In early August, we had the opportunity to attend the United Teachers Los Angeles’s (UTLA) organizing weekend, which had over 900 of their school-based representatives in attendance. This annual event focused on “building collaborative power” and emphasized the effectiveness of school-based representatives. The palpable sense of union solidarity energized the discussions and reinforced our belief that the future successes of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) must be driven by local initiatives and local conversations.
Cultivating local networks
The strength of our union lies in the relationships and networks cultivated at the school level, where classroom teachers play a pivotal role. The provincial ATA plays an equally critical role as it listens to the membership and reflects its concerns in communications to members, parents and the general public.
To enhance our collective power, we need to focus on where that power is found: in our classrooms and our staff rooms. Effective union work requires not only dedicated elected representatives and staff but also active involvement from the entire membership.
As one UTLA member insightfully remarked, “The power to win is not at the table; it’s at the sites [schools], knowing that teachers have the backs of their bargaining team.”
Three key actions for our local
One-on-one conversations: This year, Edmonton Public Local 37 will implement a training program for site reps to conduct monthly one-on-one conversations with local ATA members. These discussions will include listening to members’ concerns, providing ATA and bargaining updates and assigning actionable tasks for follow up. We will begin by engaging natural leaders (those respected and trusted by peers) within each school and expand our reach through them.
10-minute meetings: Site reps will be trained to run brief, focused meetings at the start or end of staff gatherings, during lunch breaks or whenever feasible. These meetings will allow them to identify and collect teacher concerns to relay to local and district representatives, as well as to provide members bargaining and other general provincial ATA updates. Strengthening this two-way communication will ensure that members feel heard and supported.
Red4Ed promotion: We will emphasize the history and importance of the Red4Ed movement, which symbolizes our collective organization and solidarity. The days we ask members to wear red (Fridays and bargaining days) can also help us see where we may need to focus our attention and efforts for improvement. Through Red4Ed, we can build networks within schools and the broader community, including parents and local businesses, to reinforce our unity and collective power.
Our Association, our union
Recent provincial actions — the removal of our regulatory functions, lack of consultation around significant increases to mandatory standardized testing, changes to pension governance — have forced teachers to focus more on union-related activities.
The strength of our Association lies in our membership and in the ability of our locals to mobilize at the school level, as demonstrated by our recent achievements in local bargaining. Many of us have been told throughout our careers, “We’ll get them next time.” As one local president remarked at this year’s summer conference, “THIS IS next time!”
We invite you to join us and stand united shoulder to shoulder with your colleagues. Together, by fighting for our dignity, our profession and the students and working families we serve, we will secure our future and the future of those coming after us.
Karlee Hren and Heather Quinn are the Vice-president and President, respectively, of Edmonton Public Local No 37. Jay Procktor serves on the Provincial Executive Council as District Representative, Edmonton-McMurray.
Opinions expressed on this page represent the views of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Alberta Teachers’ Association.
