Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1526751
Marisol Garcia Amber Gould Angela Philpot Marisol Garcia Amber Gould Angela Philpot Marisol Garcia Amber Gould Angela Philpot 6 ADVOCATE | FALL 2024 How Decisions Are Made in Our Union As Arizona public school educators, we are our union, and we make decisions democratically. at's true of local unions in specific school districts across the state, and it's true of our 3-million-member strong national union. Local Governance Local unions hold elections for roles like president, vice president, secretary, and more. ese elected leaders handle day-to-day affairs for the local, usually conferring with their membership through surveys or votes ahead of important decisions. In some districts, the local president has some time off from their teaching and work duties to cover their union responsibilities, but for the most part, local leaders serve as volunteers, carving out time from their evenings and weekends to support their fellow educators. To learn more about the structure of your local union, how decisions are made, and how you can run to be part of leadership, reach out to your local. Statewide Governance e Arizona Education Association is the state-level affiliate for local educators' unions across Arizona. As a statewide union, AEA represents public school educators in discussions and negotiations with the Arizona state legislature, our governor, our state superintendent of public instruction, and other state-level elected officials. Our AEA president, vice president and treasur- er, along with our Board of Directors, make day-to-day decisions for our statewide union. Every year, more than 600 educators are selected by their local unions to attend the annual AEA Delegate Assembly, where they elect members of AEA Board of Directors and discuss, debate and vote on policy resolutions and proposed amendments to the AEA constitution and bylaws. DA delegates also elect AEA's President, Vice President and Treasurer every three years. Stay tuned for the dates of the 2025 Delegate Assembly and information about how you can run to be a delegate! National Governance Our national affiliate is the National Education Association. With 3 million members, NEA is the largest labor union in the world. NEA represents public school educators nationwide in discussions and negotiations with the US Congress, the US President, the Secretary of Education, and other federal elected officials. e NEA president, vice president and treasurer, along with the NEA Board of Directors, make day-to-day decisions for our national union. Each year, more than 6,000 union educators from all over the United States come together for the Representative Assembly (RA) of the NEA. ey discuss policy, determine direction, and pass a budget for NEA (yes, all 6,000 of them!) Each year, AEA sends a delegation of union educators to represent our state at NEA-RA. Stay tuned for dates of the 2025 NEA RA and information about how you can run to be a delegate! 101 Isaac School District middle school social studies teacher Isaac District Education Association former local president Apache Junction Unified School District and Gilbert Public Schools esl teacher (K-12 and adult education) Apache Junction Education Association former local president Glendale Union High School District english and student council teacher Glendale Union Education Association former local president Our Statewide Officer Team Elected May 7, 2022