About Us

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, was founded in 1916 and today represents 1.7 million members in more than 3,000 local affiliates nationwide.

Five divisions within the AFT represent the broad spectrum of the AFT's membership: pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel (classified employees); higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; and nurses and other healthcare professionals. In addition, the AFT represents approximately 80,000 early childhood educators

As our chapter number indicates, the origins of the Oregon School Employees Association can be traced back to Eugene, when in 1938 a small group of school janitors joined together as the Lane County Janitors Association to promote their trade and provide job-related training. This group formed the nucleus of a statewide organization that elected Guy Davis as its first president in 1941. By 1952 (the year it changed its name to OSEA), the organization had grown to include six local chapters — with Lane County (aka Eugene) designated as Chapter 1.