Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1545867
" Y O U A L W A Y S H E A R other locals are fighting for similar things but being a part of the We Can't Wait campaign, we saw it's really true," says Brittoni Ward, president of Twin Riv- ers United Educators (TRUE). " We were all fighting for our own contracts, but the common thread was health benefits. So many of us are suffering from these high-cost plans where the district isn't putting enough in. I really do think we started a wave here and all our CTA siblings can see they can win this for themselves, too." When the campaign kicked off last February, the fight for safe, stable and fully staffed public schools included a demand for competitive wages and benefits. And with chronically sky- rocketing out-of-pocket costs and the failure of educator pay to keep up with inflation, the issue emerged as a centerpiece of our union's major local fights last school year. In chapters across the state, increasing monthly premiums without similar bumps in pay or school district contribu- t i o n s t o h e a l t h c a re h av e b e e n c re a t i n g u n s u s t a i n a b l e United Educators of San Francisco members went on strike earlier this year and won fully paid health care . Fighting for Fully Paid Health Care for All Educators Across California, locals say "We Can't Wait" and win By Julian Peeples 18 cta.org Feature