AFT Local 943 is The Southwest Suburban Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 943 is an affiliate of the AFT, the IlFT, the Illinois AFL-CIO, and the Chicago Federation of Labor. Chartered in 1946, AFT Local 943 unites 3,113 teachers, school related personnel (PSRPs), and employees in Southwest Suburban Cook County, Illinois as well as 347 retirees, into a federated union comprised of dedicated members who articulate the needs, desires, and legitimate rights of our educational community.