Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1509126
Ingrid Hutchins TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN TEACHER, Golden Empire Elementary School Educator for 23 Years, site rep for four Positions held: Site Representative, Bargaining Team, Executive Board Elementary Director Why site reps matter: "In a job that can be isolating, it's good for people to know they 're really not alone." Power of strong local sites: "A robust site rep program precludes a lot of issues on the job, especially with work-life balance." Site rep pro tip: "Get to know everyone on your staff as individuals. It helps you know what people's needs and situations are to be able to best help and support them. Be a good listener — that's what people need from us." Words of wisdom: "If you're at a school without a rep and you have even an hour a week, consider stepping up because it really changes a district to have someone at every site to be your voice." Marcie Amparo THIRD GRADE TEACHER, Kimble Elementary School Educator for 10 years, site rep for six Positions held: Site Representative and Bargaining Team Why site reps matter: "I'm available to my fellow teachers. If they have problems, I try to help them find a solution." Power of strong local sites: "Working together was the source of the power for all our fights." Site rep pro tip: "Do what you say you're going to and don't break people's trust." Words of wisdom: "It all comes down to communicating and working together. You got to trust the process and get on board!" "It's empowering to get excited about a shared vision," Amparo says. "Once teachers get excited about something, there's really no stopping us." Milevsky says a big part of building power at sites is taking advantage of the valuable time that educators get to organize together. Jablonski says that means taking full advantage of union time during school site staff meetings. She says being deliberate about using that time to share information and resources and surface concerns is essential to maintaining a cohesive unit and building power. "Here at McClatchy, that time has become almost sacred," Jablonski says. "When it came time to organize and strike, we were ready to go. at wouldn't have been possible without the site rep program and how serious we take it." Le-Hinds echoes the sentiment, adding that face-to-face com- munication and organizing is key to building the relationships necessary to effect change. "I feel like we are powerful now and I didn't feel that way when Continued on Page 22 21 O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 3 "A strong site rep program builds a bond that cannot be broken. Our site reps are leaders at their schools who shine a light on what our educators and students really need." —SCTA President Nikki Milevsky