Being one in solidarity

When I started my teaching career, I joined my local teaching union, which is connected to our state union, which is connected to our national union. I didn’t understand what that all meant and wasn’t sure what it all involved outside of getting dues taken out of my check every month. I was just told it was something I should do.

I learned a lot in those opening years. When a parent threatened to sue me for something I didn’t do, I found out my union would provide legal representation if needed. (It wasn’t needed.) During some contentious contract negotiations, I discovered that union representatives were bargaining on my behalf.

I spoke up at a union meeting during one of those difficult bargaining times. My argument was that I’d rather get a slightly smaller raise if it meant saving jobs. At the time, it looked like we might be headed for some financial difficulties as a district. What good will a larger raise do me if I lose my job? I was shot down right away and essentially told I didn’t understand anything.

And maybe I didn’t. But maybe it was time to get to understand things a bit more. Over time, I grew to ask the right questions of the right people and started to gain more comprehension.

Then I decided to become a negotiator. That was the step that pushed me to understand what it means to belong to a union and also to understand communication and the concept of disagreeing but still agreeing. Doesn’t make sense? Hopefully it will soon.

I’m embarking on, I think, my eighth contract negotiation. (It becomes fuzzy after a while.) You have to have some thick skin since you might have people upset at you, either from across the table or on your own side. Not everybody gets everything they want, and that can cause some hard feelings. 

I mentioned understanding communication. It’s essential in a union to communicate and keep people in the loop. Many years back, we had a contract voted down by our membership. We had not communicated well, and they voted no, as is their right. The communication aspect has stuck, and we try to meet face-to-face with all our members before starting the process. We are all one union!

And there is the concept of agreeing while disagreeing. I thought we had a great contract agreement that year. But our membership had some problems with it. Even though I disagreed with their sentiment, when the vote came in, I had to “agree” with it, and we had to start over in the process. In retrospect, we’ve ended up in a better place as a result.

Last year, I was elected to our state union governing board. I’m already involved in lobbying and insurance, so I thought it might be time to take it to the next level. After all, I have opinions! (Shocking, I know.) 

What I’ve discovered most of all is that “disagree but agree” concept. My push on the governing board is to make sure outstate voices are heard instead of a focus on the metro area. Right from my first meeting, I wasn’t afraid to raise my hand and show a different side to an issue based on how life is out here in the less-densly populated areas.

At the end of the day, I don’t always win those discussions. Quite often, my point of view has been voted down. And once that happens, I have to put on a happy face and, publicly, agree with the board’s decision. It might be a tough pill to swallow, but I am only one voice.

I don’t agree with everything my union does or supports. I think there are some mandates the group is in favor of that could be dropped and have the money put elsewhere. I’m trying to be vigilant on how some of our union dues are spent and asking questions about where some of that money goes.

But again, I’m just one voice. And if or when the governing board does not agree with me, all I can do is shrug. I have tried to persuade and not always succeeded. That’s how a democratic system works.

The communication continues to be key. I started emailing all my constituents, which involves teachers and paras from New Ulm to Byron. I’m pleased when I hear from some of them. They have elected me, and I want to hear from them. 

I attended our state representative conference for Education Minnesota at the end of April. Over 600 educators were there to elect new officers and make some decisions to steer our union over the next year. I did not vote along with everything that passed, but I have learned to understand the rationale others have for believing something different than I do. 

Wouldn’t that be nice if that worked in all areas of life? We don’t always “win,” but we can be okay with that. 

My union is stronger when we stand in solidarity. Sometimes that’s hard, but the ultimate goal of treating educators well, both in compensation and respect, works better if we don’t fight amongst ourselves. I will continue to fight the good fight and stand with my union brothers and sisters.

And I’m always willing to listen!

Word of the Week: This week’s word is siberianize, which means to send someone to a remote location as punishment, as in, “Once he realized the union would not siberianize him for disagreeing, he felt better about voicing his opinion.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!