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87 Monthly Lab. Rev. 1138 (1964)
The 1964 Convention of the Teachers Union

handle is hein.journals/month87 and id is 1164 raw text is: The 1964 Convention of the Teachers Union LEON E. LUNDEN* IN AN ATMOSPHERE more akin to that of a political convention than of a trade union conclave, the 48th Annual Convention of the American Federa- tion of Teachers (AFL-CIO), meeting in Chicago, August 17 to 21, 1964, elected a new president, reviewed organizing and collective bargaining gains and prospects, and attended to a variety of internal and public affairs, including political matters. Much of its oratory and a good many of its reports and resolutions were directed against the AFT's rival, the National Education Association. The Election Early in 1964, Carl J. Megel, president of the AFT for 12 years, had announced his decision not to run again for elective office but to accept appointment as Washington, D.C., legislative representative. Megel's supporters had then advanced the candidacy of Charles 0. Smith, Jr., president of the Gary, Ind., Teachers Union, whose hopes to succeed Megel foundered in a closely contested election. The winner-by 1,023 votes to 993-was Charles Cogen, the 60-year-old former president of New York City's United Federation of Teachers. The election of the federation's president and 16 vice presidents,.who make up the AFT Execu- tive Council, is accomplished through an extra- constitutional caucus system. Of the two existing caucuses, the Progressive Caucus is financed by ,dues from its supporters, and the National Caucus by voluntary contributions. Both are permanent organizations that function between anunal con- ventions and biennial elections, and both com- 1138 municate with interested AFT members by a newsletter. Cogen was the candidate of the Progressive Caucus, and Smith of the National Caucus, which had repeatedly elected retiring President Megel since 1952. Thus, it appeared that Cogen came to the convention a minority candidate. He had to-meet allegations of New York domination, and charges that if elected he would move head- quarters to New York City, small locals would be dominated by large locals, the spoils system he would impose would force out all present central headquarters staff down to file clerks, and that he was too militant, thereby endangering the AFT's solvency. On the other hand, a number of factors worked in Cogen's favor and prevailed sufficiently to bring him his narrow, uphill victory. His name, for one, was better known because of his connec- tion with major breakthroughs in New York. Thus he appeared more militant than Smith, although Smith had recently won a strike in Gary, Ind. Furthermore, Cogen's caucus was disci- plined and unified, in contrast to the dissension within it in 1962. At that convention, the Pro- gressive group could not decide upon a presidential nominee until the eleventh hour, and then failed to throw its entire Support behind the nominee. Its decision to nominate a slate of only 14 candi- dates for 16 vice presidencies-thus giving caucus supporters an opportunity to vote for 2 additional nominees, without taking votes away from caucus candidates-was crucial in electing 12 of the Progressive group's nominees by close votes to the Executive Council. Cogen presented a more detailed platform than Smith, mapping the kinds of changes in policy and structure that he envi- sioned should he be elected. There were marked similarities between the two platforms, but Cogen's was more effective in swaying the voters. Once the voting was over and the convention settled down to acting on resolutions, it became apparent that few policy differences separated the two caucuses. Although some resolutions caused prolonged discussion, unanimity was the general rule. The present AFT caucus system, it seems, serves only to rally support behind a particular slate of candidates. .of the DiviLon of Indutrmai and Labor Relations, Bleau of Labor Statistics.

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