From the National Education Association Representative Assembly
New Business Item 90
The NEA will create an action plan using existing committee structure that will designate long and short term goals for the purpose of developing policy recommendations to support broad-based organizing efforts of local & state affiliates with other labor, non-profit & faith-based organizations.
Seattle Education Association President, Olga Addae speaking on July 6, 2010, in support of NBI 90
Mr. President, Van Roekel, in your key note speech you spoke of the deep and long economic crisis and its devastating impact on our students, our members, and our schools.
I agree with you; the future of America is uncertain and intolerable consequences await not only our students and our members; but every American who is among the working middle class, the unemployed, and those living in poverty.
It is time for all of us unite; whether we live in a Right-to-Work state or a Fair-Share state; Whether we are NEA or AFT, whether we are Democrats, Republicans, or Independents; Whether we are upper middle class or lower middle class. We need to reach out through broad-based organizing efforts to build relations with other non-profits, faith based groups and most importantly other unions.
It is time to take back
The real education reform we seek requires real resources that are sustainable.
We must learn from history; the last time so few held so much of the wealth in America was right before the Depression… from that crisis the opportunity to build a strong middle class, with strong unions, strong non-profits (such as the PTA) and strong faith based organizations. The zenith for all these civil sector organizations was in the mid 1950’s.
It only took 60 years for the financial elite to dismantle the civil sector that so many unsung heroes fought and died for. Let us not wait for another Depression.
We must reach out to our brethren and build better relations and “Act” for the common good. Broad-based organizing is not about forming another union, not about a temporary coalition. It is about a process of continuous efforts to build relations with other unions, non-profits and faith based groups to “Act” for the common good, which is determined locally. Please support NBI 90
