paid in this “currency” instead of American dollars. Marshall Scrip was accepted by governmental agencies for mortgages, taxes, and water bills, but was discounted and sometimes refused by many stores and other businesses. For up to three years during the Depression, 66 to 75 percent of a teacher’s salary was paid in scrip.
These and other hardships were vigorously challenged by the collective action of TFT’s early unionists who brought changes to the school system through direct negotiation with the Board. On February 11, 1933, a small group of Toledo teachers signed the charter for Local #250, establishing the Toledo Federation of Teachers, and then began organizing and signing up other teachers as members.
Between 1933 and 1940, 90 percent of the teachers hired by Toledo Public Schools joined TFT as members, with 95 percent ultimately joining in 1968 and later when TFT acted as the bargaining agent for teacher protections.
Early and Ongoing Achievements
During this difficult time in American history, the TFT union helped create new programs within the community, such as a blood bank and the Toledo Teachers’ credit union, which still operates today under the name of Educational Community Alliance Credit Union.
Members reported in the TFT archives retrospect that, in the decades that followed, TFT continued to work for progress: The union established the first teacher intern program in the United States. It won recognition and a contract for paraprofessionals. It fought for Jewish teachers to be able to observe their religious holidays with pay, and negotiated a school holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. TFT negotiated maternity leave benefits before federal court decisions paved the way. It negotiated the first fully-paid hospitalization program for teachers, lobbied successfully for Ohio tenure law, and secured a severance pay program for teachers – the first in Ohio. Unionists partnered with charitable agencies to provide Toledoans with food and clothing, worked to gain instructional planning time during the school day to increase standards of learning, and fought to re-establish a 10-month school year.
TFT was the first local teachers union in the state of Ohio and the first to negotiate a single salary schedule for both men and women teachers. It maintained a vision of what teaching could and should be, where teachers’ earnings were enough so that they could devote all their energy during the school year to teaching instead of getting second jobs, and use their summers for professional development to plan for the upcoming school year. The unionists saw that limited class size and up-to-date materials would greatly benefit students and sought to advocate for spaces conducive for greater learning.
The union formed a natural and beneficial link between Toledo Public Schools and labor groups in Toledo. It was always called upon to meet with labor leaders when tax levies were on the ballot.
By 1968, TFT joined the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, which consists of 56 national and international unions representing more than 12 million workers and retirees. This decision continues to allow for many opportunities for a better quality of life for teachers and their families.
Leadership
Through the decades, union leaders have inspired and strengthened the ideals of unionism with action. From the very first TFT president, visionary Raymond Lowry, to the amazing legacy of Dal and Fran Lawrence, to the unwavering dedication and tenacity of current president Kevin Dalton, TFT presidents have always stood shoulder-to-shoulder with TFT members who together make up the union.
TFT has always been more than just an institution. It has been and remains an ever present advocate for equity and representation for all. TFT members can be found participating in local government and community events throughout the year. It is a respected and invaluable community resource that provides both local and national research-based professional development for teachers and paraprofessionals, peer review of its members, and promotion of fair labor practices. TFT hosts free book giveaways to increase literacy in the community, assists students with meals and supplies, and insists upon high quality education, instructional integrity, and safe schools.
TFT strives to be a beacon of change and hope in the lives of its members and within the community. With personal and collective stakes, each member represents the call to action for a purpose, to achieve something that is greater than what individuals can accomplish alone. The union motto of teamwork is clear – “Together, we can do anything.”
Mission Statement: Toledo Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals that advocates for the social and economic well being of our members and the children and families in our community. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining, political activism, and especially through the work of our members.
Celebrating the Past, Present, and Future of Toledo Federation of Teachers
By: Therese Gordon
TFT Board of Directors Member
A Story of Service
Toledo Federation of Teachers Local #250 will soon celebrate 90 years of service to Toledo. This coming year will mark the historic anniversary of the signing of its charter on February 11, 1933, establishing TFT as one of Toledo’s great unions.
TFT has always been committed to supporting members in the classroom and out in our community. TFT leadership, along with the collective voice of its members, has successfully advocated for better working and learning conditions in our schools, positively impacting the decisions that most affect the students and families that the Toledo Public Schools serve.
A History Lesson
The Great Depression hit Ohio especially hard. The state’s unemployment rate reached 37.3 percent in 1932, according to Ohio History Central. Because of this, many Ohioans were forced to default on their property tax payments, which then deprived public school districts of their primary source of revenue. A retrospect from TFT archives describes
various school programs in the Toledo Public Schools district being attacked, labeled both frivolous and unnecessary. TFT historians go on to tell a story both difficult yet inspiring in its outcome. When the Toledo Chamber of Commerce pressured the TPS Board of Education to cut programs to reduce the cost of operating the schools, the Board passed a series of resolutions to eliminate entire courses. Industrial Arts, Home Economics, and even Kindergartens were dropped across the district. New materials including books, desks, and other resources students and teachers needed in their classrooms were not purchased and supplied.
