After the Wisconsin Legislature authorized collective bargaining by state employees and divided them by civil service job title into numerous bargaining units, the members of the State of Wisconsin educational bargaining unit began organizing in the fall of 1973. After three elections the Wisconsin Federation of Teachers (WFT) won bargaining rights over the State Association of Career Employees and the Wisconsin Educational Association Council, although WEAC had claimed over one-third of the unit as members prior to the election and WFT had no members. Certified in February 1974, the new WFT local responded to an imminent legislative adjournment with the rare action of drafting a proposal and negotiating a contract before it had a charter, a constitution, or even a single dues-paying member.
After bargaining its first contract the local set about the formation of a structure to deal with the concerns of members in over forty civil service classifications working in many separate worksites in sixteen departments of state government. The structure adopted divided the local into six chapters, based on commonality of interest. Chapter A consisted of teachers for the physically handicapped - the School for the Deaf, the School for the Visually Handicapped, and the homebound handicapped. Chapter B consisted of teachers and librarians at state institutions for the mentally ill or the developmentally disabled. Chapter C was made up of teachers at the state's two juvenile correctional institutions. Chapter D teachers and librarians working at the adult correctional institutions. Chapter E consisted of consultants, educational specialists, and librarians of the Department of Public Instruction and the Board of Vocational, Technical and Adult Education. Archivists, librarians, and curators employed primarily at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin System comprised Chapter F. Each chapter elected a representative who sat on the local's Executive Board (first known as the Executive Council). The Executive Board carried out the policies of the union as set forth by the membership at its annual membership meetings. It also had the power to act for the union in emergencies. In addition, the local was governed by a Representative Council, which included the Executive Board as well as the site stewards. The Representative Council was responsible for liaison and communication between the Executive Board and the individual worksites and individual members, and it functioned as a forum for the discussion of problems, projects, and policies. Eventually the local was staffed by an executive director and an administrative assistant.
Under the leadership of its first president, Larry Allwardt, Local 3271 took an aggressive role in pursuing grievances and civil service reclassifications and in lobbying to improve working conditions and salaries for the membership. In the summer of 1975 a fair share vote was conducted and by 1979 the membership had risen to 750, making 3271 one of the largest locals in the WFT. Because of budget cuts during the 1980's membership declined (676 in 1986).
During its history the local experienced raids or attempted raids by WEAC. In 1979 WFT won a decisive election. In 1985 WEAC again filed for a new election but this election was cancelled because of procedural errors. In 1989, however, the membership voted to remove bargaining rights from the WFT and to affiliate with WEAC. In response, the local became a WEAC affiliate under the name State Professional Education and Information Council.
