Tom Dooher, president of the 1,200-member Robbinsdale Federation of Teachers (RFT) for the last 10 years, has announced that he is a candidate for president of Education Minnesota, the state teachers' union.

"Serving as president of the RFT has been an honor and one of the greatest opportunities of my career," Dooher said in a letter to friends and family announcing his candidacy.

"My 10 years of experience as president will be invaluable in meeting the needs of our statewide organization."

Dooher's letter said his passion for public education, his experience as RFT president, and "the power labor unions have to improve peoples' lives" fueled his decision.

Dooher grew up in Crystal in a family with three sisters and two brothers. He is a graduate of Armstrong High School and has a bachelor's degree from the University of St. Thomas and a master's degree from Hamline University.

"I discovered I wanted to be a teacher when I was in college and my roommate invited me to an education class," Dooher said. "It made me reflect on who had been important in my life, and it was teachers and coaches."

He began his career in education as a physical education teacher in District 281 in December 1987. Dooher also has been an assistant coach for boys soccer, girls and boys basketball, and boys and girls track at Armstrong, and a head coach for girls and boys soccer and girls track, also at Armstrong.

Dooher became president of the RFT in 1997, after serving as a committee member.

Judy Schaubach, who is not running for re-election, currently heads Education Minnesota.

The 70,000-member Education Minnesota resulted from a merger in 1998 of the Minnesota Education Association (MEA) and the Minnesota Federation of Teachers (MFT).

"Judy has done a great job of merging the organization and taking it forward," Dooher said. "I want to reinvigorate the membership and make the union relevant to their lives. I think I do that already in Robbinsdale."

Dooher is one of four candidates for president, along with the current Education Minnesota vice president, Mark Steffer; Dick Rainville, president of the teachers' union in Osseo District 279; and Mark Doepner-Hove of Mound-Westonka.

The election will take place March 17, 2007, and the new president will take office July 1, 2007.

His campaign involves getting out to local teachers' unions and meeting and talking with people throughout the state, Dooher said.

"Getting to know people and hear them is very invigorating," he said. "It feeds me."

There are 346 Education Minnesota union locals in Minnesota, Dooher said.

Funding is the first and foremost issue facing teachers' unions, Dooher said.

"We're in a critical time in our union because of our governor and President Bush," Dooher said. "We are under attack. Everything we have won can be taken away if we don't stay vigilant."

Noting that Jerry Bell, president of Twins Sports Inc., was present in the Minnesota Senate chamber even at 4 a.m. on days when the Legislature was debating the stadium issue, Dooher said, "If we [teachers union] have something important, I have committed to being there."

Health insurance is another critical issue, Dooher said.

"At least 10 school districts don't offer health insurance," he said. "In the last four or five years, all the school strikes have been about health insurance. Health insurance should be something people can have without going broke."

Standards for teachers also is an issue in which union members need to be engaged, he said.

"We need to lead the discussion, and I'm willing to do that," Dooher said.

Inspiration for Dooher's union activities came from his grandfather, the late Patrick J. Corcoran, who was secretary-treasurer of the Teamsters Union in Minneapolis. Corcoran was murdered in November 1937. The murder remains unsolved, in spite of a $10,000 reward offered then by the Teamsters and a $500 reward offered then by the governor of Minnesota.

"On the day of my grandfather's funeral, the Teamsters literally shut down Minneapolis," Dooher said. "There were 10,000 people at his funeral at the Basilica, including the mayor of Minneapolis and the governor of Minnesota."

Becoming president of Education Minnesota would allow him to carry on his grandfather's union work and repay "the debt of his service and sacrifice," Dooher's letter said.

"It also will allow me the opportunity to carry on the greater work of the labor movement in the 21st century," Dooher's letter said.

In addition to heading the RFT, Dooher is president of Education Minnesota ESI, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Education Minnesota, a for-profit corporation designed to provide quality, comprehensive programs that are competitively priced and feature consumer-oriented services for Education Minnesota members.

Dooher also is active in the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers.

His campaign chair is Mary Cathryn Ricker, chair of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers.

Dooher's wife, Denise, is a music teacher at Sonnesyn School in New Hope. The couple lives in Brooklyn Park.

The election will take place March 17, 2007, and the new president will take office July 1, 2007.

His campaign involves getting out to local teachers' unions and meeting and talking with people throughout the state, Dooher said.

"Getting to know people and hear them is very invigorating," he said. "It feeds me."

There are 346 Education Minnesota union locals in Minnesota, Dooher said.

Funding is the first and foremost issue facing teachers' unions, Dooher said.

"We're in a critical time in our union because of our governor and President Bush," Dooher said. "We are under attack. Everything we have won can be taken away if we don't stay vigilant."

Noting that Jerry Bell, president of Twins Sports Inc., was present in the Minnesota Senate chamber even at 4 a.m. on days when the Legislature was debating the stadium issue, Dooher said, "If we [teachers union] have something important, I have committed to being there."

Health insurance is another critical issue, Dooher said.

"At least 10 school districts don't offer health insurance," he said. "In the last four or five years, all the school strikes have been about health insurance. Health insurance should be something people can have without going broke."

Standards for teachers also is an issue in which union members need to be engaged, he said.

"We need to lead the discussion, and I'm willing to do that," Dooher said.

Inspiration for Dooher's union activities came from his grandfather, the late Patrick J. Corcoran, who was secretary-treasurer of the Teamsters Union in Minneapolis. Corcoran was murdered in November 1937. The murder remains unsolved, in spite of a $10,000 reward offered then by the Teamsters and a $500 reward offered then by the governor of Minnesota.

"On the day of my grandfather's funeral, the Teamsters literally shut down Minneapolis," Dooher said. "There were 10,000 people at his funeral at the Basilica, including the mayor of Minneapolis and the governor of Minnesota."

Becoming president of Education Minnesota would allow him to carry on his grandfather's union work and repay "the debt of his service and sacrifice," Dooher's letter said.

"It also will allow me the opportunity to carry on the greater work of the labor movement in the 21st century," Dooher's letter said.

In addition to heading the RFT, Dooher is president of Education Minnesota ESI, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Education Minnesota, a for-profit corporation designed to provide quality, comprehensive programs that are competitively priced and feature consumer-oriented services for Education Minnesota members.

Dooher also is active in the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers.

His campaign chair is Mary Cathryn Ricker, chair of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers.

Dooher's wife, Denise, is a music teacher at Sonnesyn School in New Hope. The couple lives in Brooklyn Park.