• Athletics
  • Big Ed
  • Ed Tech
  • Educators
  • Elections
  • Federal Policy
  • Parents
  • Students
  • The Testing Industry

K-12 News Network's The Wire

K-12 News Network: People-Powered Public Education News

  • Budgets
  • Charter Schools
  • Federal Policy
  • School Districts
  • State Education Law
  • School Boards
You are here: Home / Educators / Union Leaders Agree – Our Strength Is In Fighting for the Public Good

Union Leaders Agree – Our Strength Is In Fighting for the Public Good

July 28, 2014 by K12NN Site Admin

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

By Julie Carson and Matthew Kogan, Teachers, United Teachers Los Angeles (group affiliation added for identification purposes only; this is not an official communication of UTLA)

IMG_6541

The standing room only crowd at the AFT convention’s Social Movement Unionism vs. Corporation “Reform” panel discussion held earlier this month demonstrated that many union members are hungry to fight for an alternate narrative to the “corporate reform” agenda and teacher bashing going on in public education today. Teachers squeezed into every corner of the room – every chair was taken, walls were lined with people standing, every inch of floor space was occupied – as the crowd listened attentively to the officers from various unions across the country describe a different kind of unionism that focuses on the inexorable link between the workplace rights of educators and the broader fight for social justice in our communities.

The panel, hosted by United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) and Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), featured the presidents of these two unions, Alex Caputo-Pearl and Karen Lewis respectively, along with Zeph Capo, Vice President of the Houston Federation of Teachers, Jerry Jordan, President, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, Michael Mulgrew, President, United Federation of Teachers [New York], and Mary Cathryn Ricker, President, St. Paul Federation of Teachers. Each one of these leaders related their union’s success stories about allying with the public to address some community need.

This type of unionism is an opportunity to change the narrative that corporate “reformers” have been selling: that schools are failing, students are failing, teachers are failing, and need resuscitation by invoking a business model that focuses on children as products and schools as profit centers. Instead, it’s about making the connection that community and teachers’ priorities are one and the same. Social justice unionism is a way to find our points of unity around issues of economic justice, racial justice, democracy, and equitable public education, then build upon them to become, as UTLA President Caputo-Pearl stated, a “more effective political force” for our communities and ourselves.

How do we do that?

Teacher unions and those defending public education must assess what tools we have to fight back against the wealthy corporate reform movement. This is an old fight of the few at the top trying to use their wealth to leverage power. The answer to this, as always, is the organizing of the many to defend their own rights and interests. The challenge is organizing. This is where teacher unions occupy a special place and have a unique advantage.

Only teachers’ unions work or live in every community in this country. Teachers might not know all the parents of all their students, but in total they know many – in fact teachers have a relationship with millions of parents and community members. While the corporate reformers perpetually try to alienate teachers from the community, the truth is the priorities of teachers and the communities that they serve are very, very close.

This panel of union leaders made it clear that the fate of teachers’ unions, public education and the interests of the community are one, and our strength is in “bargaining for the public good.” Contrary to popular belief, unions don’t have drawers full of cash or a toolbox full of fancy tools. However, what we do have is our connection with students, parents, and the public (voters). That connection is huge. It felt like for the first time in a long time, we in the union have a clear direction to build on that connection and reinforce our common priorities. Teachers left the room feeling inspired about the fight against those who would use our schools for personal gain and profit over the well being of our communities.

 

Related articles
  • Social Movement Unionism Comes to the Teachers Unions at Last
  • A New Teacher Union Movement is Rising
  • You: L.A. teachers union chief ends reelection campaign
  • The case against Alex Johnson
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrssyoutube

Filed Under: Educators, Los Angeles Tagged With: AFT, AFT 2014, Chicago Teachers Union, Karen Lewis, LAUSD, Michael Mulgrew, Social Justice Unionism, Social Movement Unionism, United Teachers Los Angeles, UTLA

About K12NN Site Admin

I'm Cynthia Liu, Owner/Founder of K12 News Network. I'm the proud product of public schools through post-grad, the mom of a child in public schools, and the daughter of two teachers. Connect with me professionally on LinkedIn.

Sign up for our newsletter

* indicates required
Email Format

Buy a hybrid Facebook+ website today!

Federal Policy

Quick Education Voter’s Guide to the California CD34 Race, April 4, 2017

There are twenty-three candidates running to fill former Congressman Xavier Bacerra’s seat in Congressional District 34 in Southern California. (Bacerra is currently the state’s Attorney General, replacing Kamala Harris, who, after November 8, 2016, became our US Senator.) Election Day is Tuesday, April 4, 2017, 7:00 am to 8:00 pm. You can find your polling […]

Betsy DeVos, #NOTMYSDOE

Take the pledge to #resist and fight for public schools as a public good TODAY. DeVos had to have the assistance of Vice President Mike Pence’s unprecedented tie-breaking vote in order to win her confirmation. Two GOP Senators voted against, all Democratic Senators voted against. Yet all the other GOP Senators who received campaign donations […]

Next #DemDebate MUST Include K-12 Education Policy

The next #DemDebate is scheduled for the important primary state of Iowa on November 14, 2015. It’ll be broadcast by CBS in partnership with the Des Moines Register. Professor Julian Vasquez Heilig is leading the call for the families of 50 million students K-12 across the nation and the communities they live in to have […]

More Posts from this Category

K12NN on Blog Talk Radio

Online Politics Progressive Radio at Blog Talk Radio with MOMocrats on BlogTalkRadio

Categories

July 2014
S M T W T F S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Jun   Aug »

Copyright © 2022 · The Wire Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in