Contact: Alison Omens, AFL-CIO, 202-637-5018 or Mike Myslinski at 650-552-5324
San Diego - The AFL-CIO and the National Education Association (NEA) announced affiliations today by six chapters of the California Teachers Association (CTA), the state association of the national NEA. The affiliation will encourage greater cooperation to meet the needs of working teachers, students, and their families, according to the participants. With the affiliations, there are now seven CTA associations affiliated with the AFL-CIO, more than in any other state.
At a meeting of the AFL-CIO Executive Council in San Diego, the president of the AFL-CIO, John Sweeney, presented certificates of affiliation to the presidents of the affiliating associations.
“Today’s affiliations will mean stronger schools and a greater voice for working people,” said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. “As education cuts continue in Congress and across the country, working families are coming together to fight for quality public education for our children.”
The six thousand members represented by the CTA associations come from all along the Pacific Coast, from Oakland to Los Angeles, and represent teachers from elementary school to community college. The affiliations will facilitate greater cooperation among California union members in the fight for healthcare, retirement security, and good jobs. It will also further unify California teachers in the fight for quality public education and student and teachers’ needs in the classroom.
"CTA members have successfully worked with local AFL-CIO unions for many years in advancing quality public schools, affordable health care and a better California for all working families," said David A. Sanchez, president of the 340,000 member CTA. “The recent affiliation of these six local chapters will further strengthen our commitment to build a better California for all families - particularly as we work together to keep drastic state budget cuts away from our schools and communities."
The associations affiliating are Hartnell College Faculty Association in Salinas, Hayward Education Association, Oakland Education Association, San Leandro Teachers Association, Fremont Unified District Teachers Association, and Eastside Teachers Association in Los Angeles.
“The American Federation of Teachers has always believed that teachers and other school employees belong in the larger labor movement,” said AFT President Edward McElroy. “Working people are stronger together, and people who work in our public schools, which are so critical to the well-being of our children and the functioning of our democracy, gain much from being part of America's labor movement. We welcome these new affiliations, and we hope there will be many more to come.”
The affiliation comes as part of a groundbreaking agreement between the national AFL-CIO and NEA allowing for local arms of the NEA to affiliate directly with the AFL-CIO. The partnership is supported by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), a long-time AFL-CIO affiliate. The California members join teachers from Washington DC to Wisconsin to Washington in joining forces with the AFL-CIO. To date, over ten thousand NEA members across the country have joined the AFL-CIO through the partnership.
The AFL-CIO is the country’s largest labor federation and represents 10.5 million union members.
MEMBERS: Log into MyCTA for more information.
Also, check the NEA website.