I want to quickly share with our readers and wholeheartedly endorse the upcoming 2016 Labor Notes Conference. The conference, being held in Chicago from April 1-3, brings together grassroots unionists from around the country to discuss common issues and strategize ways to build grassroots unionism.
I personally know several of the teachers who will be there and consider them among the most passionate and dedicated teacher unionists I have ever known. It is my great hope that several of the Stronger Together Caucus leaders will be in attendance to network with other like minded caucuses from around the country. You can click the above link to get more information and to register for the conference.
On January 9th, more than 140 people turned out on Long Island for the Restoring Power to the Teacher Conference hosted by STCaucus. The conference focused on ways to organize and empower teachers so that they can not only fight for the schools our students deserve, but for the democratic unions that we deserve!
The morning began with a panel discussion featuring four activist women:
Beth Dimino, STCaucus Chairperson
Mel Holden, Buffalo Teachers Federation activist
Jia Lee, candidate for UFT President and teacher activist in MORE Caucus and STCaucus
Samantha Winslow, organizer and staff writer at Labor Notes
Among the common themes of the discussion were union democracy and organizing at the rank and file level.
Following the plenary, attendees broke up into different workshops. During the first workshop, Melissa McMullan of the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association and Patricia Alberti of the Rocky Point Teachers Association facilitated a workshop titled Finding Your Voice: Supporting Children’s Rights to Fair and Accurate Standards and Assessments and Protecting Our Profession, in which they discussed the state of public education and how teachers could have their voices heard. Samantha Winslow of Labor Notes facilitated The Caucus as a Vehicle for Positive Change in Our Union, which centered on where our power comes from (the membership) and how a caucus can help harness that power. Ms. Winslow tied STCaucus’ work to what successful rank and file caucuses in places such as Chicago, Massachusetts, Seattle, and other places across the country have accomplished. Jia Lee’s Teachers of Conscience- Teachers Refusing to comply and Opting Out workshop dealt with the courageous steps some teachers are taking in refusing to administer New York State assessemnts to their students. Finally, Katie Kleinpeter of the PJSTA facilitated a “best practices” styled workshop titled Organizing at the Local Level.
The second round of workshops saw four more sessions for attendees to visit. Geri-Ann McNamee of the PJSTA and Tracy Zamek of the Hauppauge Teachers Association facilitated a workshop titled Creating Change Through Local School Boards. Both women are school board members in their home communities and, in one of the most promising developments of the day, at least one attendee to the workshop now appears intent on running for the board in her home district as well. The Young Teachers Collective, who traveled all the way from New Jersey to be a part of the conference, facilitated the workshop The Personal, The Professional, and The Pedagogical: Organizing for New and Pre-service Teachers. Their dedication to the profession that they are only now beginning is admirable. They clearly are a bright part of the teaching profession going forward. Ms. Winslow ran her second workshop of the day, The Friedrichs Case and Organizing in Right to Work States, dealing with the looming Supreme Court case and what it means for us. Finally, I worked with Norm Scott from the UFT’s MORE Caucus to facilitate a workshop titled Unity Caucus: Thirst for Power and the Undemocratic Nature of Our Unions. They helped to inform attendees to the workshop on how a small group of people within UFT leadership manages to control nearly every level of teacher unionism we have all while shutting out any opposing viewpoints.
The day was a remarkable success as it brought passionate teachers from all parts of the state together to learn from each other and to network as to how we move forward as a caucus. It was exciting, for a change, to see an event planned and carried out entirely by rank and file teachers, with the intent of having their voices shape the union, as opposed to the top down nature of NYSUT that we have all come to know. The success of the event makes it increasingly likely that similar events around the state can be planned.
Thank you to all of the PJSTA members who attended tonight’s Labor Notes Book Party about the book How to Jump-Start Your Union: Lessons from the Chicago Teachers. Joining a healthy representation of PJSTA members were teachers from districts such as Mount Sinai, Patchogue-Medford, Port Jefferson, Levittown, and Shoreham-Wading River.
We were joined tonight by Mark Brenner and Samantha Winslow of Labor Notes. Brenner and Winslow were also two of the authors of the book. Brenner spoke about his unique experiences as a teacher and now writer for Labor Notes. He provided valuable insights into what has been effective in Chicago and other areas of the country where teachers are fighting back against harmful education reforms.
We were also joined by Brian Jones who has experience in trying to build a more member drive union from his work helping to build the MORE Caucus in the UFT. Jones is currently the Green Party’s candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Jones and running mate Howie Hawkins, who is running for governor, have been formally endorsed by the PJSTA.
On October 16th the PJSTA and Labor Notes will be hosting a book party for the book How to Jump-Start Your Union: Lessons from the Chicago Teachers. The book party will be at Comsewogue High School at 6:00 pm. Anyone is welcome to attend, not just PJSTA members. There is no cost for admission. You can order the book here or buy it in person at the book party. If you plan to attend please RSVP at thepjsta@gmail.com.
Join us for a discussion of Labor Notes’ new book, How to Jump-Start Your Union: Lessons from the Chicago Teachers, with a presentation from Labor Notes author Mark Brenner.
How to Jump-Start Your Union tells how activists transformed their union by engaging their co-workers and neighbors and unleashing the smarts of rank-and-file members. Readers will learn how Chicago teachers worked with their communities, organized a caucus, ran for office, rebuilt a stewards network, trained new leaders, ran a contract campaign, and went on strike.
PLUS: Hear from Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association leaders about New York education struggles and the fight against corporate education “reform.”
“Labor Notes has done it again! Every unionist should read this book that chronicles how the new leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union organized their members, built strong support with the community, and waged a strike against formidable adversaries. But this book is more—it’s a manual on how all unions can revamp to win justice, with lessons that every union can apply to their own situation.”
—STEVEN ASHBY, professor of labor relations, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
“How to Jump-Start Your Union should be a beacon to all rank-and-file members on how to bring democracy to their locals. It’s a toolkit that shows how good old-fashioned hard work and faith in the membership can empower every frontline worker. The bird’s-eye view of the CORE caucus carefully proves that issues are more important than elections and can serve to unite us. It is never all right to just complain.”
—KAREN LEWIS, president, Chicago Teachers Union
Join us for a discussion of Labor Notes’ new book, How to Jump-Start Your Union: Lessons from the Chicago Teachers, with a presentation from Chicago Teachers Union organizer Matthew Luskin.
How to Jump-Start Your Union tells how activists transformed their union by engaging their co-workers and neighbors and unleashing the smarts of rank-and-file members. Readers will learn how to work with their communities, organize a caucus, run for office, rebuild a stewards network, train new leaders, run a contract campaign, and strike.
“Labor Notes has done it again! Every unionist should read this book that chronicles how the new leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union organized their members, built strong support with the community, and waged a strike against formidable adversaries. But this book is more—it’s a manual on how all unions can revamp to win justice, with lessons that every union can apply to their own situation.”
—STEVEN ASHBY, professor of labor relations, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
“How to Jump-Start Your Union should be a beacon to all rank-and-file members on how to bring democracy to their locals. It’s a toolkit that shows how good old-fashioned hard work and faith in the membership can empower every frontline worker. The bird’s-eye view of the CORE caucus carefully proves that issues are more important than elections and can serve to unite us. It is never all right to just complain.”
—KAREN LEWIS, president, Chicago Teachers Union
The Official Website of the PJSTA 