For more than 20 years, school paraprofessionals, office workers, custodians and other school employees have been active members of NEA, but have not been eligible to join CTA.

 

Redlands Teachers Association President Rich Laabs told delegates that a favorable vote would give classified employees more respect and make them feel "a little less like the hired help."

 

After all, he said, they are "our partners in educating the children."

 

With the votes tallied and the results overwhelmingly in favor, CTA President Barbara E. Kerr and NEA Board member-at-large Paula Monroe joined delegates in giving their ESP colleagues a standing ovation and inviting them to take a seat in the voting section. "We welcome these colleagues into our family," said Kerr.

 

Monroe, president of the Redlands Education Support Professionals Association, represents ESP members across the country on the NEA Board of Directors.

 

Council's action is not directed at school employees already represented by other unions, but will allow for representation of unorganized education support professionals.

 

In addition to making the landmark decision, Council celebrated its success in forcing the governor to live up to his promise to repay the money he borrowed from schools two years ago. CTA spent a lot of money to fight the governor's special election initiatives, said Kerr in her remarks to Council. The $5 billion now being added to the governor's proposed budget for schools represents a "6,750 percent return on that investment for our students and our public schools."

 

A large part of the new money is being offered to settle a lawsuit filed by CTA over the governor's failure to fund education at the level required by Proposition 98. It's very different from the deal that the governor made with CTA and then broke in 2004. This time, "there's no trust. There's no handshake. There's no belief that this governor has pulled core values out of the air. This is about doing what he was forced to do by us."

 

In urging delegates to work for the election of Phil Angelides for governor, Kerr said the election provides an opportunity to elect a candidate for governor who will put education first. "He will do what's right for schools without the lawsuit, without the pounding, without the beating up."

 

In other business, delegates at the June meeting generated an impressive show of support for Hilton Hotel workers' labor organizing efforts; staged a rally on behalf of Prop. 82, the Preschool for All initiative, led by celebrity spokesperson Jimmy Smits; and presented awards to educators who've given their time to making a difference in their profession, in the organization and in the political arena.

 

Council demonstrated its support for UNITE HERE Local 11 and its fight to organize Los Angeles hotel workers, including 600 employees at the Los Angeles Airport Hilton, where Council has been meeting four times a year.

 

At the urging of UNITE HERE, CTA decided to go ahead with the meeting, but demonstrate its solidarity with Hilton workers. Council distributed pins and invited workers to speak at Saturday's session. After hearing stirring accounts of harassment, delegates and staff "passed the hat" and raised $6,350 for the workers' strike fund. Their donation is being matched by CTA.

 

Just as the decline in union membership is cause for alarm in many organizations across the country, it presents challenges for CTA as well, especially when combined with the threat of declining enrollment in many school districts, CTA Executive Director Carolyn Doggett told Council. Even though some might wring their hands in despair, there are many opportunities presenting themselves.

 

In addition to the thousands of potential new members Council opened its arms to with its vote on ESP membership, there are many other potential members across the state who are not currently organized, she said.

 

One such opportunity is employees of charter schools. Noting the early successes of CTA's year-old Charter School Organizing Project, Doggett said such efforts must go beyond increasing membership to the important task of involving members.

 

"It comes down to developing local leaders, motivating members to become involved, building power in local chapters and articulating a vision for the organization," said Doggett. "I know we have the power and capacity to accomplish these goals. And we will do it together."