California educators have recently launched the We Can’t Wait campaign, a statewide coordinated effort by educator unions covering nearly 80k educators and over one million students, making it the largest educator campaign in the country’s history. Despite CA having the largest economy in the country, the state ranks 33rd for per pupil education spending. Educator unions are demanding their city, state, and federal government provide the resources needed for a quality public education system. On the Line interviewed Cassondra Curiel, President of United Educators of San Francisco, and Nathalie Hrizi, the VP of Substitutes of UESF. Both are leaders in the statewide campaign and spoke to us about how UESF and educators across the state are preparing to stand up for public education and fight for what their colleagues and students deserve.
On the Line
On the Line is a network of union members and leaders who cover, analyze, and draw lessons from the struggles of workers across the country to build a fighting labor movement. Although the vast majority of workers in the U.S. remain unorganized, union popularity is at its highest since 1965. One of the key drivers of this popularity is a groundswell of interest from a new generation of young workers who are looking to the labor movement as a vehicle to fight against an increasingly bleak future. A labor movement that is content with business as usual will not realize the opportunities of this moment. Instead, we need unions that articulate not only our demands for better pay and working conditions, but can advance our broader political aspirations as a working class. Building a movement that can advance the hopes and dreams of all workers won't be achieved by creating perfect structures and processes in unions that become more marginal with each passing year. It will only be achieved by organizing at a scale and fighting with an intensity that we have not seen in decades.
This is the kind of labor movement that we need.
Our future is on the line.
On the Line is a network of union members and leaders who cover, analyze, and draw lessons from the struggles of workers across the country to build a fighting labor movement. Although the vast majority of workers in the U.S. remain unorganized, union popularity is at its highest since 1965. One of the key drivers of this popularity is a groundswell of interest from a new generation of young workers who are looking to the labor movement as a vehicle to fight against an increasingly bleak future. A labor movement that is content with business as usual will not realize the opportunities of this moment. Instead, we need unions that articulate not only our demands for better pay and working conditions, but can advance our broader political aspirations as a working class. Building a movement that can advance the hopes and dreams of all workers won't be achieved by creating perfect structures and processes in unions that become more marginal with each passing year. It will only be achieved by organizing at a scale and fighting with an intensity that we have not seen in decades.
This is the kind of labor movement that we need.
Our future is on the line.Listen on
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