Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1509126
" O U R S I T E R E P S A R E S O I M P O R T A N T , " says Nikki Mile- vsky, president of Sacramento City Teachers Association (SCTA). "ey have their fingers on the pulse of what is going on in the school sites." e state's capital was the site of some hardcore grassroots organizing over the past few years, with educators building a massive movement and putting it all on the line to win resources for their students and save Sacramento public schools. Powered by their inspiring unity, SCTA mem- bers won an inspiring list of victories in less than two years: a historic contract that ended their eight-day strike along with SEIU Local 1021 in Spring 2022, flipping the Sacramento City Unified (SCUSD) school board in Fall 2022, leading to the end of the reign of the belligerent former superintendent, and approval of a new contract that will help attract and retain the educators that Sacramento students deserve. And SCTA leadership says none of it would have been possible without committed members at strong local school sites and the site reps who worked to organize them. "We are only as strong as our rank-and-file members — and they are only as strong as their site reps," says SCTA First Vice President David Fisher, who was president during the strike. For most members, site representatives are the face of their local association, serving as the contact point for all union information and surfacing issues from the site to be addressed by local association leadership. For two decades, Lori Jablonski has been a site rep at McClatchy High School, SCUSD's largest school, supporting between 80 and 120 members with issues ranging from scheduling and class sizes to disciplinary matters. She says site reps also play an important role in helping new educators navigate their first years in the field. "We're the personification of the union. We exist to protect the interests of our members on campus," she says. "I enjoy getting to know our membership and helping to problem-solve, so little things don't turn into big things." Site representatives are the first point of con- tact when members have a question, concern or problem on the job — making them a crucial part of building trust and power at work sites and local associations as a whole. Ingrid Hutchins, transitional kindergarten teacher and site rep- resentative at Golden Empire Elementary School, says SCTA's comprehensive site rep program is a deliberate effort, building relationships at school sites and creating a culture where edu- cators know they always have someone in their corner. "When we have strong site reps and a strong rep sup- port system, we have people who will say 'this is not OK,'" Sac City's strong site rep program key to major victories By Julian Peeples "We are only as strong as our rank-and-file members — and they are only as strong as their site reps." —SCTA First Vice President David Fisher Site rep Lori Jablonski (with glasses) on an SCTA picket line in 2022. Photo courtesy Tammy Abdo, at forefront. Building Power, One School Site at a Time Site Reps: 19 O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 3 Feature Final Trim Size: 8" x 5" 8.25" x 5.25" Bleed 7" x 4.687 Live Area Colors 4/0 CMYK Y C K M