Interview with the President-Elect of the
Teachers Union in Richmond, California
Introductory Note: Last fall, just as the first issue of International Trotskyist (IT) went to press, the United Teachers of Richmond (UTR) rejected the dismal contract offered to them by the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD), headquartered in Richmond, California. At first, the UTR’s then president, Pixie Schickele, announced that the vote had been to accept the offer. When the teachers gathered in the union hall to demand a recount, the union’s leadership called cops on the union’s own members. A recount was eventually conducted, however, and the teachers were proved correct; the contract had in fact been rejected overwhelmingly.
Unfortunately, the teachers’ victory proved to be only temporary. A few days later, Schickele and her allies pushed through a concessionary contract with only minor changes. The membership was so dissatisfied that they called a special recall election in March, and booted out Schickele, who was replaced by the union’s vice-president for the duration of the term. At the same time, in a regular election, the disgruntled membership also voted for the progressive teacher slate, ousting the old leadership and much of the old executive board.
The new board will be headed by president-elect Diane Brown, a member of the progressive caucus within UTR, who is set to take office on July 1, 2010. In early May, IT interviewed Brown about her plans for the union. What follows is a transcript, lightly edited for style, and then IT’s comments about the views expressed by Brown.
IT: In large part, the progressive teachers’ victory is based on the sell-out in the contract fight by the old leadership, which wore down the resistance of the membership and delivered a three-year concessionary contract laden with cuts in medical benefits, furloughs, and increased class sizes, all laid on top of school closures, layoffs of staff, and loss of teachers’ preparation time. How will the new executive board dedicate the resources of the union to organizing rank and file action committees to prepare for the fight to win back what was given away by Pixie? Will the new executive committee wait until the next contract fight, or will the new board initiate actions to put the pressure on the district to reverse these concessions immediately?
DB: The new executive board and I will immediately take on the task of creating more democracy in the UTR by amending or rewriting the bylaws to assure that members can bring motions to the floor of the union even during negotiations. Last year Pixie would not allow us to bring motions to the floor during the contract negotiations and thereby shut down the opportunity for us to put the strike vote to the members. We need bylaws which protect the members’ right to make motions at contract negotiations and at membership meetings. Moving forward, facilitators will provide trainings to help our members build the basic mechanisms of a rank and file democracy self-organization. Right now we don’t have a strike fund, so we have to initiate one to help people out during any action we may take. One new member of the executive board is looking into the legality of the concessionary contract and how it was pushed through against the will of the membership, to see if we can challenge it.
IT: What plans do you have to organize the base to fight these concessions, to lower class sizes, rehire the lost teachers and staff, and provide a quality educational environment?
DB: We have heard that the K-3 class sizes are back to the original 20-to-1. Charles Ramsey on the School Board reported that money had been found for next year from reserves. Those teachers who received pink slips will have those pink slips rescinded and teachers who retire will be replaced so there will be new hiring.
IT: Do you have a perspective of inter-district organizing to direct the fire above the local school board level toward the state and the federal government?
DB: I support the action of the OEA [Oakland Education Association] last week. During their [one-day] strike [on April 29, 2010], I went down to walk the picket line at the administration building. We need to have a united conference of Bay Area teachers and plan our struggle together. I will support the Statewide Strike and Day of Action on October 7th.
IT: Do you have a perspective of how to fight the anti-union Taft-Hartley rules and the concept of being “strike legal,” which prevent labor from taking broad inter-district and inter-union actions?
DB: Being “strike legal” is all our members know. They were born into Taft-Hartley, so before we can fight Taft-Hartley, members have to be educated about the rules of Taft-Hartley. It is the responsibility of the local leadership to take the lead and provide direction to membership on this issue. Many of our members are isolated in their classrooms, and in some instances don’t want to be seen as a troublemaker, or take political risks. As an individual, I’m willing to open a dialogue regarding Taft-Hartley at our National Education Association (NEA) Convention and state association, California Teachers Association (CTA) this summer with the rank and file in our Peace and Justice Caucus and other affiliates to take a united action against rules and laws that impede or prevent labor from taking broad inter-district and inter-union actions. When I take office as the United Teachers of Richmond President on July 1, 2010, I’m willing to work locally, with our state and national to that end.
IT: The old leadership did not organize and mobilize the membership to take independent political action. And the CTA ties the teachers to the Democratic Party political machine. As the Democratic Party is a corporate party representing the capitalist class, when labor plays to the Democrats they disarm the class of class struggle methods designed to win the class war. Will the progressive slate push for the UTR in particular and labor in general to break from the Democrats and fight for the working class to run its own candidates and forge an independent fighting workers’ party?
