“WE HAVE A LOT on our plates holding charter operators accountable,” says Kyna Collins, honors English teacher at El Camino Real Charter High School in Los Angeles and member of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA). “It’s an everyday struggle for us.”
Across the state, educators in charter schools are organizing to build power and exercising their voices to advocate for their students and themselves — and with the collective strength of a union. At one time a rarity, charter educators are increasingly overcoming union-busting practices to win unions, negotiate their wages and working conditions, and use their collective power to fight for their students.
“Organizing, bargaining and surfacing important issues is how we show our members their voices matter,” says Jeremy Zuniga, former government and economics teacher at Oscar De La Hoya Animo Charter in East Los Angeles and president of Asociación de Maestros Unidos (and current executive director of South Bay Teachers United).
In the past year alone, some of CTA’s most inspiring victories were accomplished by charter school locals that didn’t exist as recently as a decade ago: High Tech Education Collective (HTEC) members won their first contract ever after winning their union last year, while United PCS built power and won a major victory in their second-ever bargain that will help attract and retain the educators their students depend on and deserve.
The victories won by these educators are even more impressive due to the “mega waiver” that exempts charter schools from most of education code, which requires local charter unions to negotiate for most of the basic rights guaranteed to all employees of traditional K–12 school districts.
“This first contract is the first time we have guaranteed sick days and personal time,” says Micah Wullschleger, five-year humanities teacher at High Tech High in Chula Vista and HTEC member. “To have a sustainable contract is what’s best for our students.”
Solidarity rocks! High Tech Education Collective members kicked off the year by winning their first contract ever
For HTEC, in San Diego County, that meant also negotiating a 25-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio into their contract, which benefits the whole school community. In Santa Cruz, United PCS members are hoping their new contract will mean Pacific Collegiate School stops losing a significant number of teachers every year. Both victories made ripples throughout the California educational landscape — United PCS President Mary Gardner says a colleague from a neighboring local said the campaign made a difference for all educators in the area.
“That really meant a lot to have that impact,” she says. “It’s all about raising teacher voice because we understand what students need.”
These leaders and 23 of their colleagues who are members of CTA-affiliated charter school unions were the initial cohort in a pilot program born out of a recommendation by the CTA Charter School Advisory Committee to the CTA Board of Directors. The result was the Charter Leader Strategy meeting, which brought 25 charter local leaders to the March CTA State Council of Education meeting in Los Angeles.
The goal was to provide a space for these educators to have discussions about issues important to charter school educators and give them a firsthand look at the inner workings of State Council, CTA’s policy-making body, so they can bring a charter educator voice as the cohort expands and continues.
“It was cool to see it all in operation and realize ‘I’m a very small part in a very big machine,” says Sal Williams, English teacher and president of San Jose’s South Bay Educators United (SBEU), which was the first educators’ union to organize during the 2020 quarantine.
While some of the charter leaders were still fighting for their first contract, others are more experienced like Nicole Piper, president of California Virtual Educators United (CVEU), who is in her sixth contract campaign. Even a seasoned leader like her found the meeting informative and powerful, learning that many of the charter management organizations across the state are represented by the same law firm.
“We’re actually interconnected by the [law firms] we’re working with [that represent management] and that was an eye-opening experience for me,” Piper says.
The ability to build together in person and network remotely as educators and union leaders at charter schools has been invaluable. Tierra Allen, an independent studies and health teacher at Five Keys Charter in San Francisco, says the educators have been sharing information on a group chat and following each other’s bargains and struggles on social media.
“They say we’re stronger together and that’s true. One of my biggest takeaways is we’re never alone,” says Allen, a member of United Educators of San Francisco-Five Keys. “It’s a resource, because now there’s a network of charter unions to feed off each other, support and help strategize. There’s a wealth of information being shared among these unions.”
Charter local union leaders also had the opportunity to learn and connect with each other at CTA Summer Institute’s charter educator-specific strand. Gardner called the experience invaluable. “I can’t say enough about that week, the trainers, the charter educators I met and the planning I was able to do,” says Gardner, who attended in 2022. “When you’re involved in union leadership, it can be exhausting, so it’s great to meet other people who are doing the same work — it makes me hopeful to see so many people working hard to make things better!”
