Spotlight on Murrow HS

At Brooklyn’s Edward R. Murrow HS, UFT members have worked hard to build a successful chapter. Chapter leader Frieda Jones has always been involved in the union and stepped in as chapter leader seven years ago. Representing close to 400 members, she focuses on three main areas: helping her members get information they need, building a sense of community within the school, and increasing participation in a variety of union events.

Jones is always looking for information that her members can use. She often requests visits from UFT specialists so that her members can become informed about certification, pension and new-teacher orientation issues. “One of the most important things I do as chapter leader is to serve members, answering questions for them or directing them to others who can help them,” says Jones.

Murrow’s UFT is known for its “coffee and cake” meetings, one way that Jones reaches out to her members. Murrow also boasts its own UFT Web site that links visitors to important information. In such a large school, getting to know colleagues is a challenge, so staff members get together one evening a month to socialize. Jones says this helps build solidarity among the staff.

Though her members are frustrated by the lack of a new contract and the poor working conditions they face, Jones says that many are interested in political action. A group of her members testified at the UFT/CSA forum on overcrowding. Other members boarded a bus to Albany to speak to state legislators about education issues. And some of Murrow’s teachers recently attended a local town hall meeting with Randi Weingarten, expressing their concerns about the safety and overcrowding issues that are affecting their school.

While Jones is the union representative for the school, she tells her members, “I’m not the union — you are.” For their strong union support and commitment to public education, Murrow’s UFT members deserve our recognition.