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When did you decide 
on a career in the labor 
movement? 
DH: I received my master’s 
degree from the University of 
Massachusetts and worked at 
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 
where I was a steward with 
the American Federation 
of Government Employees. 
Then, I worked toward a 
Ph.D. at the University of 
Wisconsin; thought I’d be 
a professor and teach labor 
studies. At Wisconsin, I 
joined the Teaching Assistants 
Association, American 
Federation of Teachers Local 
3220 (TAA), and eventually, 
was elected its president. 
While active in the union 
in Wisconsin, I decided this 
is what I wanted to do. Rather 
than become a professor of 
labor — important work 
itself — I’d rather be directly 
involved in building the labor 
movement. 
The TAA also had a major 
impact on my personal life. 
It is how my wife, Alice, and 
I met. We married in 1986. 
Alice continues her activist 
career today. We have three 
children: Joelle, Jose and 
Gustavo. So, thank you TAA! 

What was your first job in 
the Labor movement beyond 
the TAA?
DH: First job I got paid for? 
I worked part-time for the 
Allied Industrial Workers 
(AIW) based in Milwaukee. 
The AIW then got me a 
job with the Michigan State 
AFL-CIO in Battle Creek. I 
subsequently moved on to 
work at the Metro Detroit 
AFL-CIO.

How did you become 
president of AFT Michigan? 
DH: When I walked into the 
TAA office in Wisconsin in 
1977, I never thought that I 
would end up as the 22-year 
president of American 
Federation of Teachers (AFT) 
in Michigan [laughs] or a 
national AFT vice president. 
In 1996, after working at 
the Metro Detroit AFL-CIO 
for 10 years, Hugh Jarvis, the 
president of what is now called 
AFT Michigan, told me he 
was stepping down, that Rollie 
Hopgood would become 
president so why don’t I come 
over and serve as Rollie’s 
administrative assistant. I did 
and, when Rollie retired in 
2001, I ran for president and 
won.
 

Tell me about leading a 
union. How would you 
summarize your position? 
DH: Our state union 
represents about an equal 
number of Pre-K-12 and 
higher education employees 
with a fast-growing health care 
worker group. As president, 
you’re involved in everything: 
building strong local unions, 
political and legislative 
action, organizing, policy 
work, trainings, community 
involvement and helping 
to build the progressive 
movement. We have a great 
staff that I was honored to 
work with. 

K-12 public education has 
experienced tremendous 
change over the past several 
decades — digital learning, 
COVID, charter schools, 
etc. Some say computers will 
replace teachers, and that 
will be for the best. What is 
your analysis of the status of 
public education? 

DH: K-12 public education 
is the foundation of our 
democracy. It provides 
hope and opportunity for 
our children. Tremendous 
work is going on in public 
education, although even with 
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 
historic increases, funding for 
education is inadequate. Are 
there places where academic 
achievement needs to improve, 
in some places significantly? 
Yes. And our union does much 
work advancing research-
based policies and practices so 
that our children, regardless 
of zip code, receive a great 
education. 
Teachers often get blamed 
for all problems facing public 
education, but the real culprit 
is perpetual underfunding. 
This underfunding, and the 
trend of falsely assigning 
blame, are the major reasons 
we have a serious teacher (and 
support staff) shortage today. 
Moreover, poverty often 
creates barriers that prevent 

David Hecker 
with former 
Congressman 
Sandy Levin 

David Hecker at an “End 
Gun Violence” rally

