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Bruce Cotler

“You are the leader in this state on education,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew to New York State United Teachers Vice President Catalina Fortino as he presented her with the Charles Cogen Award, the UFT’s highest honor, at this year’s Teacher Union Day celebration.

Fortino was the UFT vice president for education and director of the union’s Teacher Center before assuming the NYSUT position in the spring of 2014. She also serves as a vice president at the American Federation of Teachers, the UFT’s national affiliate.

But the greatest thing about Fortino, Mulgrew said, is that despite her many responsibilities as a labor leader, there is “one title you have always kept in front: You are a teacher.”

A nationally recognized expert in professional development, curriculum, assessments and program development, Fortino got her start as an early childhood special-education teacher at PS 3 and a bilingual teacher at PS 321, both in Brooklyn, before becoming a bilingual education evaluator in District 15.

Fortino highlighted two figures that stood out in her development as an educator: her mother, who taught her respect for teachers, and her 7th-grade science teacher Norm Sherman, present at the event, who inspired her when she was a recent immigrant from Argentina with limited English-language skills.

Fortino said she first got involved with the UFT because she wanted to advocate for her special education students. Unsure how to proceed, she sought advice from her chapter leader, who she said told her: “Be the voice for those children. Your union will protect you.” It was her union “aha!” moment, she said.

“The union is not just about protecting the individual’s voice,” Fortino said. “It is about amplifying our shared voice so we can move forward together.”

Unfortunately, Fortino said, unions and the democracy they bring to the workplace and society are under attack. That’s why an event like Teacher Union Day is so important.

“Knowing our history is essential for shaping a better future,” Fortino said. “Let’s resolve to make every day Teacher Union Day.”