My union makes me a better teacher
On June 27, the one-year anniversary of the Janus v AFSCME Supreme Court decision to restrict membership in public sector unions, AFT member Tina Whitaker told members of Congress a very personal story about a very public issue: Why public sector unions like the AFT are essential to maintaining high-quality education systems and to building the middle class.
I began my teaching career in May 1995 as a substitute teacher in a middle school in Scotland Neck, N.C., in a county that is currently ranked 90th in per capita income in the state. I was excited not only to be giving back to the community in which I was raised, but also to have the opportunity to work with teachers who had nurtured me as a student.
At the beginning of the next school year, I began teaching North Carolina history and language arts to seventh-graders. Still excited, I decorated my class for my new adventure with the help of those same teachers, who were now my mentors. After the completion of a successful year, unfortunately, I was released from my teaching duties because I was told I had not fulfilled my obligation of getting my certification within my “two years” of employment. A month as a substitute teacher plus one full year does not calculate to working for two years, but I had no one to advocate on my behalf because there was not a union I could belong to in North Carolina. I realized that I would have to navigate these waters alone.
I drove to Raleigh, N.C., and pleaded my case to the North Carolina Department of Education. The department said the school district had access to the same screen to verify employment, and I needed to return and try talking to them. With hope in my heart, I went back to the Human Resources Department at the Halifax County School Board. I told them I had gone to the state Department of Education and asked for the employee records of my length of employment, but they still did not budge. I even tried calling the superintendent of Halifax County Schools. He said that if I wanted a job, I could go to another school at the other end of the county because that was all they had available.
I had no one to advocate on my behalf. I had no union, no professional organization, that could fight for me.
I had no one to advocate on my behalf. I had no union, no professional organization, that could fight for me. Here I was, a product of the community and the county school system who had beaten the odds, but I could not get anyone to listen to my pleas. I wanted the students who lived in my community to see that you can go off to college, get your degree and come back home to serve the community in which you lived.
I went from sadness and embarrassment to anger. I was angry because I was let go unfairly, and those who could have helped me, didn’t. I still had bills that had to be paid, and options for places to work were slim. The school system denied my unemployment benefits. I was able to find an education lawyer who took my case pro bono. I called the Human Resources Department to see if we could come to a resolution, but none was provided. I went back and forth on multiple calls. Eventually, I received my unemployment benefits.
I wanted the students who lived in my community to see that you can go off to college, get your degree, and come back home to serve the community in which you lived.
Eventually, I moved to Miami and started the process of gaining employment as a substitute teacher and later as an educator with the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. From my experiences in North Carolina, I had learned what happens when you don’t have someone to advocate for you; therefore, I did not hesitate to join the United Teachers of Dade once I became a teacher.
This union has helped me reach my full potential.
This union has helped me reach my full potential. After coming from a place where my dreams were stifled and where I was unable to help my community, I found my voice in Miami because of a union that has helped me become not only a better educator, but a better professional.
UTD has afforded me opportunities that I otherwise would never have had. It provides the high-quality professional development that gave me the tools to be chosen as the Teacher of the Year and the Social Studies Teacher of the Year.
And UTD is not just a union within the walls of our school buildings. We engage in advocacy and activism at our state Capitol in Tallahassee, speak at school board meetings, participate in community informational sessions on the state of education, and engage with members of the community on the importance of advocating for all children. We collected and donated supplies for those affected by the hurricane, provided school supplies to students in need and aided those community members who were affected by the government shutdown. We are partners with our community. You will see us at book fairs, parades and other community events. We even provide supplies for our pre-K teachers who don’t get the benefit of classroom supply funds from the state. We are there for one another, our students and our community.
As a proud public school teacher and a proud union member, I want public school teachers around the country to have the right to collectively bargain.
That’s why we organize to combat legislation that adversely affects the children and workforce in the communities in which we serve. When bad legislation is passed, it affects morale and district funding that could provide for smaller classes, mental health services, education services and higher teacher salaries. Yes, bad legislation trickles down into our classrooms. Some teachers have started to look outside of education to make a living. Our veterans are leaving, and our new teachers are staying only long enough to have part of their loans forgiven or until a better offer comes along. Some even leave the profession without completing their first year because they cannot afford to live where they teach.
Members of Congress, you must walk your talk. Your message must be one of bringing togetherness to our communities. Healthy workforces with bargaining capability build strong and active communities, and strong communities build stronger economies.
As a proud public school teacher and a proud union member, I want public school teachers around the country to have the right to collectively bargain. It is my hope that Congress will soon pass this important legislation.
Tina Whitaker is social studies teacher at Arthur and Polly Mays 6–12 Conservatory of the Arts in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. She is an AFT teacher leader, and a member of the United Teachers of Dade. This blog post was taken from her testimony to the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee in favor of the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act and the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act.
