Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1509126
H O T L A B O R S U M M E R blazed into fall as American workers continue to fight for fairness and dignity. From high-profile national strikes in multiple industries to California educators organizing and bargaining for improved teaching and learning conditions, unionism is alive. Stories on these pages reflect this moment. e essential role of site reps in mustering rank-and-file member participation and action is showcased in "Site Reps: Building Power, One School at a Time" (page 19). Oakland's expanded bargaining team — and a strike — resulted in more nurses, librarians, counselors and other important benefits for students, community and educators ("Big Bargaining Led to Big Gains," page 36). How current issues and perspectives of educators at charter schools and county offices of education affect their union work are highlighted in "Charter Schools Organize to Win," page 39, and "Specialized Ser- vices, Unique Issues in County Offices," page 45. Also noted are locals large and small that exhaust all other avenues and are ready to strike ("Bargaining Roundup," page 47). e fight extends to equity and social justice, as well as to the ballot box: CTA and its chapters are supporting educators statewide as they battle with fringe extremists on school boards who are banning books and curriculum, and instituting forced "outing" policies that harm LGBTQ+ students ("Defending Our Schools and Students," page 24). Is there a need for all this collective action among educators? e answer is a resounding yes, bolstered by any number of facts that show how students, schools and educators have suffered from years of disinvestment. e latest is a report by the Economic Policy Institute (see box) that finds the pay penalty for teachers — the gap between the weekly wages of teachers and college graduates working in other professions — grew to a record 26.4% in 2022, way up from 6.1% in 1996. Protesting the forced outing policy passed by the Rocklin Unified school board; story on page 30. Getting Hot in Here Teacher Pay Declines; Unions Are Part of the Solution In September, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) reported on the "teacher pay penalty," the gap between the weekly wages of teachers and college graduates working in other professions. It found that on average, teachers made 26.4% less than other similarly educated professionals in 2022 — the lowest level since 1960. Teachers earned 73.6 cents for every dollar that other professionals made in 2022 — much less than the 93.9 cents on the dollar they made in 1996. EPI recommended three solutions, among them: "Public-sector collective bargaining should be expanded since unions can advocate for improved job quality and a higher level of resources." For the full report, go to epi.org/publication/teacher-pay-in-2022. Larry Itliong would no doubt be outraged that the labor movement's historic wins during the Delano Grape Strike almost 60 years ago were just a temporary blip in an ongoing struggle. The activist, who came to the U.S. at 15, spent years toiling in West Coast fields and canneries before leading fellow Filipino Americans and other migrant workers in strike actions for better pay and humane treatment. His collaboration with Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta led to the creation of the United Farm Workers. It's fitting that California celebrates Larry Itliong Day on Oct. 25 and honors a pioneer who inspires our work today for fairness, dignity and social justice. "e Consti- tution said that everybody has equal rights and justice," Itliong said. " You have to make that come about. ey are not going to give it to you." Stay hot. Happy Fall. Katharine Fong E D I T O R I N C H I E F editor@cta.org 6 cta.org E D I T O R ' S N O T E