Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/740763
with the district, we had the highest turnout we've ever had — 97 percent approval to ratify the contract. Having a member-engaged year under our belt was the foundation that we built our campaign on. 2. During the contract campaign, we built systems using rosters, lists and records of one-on-one conver- sations at school sites to assess how many folks would fight upcoming battles. For example, chapter chairs were asked to confirm and reconfirm members' par ticipation in the faculty meetings boycott and repor t back to UTL A. We would use that information to provide suppor t. If a large percent- age of teachers said, " We're not going to do it because we're afraid of our principal," we would provide suppor t for that school. 3. We articulated what the stakes were and why we needed a dues increase. Broad wants to open up an unregulated sector of schools that not only undermines LAUSD but many existing charter schools. He wants to pull half the students out of LAUSD schools and put them in unregulated charters that are unaccountable to the public. Our members needed to understand that Eli Broad was not talking about $19 a month, the cost of the dues increase. He was talking half a billion dollars. 4. We attached our request for a dues increase to a strategic plan and vision. We explained that we needed more money to help the union's infrastructure fight for more funding for high-quality schools offering a rich curriculum, more outreach to parents and our community, and more charter school accountability. 5. We were stone-honest from the beginning, telling our members exactly what we wanted to spend the money on: getting rid of our deficit, expanding legal services, expanding public rela- tions, expanding our parent community engagement, expanding our research department and member organizing. We were clear throughout where the money was going. What's happening with Broad's plan? We were able to win the first battle in that we very quickly got out there pub- licly with parents and community. But it's absolutely an ongoing battle and a multiyear struggle. Broad has an eight- year plan. We have a similarly long view. That means fighting for our schools to be the best they can be — and be "community schools" that parents and students feel ownership of. I want to reiterate that UTLA rep- resents 12 independent charter schools and 1,000 members teaching in char- ters. We're very proud of them and the work we do with them. We are fighting against deregulation and privatization; we are not fighting against charter teachers or charter parents. What message do UTLA's actions send to billionaires seeking to privat- ize education through charters? They are seeing the power of people right before their eyes, with thousands of folks throughout the city coming together for the same vision, being very articulate about what they want to see in building a movement for community schools. It has to be very compelling for them. UTLA has also taken on testing. How is that going? LAUSD uses 21 different standardized tests, 10 of which are mandated by state or federal rules and 11 that aren't. So we are continuing the fight to expand instructional time and get rid of stan- dardized tests that aren't necessary. Outside of formal contract talks, we have had two meetings with the dis- trict to demand immediate relief from overtesting for elementary students and educators, and demand a letter sent immediately to all schools clarifying which tests are mandatory and which are optional. Last year, we organized 90 elemen- tary schools to have their members submit forms to their principal seeking adult assistance during their one-on- one testing, which takes up a huge amount of instructional time and takes teaching time away from other children. Ultimately, the district said there would be no more Smarter Balanced interim assessments last year, which was a victory for us. Compare the UTLA of today with the UTLA of a few years ago. We're beginning the process of becom- ing an organizing union. It's not just member organizing, but parent orga- nizing and community organizing. It's been a team effort; a lot of people are involved. We're excited about this new direction. The city sees us building power and responds to UTLA in a differ- ent way. There's a growing awareness among elected officials, elected leaders and leaders of nonprofits that UTLA is becoming better organized each week and each month. They understand UTLA is a power to be reckoned with. — Sherry Posnick-Goodwin Photo by Scott Buschman "We're beginning the process of becoming an organizing union. It's not just member organizing, but parent organizing and community organizing. We're excited about this new direction." — ALE X CAPUTO-PE ARL, UTLA President 25 October 2016