Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1515721
Organizing Pro Tip "It starts with having a great team around you. People who understand that it's about the greater good is how we've been able to do so much in a very short time." —LaTonya Pye, East Bay Educators United HTEC President Hayden Gore with wife Lisa. " I think p e opl e felt li ke th e y n e ed ed p r o t e c t i o n — a n d t h e n a l s o s e e i n g what certificated EBEU members have accomplished. It's been a huge blessing to see how much good has come out of this for our staff and students." HTEC educators experienced a sim- i l a r o u t b re a k of i n sp i r i n g s o l i d a r i ty across 16 High Tech High sites in San D i ego C ounty. Within a year of th eir hi stor i c f i rst c ontra c t w i n , 3 0 0 Hi g h Te c h H i g h E S P s p e t i t i o n e d t o j o i n t h e i r 4 3 0 - p l u s c e r t i f i c a t e d s i b l i n g s in H TEC, rai sing th e total union si ze to more than 730 educators — one of the biggest charter school educators' unions in the countr y. " Hi g h Te c h Hi g h h a s r h e t o r i c a l l y committed itself as an equity project for years. They spoke the language of equity, we believed it, began to inter - nalize it, and then demanded it," says Gore. "I think we were held captive by thi s my tho log y t au g ht to us by Hi g h Tech High that being at-will employees is what made us good. If we want justice for our children, we have to fight for just working conditions. All of our contract wins have contributed to a more sus- tainable work environment." ESPs at Leadership Public Schools (LPS) said "Union Yes" and were officially acknowledged late last year as members of EBEU. LaTonya Pye, a career and community leadership coordinator at LPS Richmond, says ESPs had previously tried to organize unsuccessfully, but this time there seemed to be a strong sense of urgency that pushed them across the finish line. With bad management and other issues causing high turnover, Pye says their EBEU team is preparing to survey members to develop priorities head- ing into their first-ever bargain. Among their top concerns: respect, safety, fair and competitive compensation, and job security. While Pye expects bar- gaining to start in spring, she says they are taking time to gather all member voices to ensure the process is inclusive. "What is going to provide the best resources because ultimately, the goal is to serve the students in our community," Pye says. "I'm new to this and there's a lot to learn, but there's so much power! This is just the beginning — we're looking forward to many more wins!" East Bay Educators United LE ADER SHIP PUBLIC SCHOOL S San Francisco Bay Area 36 ESP members across three sites Continued from Page 27 Rodrigo Ventura, Reginald Finley and LaTonya Pye led the successful effort to organize ESPs and join EBEU; at right, LaTonya Pye. 28 cta.org Feature