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Robert George Porter (born August 11, 1927) was an American teacher and labor union leader. He served as Secretary-Treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers, the union’s second highest post, from 1972 until his death in 1991.
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Early Life and Teaching Career:
Porter was born in East St. Louis, Illinois to Joseph I. Porter and Lillian P. Porter nee Wells. He spent his early life in East St. Louis, moving to Henderson, Kentucky in 1933 with his mother and stepfather, Marion Walker. After his 18th birthday in 1945, he served in the US Army occupation forces, stationed in southern Germany.
Upon returning to the US, with the assistance of the G.I. Bill, Porter graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.S.(?) in ? He married Patricia Sue Penn on August 23, 1952, in Venice, Illinois. That same year, Porter began teaching social studies in Brentwood, Mo., moving to Lansdowne High School in East St. Louis, Illinois in 1955.
Labor Union Activities and Leadership:
Based on concerns over working conditions, Porter helped lead a campaign in 1956 for teacher collective bargaining in East St. Louis, Illinois. Upon agreement with the superintendent, the East St. Louis school district held the first collective bargaining election in the nation for teachers on December 10, 1956. At that time, Porter was Treasurer of the East St. Louis Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). The local competed against the National Education Association (NEA), a much larger organization nationally, which at the time did not support collective bargaining. The final vote tally was AFT-226, NEA-201. Based on the success in East St. Louis, Porter was hired in 1960 by then-national AFT President, Carl Megel, as Administrative Assistant to the President at AFT National Headquarters in Chicago. Despite 44 years of activity, the national union's membership remained small. Porter studied labor education at Oxford University, England, in 1965 and was promoted to National Secretary of the union in 1967.[1] That same year, AFT National Headquarters moved from Chicago to Washington, DC. He was appointed Secretary-Treasurer in 1972 by the union's Executive Council. During his career in the AFT National Headquarters, Porter served under four AFT Presidents, including Albert Shanker from 1974 until 1991. AFT membership grew tenfold during Porter’s service to the national union, to over 820,000 in 1991. He focused his activities on providing funding and services to enable the AFT’s rapid growth, achieving representation status in most large cities across the country. Porter was elected as an AFT delegate to the AFL-CIO national conventions from ???? to ????.
Death and Memorial Scholarship Program
Robert Porter died on November 20, 1991, in Takoma Park, Maryland due to complications from heart disease and diabetes. He was survived by his wife, Patricia, and three children, Stephen (1953), Paula (1955), and Rudolph (1958). In memory of Porter, the AFT established the Robert G. Porter Scholars Program,[2] which annually offers four post-secondary scholarships to dependents of AFT members, and 10 one-time grants to AFT members for continuing education.