As the Charter Leader Strategy meeting continues this year, the network of charter educators is growing, with work continuing on statewide contract standards that lift the floor of charter educator compensation, complement existing teacher contracts and improve the quality of life for all educators.
“Until educators are the ones making decisions and have power, things are not going to change,” Gardner says. “The teachers that are going to be the best are going to be the most respected and feel like they have some control of their environment. I feel that the only way to achieve that is organizing.”
Kyna Collins, co-chair of the CTA Charter School Issues Advisory Committee
On Unionizing: “A union gives you a voice. It provides you with resources, opportunities and support. If we want public education in
California to succeed, educators need to be at the table, and the way to do that in a meaningful way is in a union.”
On the Power of Solidarity: “We just bargained for catastrophic leave. It was something that didn’t exist in our contract. Anything that impacts the educator environment is going to impact the students.”
On Relationships With Other Charter Locals: Being a part of these networks, we pay attention to and support each other and spread awareness about our campaigns.”
Jeremy Zuniga, co-chair of the CTA Charter School Issues Advisory Committee
On Unionizing: Having our voices heard is incredibly important. Any
decision from management is going to impact our students, and
ensuring educator voice is why we’re all here.”
On Relationships With Other Charter Locals: “I’m inspired by charter locals’ victories around parental leave. It inspires me to push for that for us.”
On Support From CTA: “CTA is looking out for all educators.”
Micah Wullschleger, Humanities teacher at High Tech High in Chula Vista
On Unionizing: “Regardless of the beautiful, unique things we can do at our charter schools, we are all deserving of some basic labor
rights and protections that are worth fighting for.
On the Power of Solidarity: “The number of unionized charters in the past few years is inspiring — you’re not alone and this feels like a good thing.”
Tierra Allen, independent studies and health teacher at Five Keys Charter in San Francisco
On Relationships With Other Charter Locals: “Seeing our fellow union siblings having success makes our fight feel worth it to know that there’s an end in sight. It inspires me as we work on successor language for our classified unit.”
On Support From CTA: “I can’t tell you how much being connected to CTA means to our unit. The charter school strand at CTA Summer Institute helped me understand that my management was using the same tactics as other charter operators.”
What You Wish Traditional K-12 Educators Knew About Charter Educators: “We are stronger together and we can help each other. We want the same things: safe, nurturing learning environments, safe working conditions and fair pay.”
Sal Williams, English teacher and president of San Jose’s South Bay Educators United (SBEU)
On Unionizing: “Winning transparency has made a huge difference. We used to not know how much money we had to spend and now I know exactly what’s in the budget that we can spend on books, supplies or field trips.”
On the Power of Solidarity: “I feel really comfortable knowing that CTA puts political power to protect educators and students.”
On Support From CTA: “Even though we’re union now, it’s still very new to us and we rely on the expertise of our CTA staff. Everyone in our local benefits from staff support.”
What You Wish Traditional K-12 Educators Knew About Charter Educators: “When we’re establishing a contract, we’re essentially fighting for Ed Code. We’re organizing for basic rights that most K–12 educators already enjoy.”
Mary Gardner, United PCS president
On Unionizing: “Having a union gives you a sense of dignity in our profession that is often quite lacking in our society. Our union has been huge for building community and welcoming new faculty.”
On the Power of Solidarity: “As educators, we all want the same things. We’re all in this because we love our students and want to serve them as best we can.”
On Relationships With Other Charter Locals: “So much of what CTA does is connect people. Having the space and time to build with other educators and CTA staff has been so important. It’s been sustaining.”
On Support From CTA: “Our CTA staff has been invaluable. As teachers, we look out for our students’ best interests; we both advocate for them and empower them to advocate for themselves. That’s what my CTA staff is to me — all our work would be impossible without that support.”
Nicole Piper, president of California Virtual Educators United (CVEU)
On Unionizing: “Teachers are loving, caring and generous people and sometimes managers take advantage of that. Organizing makes school better for your students. Unionizing helps the whole community.”
On the Power of Solidarity: “We’re advocating for students to have a place and accountability for charter schools and the industry,
so students are at the center.”
On Relationships With Other Charter Locals: “We’re watching what’s working for other charter locals and when management says it’s not possible, we know otherwise.
What You Wish Traditional K-12 Educators Knew About Charter Educators: “We’re in the same fight on the same team working toward the same end — and we are not our employer. We are trying to change things from the inside to make them better.”
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