Earlier this summer Fairfield Education Association President Mick McGarry heard from some of his members that they’d received fliers encouraging them to “exercise their rights.” When they read the fine print, they realized the fliers were really advocating that they exercise their “right” to lose the benefits of union membership.
Similar mailers, fliers, and emails often target teachers in the spring and summer months, sometimes with something that looks like a check requiring a “signature for redemption” along with the recipient’s phone number, address, and email. These slick materials are produced by front groups for wealthy special interests. Their end goal? Dismantle teachers’ unions and strip educators of their rights and collective strength. They promise all the benefits of union membership—without the membership.
On the most recent episode of CEA’s podcast, Two T’s in a Pod, CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey talk with McGarry about scams that target teachers and then launch into a discussion of the many benefits they’ve personally gotten out of union membership.
McGarry shared that he learned the importance of unions early on in his career as a new teacher in Bridgeport. He found himself with 32 students in his class, above the 30 permitted by his contract. If he didn’t have a union to turn to, the situation would never have been fixed. “The only thing that kept me from having 35 or 40 students in class was my union,” he says.
For anyone looking to learn more about their local association or CEA there are countless opportunities to get involved. “The invitation for engagement, involvement, and influence is out there for everybody,” says Dias.
Listen to their discussion below, or wherever you get your podcasts.