DB: We intend to invite all parties to the UTR Representative Council sponsored debate. Members will interview all candidates who want our support and make their recommendations to the UTR Executive Board. The Political Action Committee will publish the debate for the membership. All candidates are welcome to speak. Traditionally the CTA makes its endorsements (this year it already has) and then they ask us to run the phone banks. I am not going to say that I am breaking with the Democrats, but I am not ruling out advocating or voting for other parties.
IT: Although the WCCUSD has its own unique historic debt, it must be recognized that the crisis in the District, and the disintegration of the California education system generally, are a reflection of how the capitalist class is enforcing its crisis on the back of the working class through cuts in social services, cuts in wages to public workers, cuts in education, foreclosures, and unemployment across the nation. How do you intend to take your local district’s conditions and link them to the struggle of all workers facing this crisis?
DB: Our concessionary contract is 2.5 years out. It’s important to organize, organize, organize members, educate and mobilize our communities, unite with neighboring locals and labor supporters for direct actions. Build a strike fund to sustain ourselves during any labor dispute. Use all resources—short term loans, grants, strike kitchens—to support members during strike action.
IT: When the progressive teachers caucus in UTR called for the expropriation of Chevron under workers’ control and marched on Chevron on February 27, there was concern that this call would alienate teachers and lose you votes. However, following the advocacy of this bold working class position of the progressive teachers, your slate won the UTR election. Will you take this position for the expropriation of Chevron without indemnification and under workers’ control to the exec board and advocate to make it the official position of the UTR?
DB: The board would not adopt that position. Very few people knew about the march so it had little impact on the election.
IT: During the contract fight last summer you fought against the strike authorization vote and counterposed a strike now vote. Please explain your view on the strike authorization vote.
DB: I argued against the strike authorization for two reasons. I had no confidence in the leadership to run a strike. A strike action in August would cause chaos and disrupt the opening of the first day of school, empower the bargaining team, and put added pressure on the district to settle a contract in favor of our demands and minimize concessions. Pixie would not allow a motion on the floor of our membership meeting because she was not capable of organizing a strike.
IT: We have often talked about the need for an indefinite united statewide general strike of educators, staff, and students to win quality education and fair contracts for educators. Will the progressive teachers advocate for this position in the UTR and the CTA, and among the public assemblies that come together to fight against the cuts?
DB: I would advocate the need for an indefinite statewide strike. That is what we are supporting for October 7th. Oakland teachers have called for regional meetings and I look forward to meeting with them as the UTR President. As the UTR President-elect, I supported the Oakland Teachers during their one-day strike. I was proud to join the picket lines in front of the Oakland Administration on April 29th.
As the UTR President, I hope to influence the need for an indefinite united statewide general strike to the rank and file and our state and national leadership. I hope to build a participatory structure of rank and file leaders who voted for change in UTR, and build on the proactive leaders that were elected in the 2010 UTR election. We are planning three levels of outreach: newsletters and public forums for parents, students, and teachers, as well as our own internal members-only forum. Next year the furloughs will be implemented and that will drive home the need to continue to organize.
Editorial Comment: While it is clear the new UTR leadership are not fighting for an unequivocal break from the capitalist political parties, they do have a perspective of organizing the rank and file in an open and democratic manner. Having ousted the old leadership, the membership of the UTR has an opportunity to transform their organization into a fighting organization that puts the interests of the working class first. By so doing, the UTR could take the lead in the nationwide fight-back for quality education and the rights of teachers and other education workers.
It is the view of HWRS that to be successful, local teacher and staff unions will need to transform their unions into independent political fighting machines. UTR President-elect Diane Brown has outlined a series of important steps needed to build workers’ democracy; build inter-district and inter-union solidarity; and educate the membership and national teachers’ organizations on the nature of the anti-labor Taft-Hartley laws and how to fight them.
The anti-labor laws stymie workers’ ability to initiate the united, inter-district, indefinite strikes it will take to win quality education for all. Only by crushing these laws through united, defiant workers’ strike actions will we be able to mount a successful fight-back. Such united actions will, in turn, engender the groundswell of class-based politics upon which a fighting workers/labor party can be formed.
The new UTR leadership’s intentions are powerful, and will serve as examples for the entire working class in the struggle to throw off entrenched bureaucrats and build fighting unions. However, for the leadership’s efforts to be successful, the UTR membership needs to clearly identify the capitalist political parties as the class enemy, and break with the long-term practice of the NEA & CTA in directing their members’ political energy into support for false-faced “friends of labor” in the twin parties of capital, rather than toward self-mobilization and independent political action. HWRS comrades will march side by side with the UTR members as they forge their new union, and will continue to point to the pitfall of putting faith in the capitalist politicians whom CTA is already pushing for in the November 2010 elections. We will advocate for the newly revitalized UTR to unite with other trade unionists, run independent worker/labor candidates, and work to found a fighting labor party committed to putting the entire capitalist system down, and lifting us forever out of our downtrodden misery.