Points of Unity

1. Whether the school is public, private, or charter, we work with Ph.D. candidates or preschoolers, we create lesson plans or serve lunch in the cafeteria, we as workers in the education industry are the ones who make it all function. We are the ones that dedicate our labor power to our students and our communities. We carry the weight of future generations on our backs. We are entitled to the fruits of our labor.

2. An injury to one is an injury to all. Our local is all about solidarity among our fellow workers. We prioritize campaigns against the racist, sexist, and ableist forces and actors in the education industry. The oppressive structures that exploit education workers and our students alike can be defeated when we, the union, unite is struggle to win back our rights and dignity.

3. The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. The high-ranking administrators, trustees, and bureaucrats need us to make a profit, but we do not need them. They will always puts the bottom line above the welfare of workers, students, or families.

4. Business unions such as the American Federation of Teachers are not interested in real struggle, because real struggle would bring real, substantive victories. Hierarchical, bureaucratic unions would rather act as our insurance companies than as bodies to organize our work spaces. We do not need low-level managers and representatives to put our demands into complaint boxes at union headquarters.

5. We are the ones who understand our places of work best, and we should organize them as such. Every campus and classroom deserves a democratic and grassroots union that aims to fulfill the promises of a good education system. Our schools need direct, rank-and-file, bottom-up action if we want our needs to be met.

The Industrial Workers of the World in New York City is organizng all workers in the education industry around our region.

For more information and to get involved, please contact [email protected].