Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1543424
Building power as we move forward The powerful combination of strong picket lines and community, political and #WeCantWait support led to UTR members achieving big contract wins, including fully paid family health insurance and a substantial wage increase that together will help end the staffing crisis in West Contra Costa County schools. e UTR strike proves that we can overcome anti-strike fear that is pushed aggressively by districts and anti-education forces by infusing real joy into our struggles — through powerful solidarity but also by incorporating art and music and community into our organizing as a critical part of a successful strike. UTR would not have achieved a victory of this scale without using the ultimate leverage tactic for our union, which is withholding our labor and going on strike. One key lesson from UTR is that while we don't always have to strike to win, there are things we can't win without a strike. is is a blueprint not just for winning the resources our students deserve but also for overcoming the forces of austerity in our districts, our counties and at the state level. Richmond parent Jen Grey wrote a poem for UTR educators during the strike and read it at a UTR rally: Somewhere between Day 2 and Hope A child's mind is inarguably shaped by the method of their education. But their character- the way they might go on to wield it- that is built upon the values lived and modeled by their teachers. It's upon that thought I set my sights- as we navigate this labor strike, as we grieve the loss and mourn the cost of our students missing school. For, I attest, they are learning. Their teachers are teaching. A different lesson, in a heartbreakingly beautiful way, that could break me if I wasn't so damn inspired… My children joined the picket line without an ounce of fear. A culmination of the education they have received this year: 'Protect What You Love.' Up the hill. Against the odds. Despite the chaos. Through the fog. See darkness as an oath towards dawn. Be what love looks like with its work boots on. Sarah Darr, left, with Stephanie Wagner, UTR site rep at Grant Elementary School in Richmond. "Over the last year and a half, we have inspired one another with effective and creative ideas for building strong site structures, planning campaign actions, and holding strike votes." —SDEA statewide organizer Sarah Darr on the #WeCantWait support network 25 W I N T E R 2 0 26