The recent cover of Time magazine put words and statistics to what New York teachers have been feeling for years.
Under the headline -- Exactly How Teachers Came to Be So Underpaid in America – the story details how low teacher pay, and attacks by the wealthy elite and corporate interests -- combined with painful budget cuts -- have wounded the teaching profession.
After years of being unfairly cast as the enemy, teachers are now out to regain the upper hand.
It’s true in New York, just like it’s true in Arizona, West Virginia, Oklahoma and other places.
Teachers are organizing– and promising to come out in force as a voting bloc in November – to fight for what’s rightfully theirs.
And there’s growing support from the American public for our positions.
Two-thirds of Americans agree that teachers’ salaries are too low, while 78 percent of parents would support their child’s teacher in the event of a strike. Support for teachers unions, too, is growing stronger.
I can feel the pendulum swinging.
Like teachers across the nation, educators in New York feel empowered.
While we don’t have the legal right to strike, my members are energized, organized, mobilized – and intent on taking back our profession and getting what we deserve.
Over the past decade, New York teachers have faced layoffs due to drastic budget cuts. Every election, it seems, billionaires try to impose their own extreme education views on everyone else.
We, too, have had to battle politicians who want to strip away our professional autonomy and have imposed harmful policies that simply do not work – like basing teacher evaluations on student test scores.
But there’s a big difference in New York compared to other states.
That difference is the presence of NYSUT.
Educators in New York benefit from being part of a strong union.
Our union fights alongside our members for better pay, good health benefits, a secure retirement and – crucially – a strong voice in determining conditions for teaching and learning.
I’m proud that, because New York teachers are part of such a strong union, New York has the highest teacher pay in the nation.
Most educators here are paid fairly, although -- yes -- some still earn less than they should for the important work they do. Pay must continue to improve for all those working in our schools, colleges and healthcare facilities.
Because of collective bargaining, New York educators also have decent health insurance and the promise of a dignified and secure retirement.
And, because of their strong local and state unions, New York educators can speak out – powerfully – on important issues.
We loudly denounced the foolishness of arming teachers with guns.
We have been militant in demanding equity in school funding.
And we will continue to blast the harm done to public education by using students’ standardized tests scores in evaluations.
We’re going to take advantage of the wind at our backs.
We are going to be an unstoppable force in the mid-term elections.
We’re going to carry that momentum into the legislative session.
We’re going to let Albany know:
We’re proud to be teachers.
We’re proud to be union.
And, especially now, you don’t want to get in our way.
Andy Pallotta, a former elementary teacher, is president of the more than 600,000-member New York State United Teachers.
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