new teacher q & a

I was so excited about the UFT’s involvement in the recent election. I worked the phone banks and was thrilled when Obama won. Is there anything happening now that the election is over?

Nov 20, 2008 4:00 PM

A: It’s really great that you got involved in bringing about change during the high-profile race for president this year. As you saw, the people we elect and the referenda we vote on can make a big difference in the lives of working families.

But election time is just one opportunity to do your part. Now the UFT, together with our NYSUT and AFT affiliates, needs you for the ongoing work of political action at city, state and national government levels.

Political action isn’t just about endorsing candidates who stand with the union on education, labor and human rights issues. (The Delegate Assembly, the union’s highest elected body, makes those decisions each year for city office seekers and it sends its recommendations on state and federal candidates to NYSUT and the AFT.)

It’s also about fighting against dangerous changes to the law, like vouchers or attempts to strip workers of hard-won rights like tenure. And it’s about lobbying for budgets that help educators do a good job for students.

That’s especially important in the current economic crisis. As AFT/UFT President Randi Weingarten said, “As everyone knows, this is a very bad time for the American economy. ... We cannot simply cut our way out of this situation. Core public services such as education and programs for the most vulnerable in our society must be maintained, as we learned in the 1970s when kids lost big time because of Draconian cuts.”

Last summer, UFT lobbying helped keep budget shortfalls from affecting education funding for the classroom. Now, the union will have to fight hard for a mix of federal, state and city solutions that will keep further cuts from affecting classroom services to students.

What can you do to help?

• Check out the Action Alert! and Political Action sections on the UFT Web site and the Legislative Action Center in the AFT Web site. When bills come up for votes or budget decisions are being made, you can express a position to your elected officials by sending e-mail or picking up the phone. Your voice can help make the case for education funding and other union priorities.
• Check the New York Teacher or www.uft.org for information about union rallies and demonstrations that need your support. The more people who show up at critical moments, the better our message will be heard.
• Sign up for COPE, the union’s Committee on Political Education, if you haven’t already done so. Your small voluntary contributions — not union dues — pay for these and other political actions, which go a long way toward improving learning and working conditions in public schools — and protecting schools during fiscal hard times. Your chapter leader can enroll you in COPE.