Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1545561
5 ADVOCATE | SUMMER 2026 SUMMER ENGAGEMENT It's a chance to be a voice not only for yourself, but for others as well — to communicate and go to a higher level to share our ideals. Matthew Davis Phoenix Union High School District Classroom Teachers Association Voice! I'm from Oregon originally, so unions are a normalized thing. Being here has really shown me the importance of solidarity and being a community that comes together to build something and has that voice to make changes Madelyn George Tucson Unified School District It's important that educators can work together to really fight for their students and fight for their own working conditions. Teacher working conditions are student learning conditions, and without a strong base of support, we are susceptible to all kinds of attacks from across the state. Michael Oei Chandler EA UNION MEMBERS SPEAK UP Why does being a union member matter to you? I have been a union member since the day I signed my teacher contract. Not only are we a community that looks out for each other and supports each other, but when teachers are struggling, we help each other along. Unions, in general, are the way people can stand up and have that voice. I believe in my heart that it will be labor unions that will save our democracy. Sheryl Beskind Paradise Valley Education Association We are the boots on the ground. We're the ones who do the work. Kids show up to us in any way, shape, or form. And so [being] in solidarity, our working conditions, our pay, our respect — that's what my union fights for. Olivia Braun Glendale Union Education Association Being a union member matters to me because together, we make a difference. We have an association that is wonderful. It listens to us. It is a grassroots adventure. We work together, we present our problems, and we get solutions for those problems — and we don't mind standing up and fighting together outside of the classroom. Rosa Nichols AEA Retired