The AFT is a union of professionals that champions fairness, democracy, economic opportunity and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do. An affiliate of the AFL-CIO, the AFT was founded in 1916 and today represents 1.8 million members in more than 3,000 local affiliates nationwide.