Welcome to American Federation of Teachers Local 604

AFT Local 604 consists of 71 autonomous councils and has a membership of 9,000. It is the second largest public education worker organization in the state of Illinois and it is the fourteenth largest local in the national organization, the American Federation of Teachers.

The councils of AFT Local 604 stretch from the Pembroke Council on the Indiana line to Hampton on the Mississippi River. These 70 councils are serviced out of two offices, one in Crest Hill and one in LaSalle-Peru. There are six full-time professional staff persons that provide service to the 9,000 members of Local 604.

AFT Local 604 provides services in the following areas

• Negotiations
• Grievance handling
• Job security protection
• Legal advice and assistance to members and councils
• Workshops on retirement, legislation, educational issues, certification, collective bargaining, professional/ethical issues, etc.
• Professional development classes
• Information on current events, rumor control and resources for answers to questions

There are many areas that AFT Local 604 devotes time, energy and resources toward such as political endorsements, legislative lobbying, educational research and development, pension stability and enhancement, and training for members just to mention a few.

AFT Local 604 is governed by the Local 604 Senate which consists of the thirteen officers of the local, a council president from each council and senators based upon a membership formula. The Senate of AFT Local 604 currently consists of approximately 100 members.

As president of Local 604, I invite each and all of you to take advantage of the services that are available to you through the two offices, the thirteen officers, the six professional staff persons and the very competent and capable office staff  that manage the offices of the local.

It is generally recognized throughout the state that AFT Local 604 sets the pace for public education workers in Illinois. You need to take advantage of all of this.

In unity –

Richard Manley, President
AFT Local 604