“CEA membership reminds me that it’s not just me—I’m not alone,” says New Milford Spanish teacher Alicia Hynes. “There’s a great group of teachers that I’m in this with, and I love that.”
Hynes was one of nine CEA members who took part in a new social media campaign aimed at raising awareness of how CEA protects and supports public school teachers. The videos being shared on CEA social media channels now through the end of August showcase the stories of real teachers at every point in their careers explaining what union membership means to them.
In addition to Hynes, other teachers featured in CEA’s campaign are Sara Azukas, Region 15; Emily Hulevitch, Enfield; Nicole Pond, Bridgeport; Jeffrey Rizzo, Branford; Katie Ruffo, Norwich; Emma Sands, Windsor Locks; and retired teachers Bill Myers and Greg Vickers.
In the videos, CEA members share how union membership has made a difference in their lives, relating stories about everything from the support they received when unfairly criticized by a parent to getting a teaching position restored after it had been threatened by budget cuts.
Teaching positions on the line
“This year, New Milford was facing $2 million in cuts to our education budget,” says Hynes. “My position, along with those of 61 other teachers in the district, was on the line.”
She still gets upset when she remembers what it was like to hold a letter in her hands that placed her career in jeopardy.
“In that moment it felt like there was no hope, but then the union kicked in,” she says.
The New Milford Education Association rallied teachers as well as parents and community members.
“I’ve never seen a local get organized as fast as ours did, and then we reached out to CEA for more support. When we had our very first rally at the town council meeting, seeing the sea of red shirts, seeing my fellow teachers, but also seeing the way that CEA showed up—we weren’t the only budget battle that happened this year, but CEA was there for us. Through the activism of our local association and support from CEA, we had a voter turnout like this district has not seen in decades. We were able to get the bad budget voted down and education funding restored so that our kids can get the education that they deserve.”
Retiree recoups thousands in pension benefits
A retired Manchester social studies teacher, Greg Vickers says that when he was an active teacher he met and heard stories from colleagues in other states who didn’t have strong unions standing with them. He saw the difference it made to have CEA and his local association successfully advocate for teachers and students.
Once he retired, Vickers found himself in need of that advocacy and support.
Vickers had attended CEA retirement workshops and carefully calculated how much his pension check would be before he decided to retire.
“After I retired, before I got my first pension check from the Teachers’ Retirement Board, they sent me a letter saying that according to the Department of Education, I wasn’t certified for the last two years I taught, and therefore my pension benefit would be reduced,” Vickers recalls. “I was completely blown away by this, because I knew I had gone through the certification process. And then I couldn’t get anyone to call me back.”
A friend suggested Vickers reach out to CEA.
“I called Elizabeth Sked, who works with retired folks, and she got back to me right away. It felt so good just to have someone respond, and she said she’d find out more. A couple of days later she wrote back and told me the Department of Education had looked into it and was able to backdate my certification and fix the issue the Teachers’ Retirement Board had identified. I really appreciate CEA’s advocacy and the work to help me navigate the bureaucracy, because otherwise I was kind of at a loss for what to do next.”
Vickers finally started receiving the full monthly pension benefit he was entitled to.
“I’m a lifetime CEA-Retired member now, and I’m really happy with the help I got from CEA,” he says.
Coming back after steep cuts
“When we heard we were facing layoffs about a year ago, the biggest layoffs in the state, we were devastated. We lost around 127 teachers,” says Enfield Teachers’ Association President Emily Hulevitch. “We held rallies with CEA’s support, and the CEA president and vice president spoke. They inspired our members, and they and CEA staff attended our town council meetings and board of education meetings.”
This year, Hulevitch and fellow Enfield educators knew how important it would be to plan ahead and line up CEA support early in the budget process.
“CEA staff worked with my local PAC chair to support and get ahead of the budget crisis we were facing again this year. We didn’t want to lose any more teachers to cuts, and actually we were able to gain back 11 teachers with CEA’s help and support,” she says.
The huge losses Enfield suffered weighed heavily on the entire district, but Hulevitch says that having CEA’s support made a big difference for teachers.
“Knowing that CEA leaders and staff would come to our meetings, speak to our members, take phone calls, and answer emails and text messages—knowing CEA was there was so invaluable to my members and to me. Our membership felt heard, and that’s the biggest thing. Members feel heard and seen when they know CEA is there for them.”
“Some of the greatest benefits of union membership are highlighted in this campaign—strength in numbers, support and protection, the expertise to help educators, and the connections with colleagues across the career continuum,” says CEA President Kate Dias. “All our successes, from uninterrupted lunch to Social Security benefits that educators deserve, have come from union strength and advocacy, and we are proud to showcase our collective voice and collective wins.”
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook and watch for stories from your colleagues throughout the summer.