In addition, the Board passed a resolution that required teachers to live within the school district, dismissed all women from payroll whose husbands were also employed by the district, and mandated that siblings living in the same household could not teach. Those who taught high school were paid on a different, higher salary scale than elementary teachers, despite having similar workloads and the same academic credentials. Contracts between the Board and teachers were not upheld. Unfair, unsafe, and discriminatory practices against students and teachers went unchecked.
During the 1931-1932 school year, salaries were cut by 10 percent. A 2012 article in the International Journal of Community Currency Research notes that the Toledo Public Schools district was allowed by the Marshall Act of 1933 to pay teachers in “Marshall Scrip,” named for an Ohio senator who proposed that teachers be paid in this “currency” instead of American dollars. Marshall Scrip was accepted by governmental agencies for mortgages, taxes, and water bills, but was discounted and sometimes refused by many stores and other businesses. For up to three years during the Depression, 66 to 75 percent of a teacher’s salary was paid in scrip.
These and other hardships were vigorously challenged by the collective action of TFT’s early unionists who brought changes to the school system through direct negotiation with the Board. On February 11, 1933, a small group of Toledo teachers signed the charter for Local #250, establishing the Toledo Federation of Teachers, and then began organizing and signing up other teachers as members.
Between 1933 and 1940, 90 percent of the teachers hired by Toledo Public Schools joined TFT as members, with 95 percent ultimately joining in 1968 and later when TFT acted as the bargaining agent for teacher protections.
Early and Ongoing Achievements
During this difficult time in American history, the TFT union helped create new programs within the community, such as a blood bank and the Toledo Teachers’ credit union, which still operates today under the name of Educational Community Alliance Credit Union.
Members reported in the TFT archives retrospect that, in the decades that followed, TFT continued to work for progress: The union established the first teacher intern program in the United States. It won recognition and a contract for paraprofessionals. It fought for Jewish teachers to be able to observe their religious holidays with pay, and negotiated a school holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. TFT negotiated maternity leave benefits before federal court decisions paved the way. It negotiated the first fully-paid hospitalization program for teachers, lobbied successfully for Ohio tenure law, and secured a severance pay program for teachers – the first in Ohio. Unionists partnered with charitable agencies to provide Toledoans with food and clothing, worked to gain instructional planning time during the school day to increase standards of learning, and fought to re-establish a 10-month school year.
TFT was the first local teachers union in the state of Ohio and the first to negotiate a single salary schedule for both men and women teachers. It maintained a vision of what teaching could and should be, where teachers’ earnings were enough so that they could devote all their energy during the school year to teaching instead of getting second jobs, and use their summers for professional development to plan for the upcoming school year. The unionists saw that limited class size and up-to-date materials would greatly benefit students and sought to advocate for spaces conducive for greater learning.
The union formed a natural and beneficial link between Toledo Public Schools and labor groups in Toledo. It was always called upon to meet with labor leaders when tax levies were on the ballot.
By 1968, TFT joined the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, which consists of 56 national and international unions representing more than 12 million workers and retirees. This decision continues to allow for many opportunities for a better quality of life for teachers and their families.
Leadership
Through the decades, union leaders have inspired and strengthened the ideals of unionism with action. From the very first TFT president, visionary Raymond Lowry, to the amazing legacy of Dal and Fran Lawrence, to the unwavering dedication and tenacity of current president Kevin Dalton, TFT presidents have always stood shoulder-to-shoulder with TFT members who together make up the union.
TFT has always been more than just an institution. It has been and remains an ever present advocate for equity and representation for all. TFT members can be found participating in local government and community events throughout the year. It is a respected and invaluable community resource that provides both local and national research-based professional development for teachers and paraprofessionals, peer review of its members, and promotion of fair labor practices. TFT hosts free book giveaways to increase literacy in the community, assists students with meals and supplies, and insists upon high quality education, instructional integrity, and safe schools.
TFT strives to be a beacon of change and hope in the lives of its members and within the community. With personal and collective stakes, each member represents the call to action for a purpose, to achieve something that is greater than what individuals can accomplish alone. The union motto of teamwork is clear – “Together, we can do anything.”
Mission Statement: Toledo Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals that advocates for the social and economic well being of our members and the children and families in our community. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining, political activism, and especially through the work of our members.
Proclamation: Office of the Mayer, City of Toledo
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