DC-CORE to bring Resolution for Unity and Organizing to WTU's February Representative Assembly

On February 2nd, 2022 DC-CORE's General Body passed the following Resolution to build unity and prepare for future campaigns. This Resolution will be brought to the WTU's February Representative Assembly for a vote.

Resolution for WTU February 2022 Rep Assembly

Purpose

The Purpose of this Motion is to bring the WTU together and begin to organize our buildings to build our power and prepare for future campaigns.

WHEREAS the purposes of the Washington Teachers’ Union include To raise the standards of the teaching profession by insuring and promoting conditions vital to effective services for all pupils, To define and strengthen services of the schools and to afford the employees full opportunity to participate in the democratic decision-making within schools for the common good, and To make employees aware of their political and social rights and responsibilities.

WHEREAS any union requires effective systems and member buy-in to successfully mobilize members for collective action and utilize our power to promote the best interests of students and teachers.

I THEREFORE MOVE that the Washington Teachers’ Union take the following series of actions to ensure that it can continue to thrive through an engaged membership, organized buildings, a smoothly-functioning internal structure, and a clearly communicated set of priorities and goals.

Part 1: WTU Organized #RedForEd 1 Day per week until DCPS addresses our concerns with COVID, IMPACT and the Contract.

In order to increase member engagement, publicly demonstrate our unity, and signal our discontent with DCPS’s continued disregard for the wellbeing of our school communities, the Washington Teachers’ Union will declare a weekly #RedForEd Day. The campaign will continue indefinitely until there are consistent high-levels of COVID-protection in all schools, DCPS negotiates in good faith for a fair and generous contract, and IMPACT is ended.

The Washington Teachers’ Union will work with building reps and field reps to facilitate the weekly #RedForEd campaign's success in the following ways:

1. Have building reps collect the shirt sizes of members so they can all receive a red WTU t-shirt to wear for the action and incentivize increased membership.

2. Distribute red WTU shirts to members

3. Advertise the weekly #RedForEd action to members to increase buy-in as well as to the public to gain their support and further raise awareness of our concerns

4. Track member participation in the action to use as an indicator of engagement which can be used to help identify where increased organizing efforts are needed.

The Washington Teachers’ Union will have prepared for and implemented the #RedForEd campaign by the first week of March.

Part 2: COVID Messaging and Action

To ensure that the public knows about our continued challenges with DCPS enforcing COVID policies, the WTU will publicly message the following using social media accounts, press releases and media contacts:

1. DCPS needs to provide more KN-95s for all staff and students and the fact that teachers are using Donors Choose to get high quality masks for their students

2. DCPS has still not delivered on their October promise for full time Contact Tracers to support our schools

3. DCPS has not yet reached 20% asymptomatic COVID testing and should be achieving 100% Asymptomatic Testing each week for staff and students

Part 3: WTU Elections Preparation

To increase member engagement and knowledge of candidates running for WTU Office at both the local and district-wide level, the WTU should do the following:

1. WTU shall post the list of schools, current building Rep and number of voting delegates on the website by the end of February.

2. WTU shall create an impartial committee to host election events such as debates and meet and greets. This committee should not include anyone running for office.

Part 4: Preparing an IMPACT Campaign

Because IMPACT is not negotiable in our CBA, has been detrimental to the workforce, was proven to be biased against BIPOC educators, and has contributed to teacher churn, the WTU will prepare for and embark on a robust campaign to support the work of the IMPACT committee

1. calling out the racial bias of IMPACT revealed in the AU study,

2. highlighting the positive IMPACTs educators have on schools and communities across the city by

   1. Collecting teacher stories/impact in & out of classroom

   2. Connecting with families and learning about teacher impact in their lives

   3. Getting written testimonials from students about teacher impact

3. educating the public about an alternative that grows the workforce and addresses teacher churn, which destabilizes schools.

4. ensuring that those with the power to change IMPACT hear from the greater community.

That the campaign include

1. a social media blitz,

2. a teacher focused positive hashtag,

3. actions like rallies, caravans,

4. community engagement forums,

5. op-ed writing,

6. and other ways to message the importance of eliminating IMPACT (and replacing it with the Cleveland format)