Readers likely have not yet have heard of the “We Can’t Wait” campaign, or CACS, the organization whose campaign it is – but if all goes well, both will be central to your union’s contract campaign – if you happen to be in OEA, UES, UTR, or BFT (representing Oakland, SF, Richmond and West Contra Costa, and Berkeley, respectively). These and seven other teachers unions, including LA, San Diego, Anaheim, and San Jose) comprise CACS: the California Alliance of Community Schools. Alex Caputo-Pearl, president of UTLA, explained in an interview in <I>Jacobin</I> (November, 2018): “Everything comes back to organizing and people power. So since 2015, we’ve been a part of building a group called the California Alliance of Community Schools, which includes ten of the largest local unions in California. We’re organizing towards more state funding and sharing how we organize more power among parents and community, and our vision for what we want our schools to look like: a community schools model which includes more wraparound services, more parent engagement, a broader curriculum, more arts and music.” CACS member unions lined up their contract expiration dates (in Berkeley, this meant signing a one-year pay-cut contract) in order to somehow support each other in bargaining. However, the effort fell apart; the only explanation I was given was that there was insufficient agreement on contract demands. It also should be noted that the members of CACS are the leaders of their respective unions.

CACS was then silent publicly until now, with the upcoming “We Can’t Wait” campaign. Again, our contracts are aligned, all expiring on June 30, 2025. BFT held a general membership meeting November 14 to give a preview to teachers (our classified union, BCCE, apparently was not invited). Representatives from among UESF, OEA, UTR, and CTA leadership helped explain the group’s platform and plans. The platform consists of three general demands or standards: 1. Fully staffed schools, 2. Improved Educator Pay, and 3. Stability for our students. The first two are self-explanatory; the third calls for protection for educator jobs, for limiting school closures, and allows for the possibility of public goods demands. The plan is unfinished – the organizers were unable to clearly answer many questions, including: “How would this work?” “What is the strategy?” “Are we talking about a statewide strike?” “Why is it only these eleven unions?” “Where have CTA and CFT been all this time – shouldn’t they have been doing something like this?” I think that there is some genuine desire by the leaders to hear from the rank and file, but communication has been so top-down for so long, that I can only suggest that educators take this effort seriously, and thus not be shy about communicating ideas for demands and strategies to leadership, as the campaign rolls out. The first public event will be a rally in February, to include all the CACS Bay Area unions, so it’s not too early to start discussing what we “can’t wait” for!

It’s tempting to be pessimistic given the recent decades of weak union history in California: we in Berkeley have lost 20% in compensation over the past twenty years, factoring in the cost of healthcare; you’ve probably not fared much better. More generally, the “teacher pay penalty” in California (which we have written about) has increased by 4 percentage points in just the last 4 years. However, I encourage readers to be hopeful, and more importantly, to be demanding. There are good signs, e.g., BFT president, Matt Meyers, told BFT members at an earlier meeting that we should be prepared to go to at least impasse in our upcoming negotiations – which has never happened during my twenty years in the district!

Part of the action plan is to develop contract action teams at each site, supplementing union leadership, in order to get more educators educated and involved. Also (this was not discussed at the meeting, but…) readers should be aware that such teams could take wildcat actions, including strikes (or a statewide strike!), which elected union leaders are prohibited from organizing. In any case, we strongly encourage readers to be active within these teams.

Ideally, “We Can’t Wait” will lead to educators recognizing that when we act collectively, we have a lot of power – especially if we act on a statewide level! Yes, educators deserve better pay and working conditions, but also, our students deserve living conditions that would allow them all a decent chance of success. CalCare (Medicare for all in California) ought to be a key “common good” demand of “We Can’t Wait,” because it would free up money to increase teacher pay, while granting quality profit-free healthcare to all teachers, students, and our communities. I hope you will join me in advocating for it!

Dan Plonsey BFT retired