our mission
The Albuquerque Teachers Federation (ATF) is committed to improving the conditions of teaching and learning in our public schools while advancing the causes of social justice and democracy for our members, students and the ABQ community.
our role
ATF is a professional, progressive union that represents all licensed teachers and Essential and Related Service Educators in the Albuquerque Public Schools.
we're here
for you
About
The Albuquerque Teachers Federation (ATF) is a professional, progressive union.
Our dues-paying members make all of our work possible. If you are an ATF member, thank you! Please ask your colleagues to share in supporting our work on their behalf. If you are not yet a member, please take this opportunity to join.
As an ATF member, you have access to the ATF Staff who advocate for you, answer your questions and help you resolve conflicts and issues at your work site. You also have access to member benefits through the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), our national union. On an even larger scale, you will be helping us to advocate for your profession and for public education on local, state and national levels.
There are many ways you can get involved in ATF. You can attend one of our many professional support classes. As teachers, we need to be able to analyze and reflect on our practice to refine and improve our instruction. Acquiring this knowledge and developing our practice requires the sharing of knowledge among our fellow educators. Unique to the world of education, we know that teachers teaching teachers is the most powerful professional learning.
My student, your child, our community is the motto that guides our social justice work. Social justice unionism is a renewal of the long tradition of solidarity between the labor movement and the human and civil rights movement. Our work in ATF includes engaging in the wider political struggles for human rights, social justice and democracy.
One of the most important ways members can become involved is to make a voluntary additional contribution to the Committee on Political Education (COPE). By law, union dues cannot be used for political endorsements or campaign contributions; however, in New Mexico, more than 95% of our funding for public education comes from the state legislature. It is IMPERATIVE that we have education-friendly legislators, as well as an education-friendly governor, in Santa Fe. The COPE committee interviews candidates and makes recommendations based on their stance on public education and working families issues. The committee financially supports our endorsed candidates’ campaigns, and more importantly, we work to elect them. We invite you to join ATF COPE with a regular contribution of your choice and get active to support political candidates that support us.
"Best. Union. Ever."