It’s time for action, and only you can make it happen.

To meet the many difficult challenges before us, UTLA needs you. That’s right. Whether you are a brand-new teacher, in midcareer, or getting ready to retire; whether you have never taken part in any UTLA activity, even a chapter meeting; or whether you have and didn’t like it—it doesn’t matter. To put it bluntly, there is no way we can win educational improvements for our students and dignity for our members unless all of us come together, whatever our differences, and build a powerful movement for change. This will not be easy. Most UTLA members do not participate in its activities, including demonstrations, contract ratification votes, officer elections, and yes, even chapter meetings. The burdens our members are increasingly forced to shoulder are taking their toll. And the culture of UTLA has often not encouraged membership involvement. The other newly elected UTLA leaders and I aim to change that culture. As a first step, we are reorganizing UTLA staff to ensure that member concerns are taken seriously, questions are answered promptly and competently, and grievances handled expeditiously. UTLA will also initiate a campaign to expand our base of active members in as many schools as possible. This drive will have many layers: • Ensuring that there is a UTLA chapter chair in every school. Our Area chairs, assisted by staff organizers, will direct this effort. • Helping every chapter chair organize vibrant chapters that try to involve all UTLA members and develop new leaders. UTLA activity starts at the chapter level. At the upcoming Leadership Conference in August and throughout the year, UTLA will prioritize organizing chapters that will empower members at the school site and serve as a solid base for District wide actions, as well as for our upcoming battle with Governor Schwarzenegger. • Making the monthly Area meetings places where chapter chairs and other active members learn from each other and help UTLA strategize around issues. UTLA officers and staff will work with Area Directors to provide Area based educational programs and trainings that can be taken back to the school site. • Encouraging communication and solidarity with all job categories represented by UTLA. In particular, the needs and concerns of special category members in adult ed, early childhood ed, special ed, bilingual ed, health and human services, and substitutes will be broadly disseminated within UTLA. • Making UNITED TEACHER an organizing tool. UTLA will solicit more articles written by members about school site issues, problems, and solutions to help our organizing efforts. • Fostering a culture within UTLA that encourages the expression of all viewpoints. The best decisions are made when everyone’s opinion is listened to and respected. Members should never feel that their ideas are not welcome within UTLA. Members should listen to officers, but officers must listen to the members. • Assisting chapter chairs in every possible way to organize their schools for political action and outreach to the community. This will be our most effective tool in defeating Governor Schwarzenegger’s anti-teacher, anti-public employee, corporate-interest-driven initiatives on the November 8 special election ballot. Teachers and public education are increasingly under attack, and a reinvigorated UTLA is the first line of defense. Ultimately, our power must be combined with the power of parents, classified workers, community members, and others. But to build that coalition, we must start by activating our own membership. Only you can make that happen.