Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1081203
13 Q1 2019 / CINEMONTAGE Despite the tremendous disruption they caused — the teachers' work stoppage interrupted instruction for nearly 700,000 students — the outpouring of public support for the teachers was tremendous. That sentiment was due in no small part to the union's big-picture vision, framing the dispute in the context of profound questions about the future of public education. The city understood that the teachers' objectives aligned with those of the community, that they were fighting on behalf of our kids. Moreover, the union made explicit that these issues, in a district overwhelmingly comprised of students of color and/or from low-income families, are not simply educational concerns but also matters of social and racial justice. UTLA's framing of the issues was so effective that even Beutner, the union's nemesis, had to concede that the educators' goals were laudable (although, he claimed throughout the dispute, unaffordable). However, framing a contract fight in terms of broader principles of justice wasn't merely a means of garnering public support or rendering management's position morally bankrupt. It also proved key to fueling the passions of rank-and-file members themselves, passions necessary to sustain them through the course of a difficult fight. Were this dispute over mere economics or narrow self-interest — "7½ cents," to borrow a line from The Pajama Game — it could not have generated the righteous fury necessary to win. "If your intention is to save public education, at some point it's okay to stand up and take that risk," explained Robert Reyes, a third grade teacher and UTLA chapter chair at Gardner Elementary. "We recognized we are all on the same side, which made it easier to do this as a group. We built trust through a common thread. We were fighting for our kids and for each other." The last of the lessons I'd like to touch upon here is one that any and every successful organizing effort teaches us, a lesson that's evergreen. That is the centrality of rank-and-file engagement to an effective struggle. Much of the journalistic coverage of the strike presented it in the terms of a contest between two high-profile figures: Beutner as the ultimate boss of LAUSD and Alex Caputo-Pearl as the president of UTLA. That's typical of how both labor and political strife is narrated in the media; reporters are good at profiling individual leaders, but generally less capable when it comes to showing us the grand sweep of movements. But anyone who walked the teachers' picket line or attended one of their rallies could tell that this story transcended interpersonal contest. It wasn't merely a clash between the district boss and the "union boss." This story had a cast of thousands, and none of them was an extra. As somebody who has walked his fair share of picket lines over the past two decades, I was impressed by the degree to which seemingly each individual member of the union played an active role in ensuring the strike's success. The teachers weren't mere bystanders relying upon their union president or any other elected leader to win this fight for them. The rank-and-file were invested in the strike's objectives, they were shouldering responsibility for keeping the picket lines strong, and they were developing their own initiatives for how to make the effort more effective. "A lot of this fight was about educators coming together and finding innovative ways of keeping the energy up," said Reyes of his co-workers' efforts to maintain both public pressure and union members' morale during the work stoppage. "Especially in the rain and without an idea of what could be achieved." That level of broad and active participation in the fight led to action that was both admirably disciplined and compellingly spirited. "When I think about strikes," he continued, "the image they conjure up can be somber. But it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. You can stand up joyfully, you can stand up in celebration — which is what we chose to do." As I write this, teachers in Denver and Oakland are contemplating possible strikes of their own. The ultimate outcome of the #RedForEd struggles remains unwritten. But the imprint this movement and, in particular, the LA teachers have left upon the labor movement already appears indelible. When future historians eventually tell the story of how organized labor in this country successfully clawed its way back from the brink of catastrophe in the early 21st century, present-day teachers will figure as prominent protagonists. Today, we celebrate their victory; tomorrow, we need to adapt their lessons in order to push for greater dignity and power in our own workplaces. f GET TING ORGANIZED Teachers, students, parents and allies walk the picket line at Gardner Street Elementary School. Photo by Rob Callahan CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10