Inside MSEA with Sean Johnson
WHY UNIONS MATTER TO EDUCATORS—NOW MORE THAN EVER
Unions unite individuals in a shared vision for what they need and then make powerful and collective demands to realize that vision. For educators, that is a vision of what schools should be: inclusive, well-funded, and high performing to the benefit of students, educators, and their community. Our union of educators is, by necessity, more than a group of workplace advocates. At every level of government, education unions like MSEA and your local ensure public schools are shaped not by corporate interests and dangerous political ideologies, but by people who educate, learn, and live in our communities.
Billionaires use their money to influence this debate, but unions have people—and people, when organized, are the most powerful force for justice that the world has ever seen. In this threatening era of privatization and corporate influence over public education, unions remain one of the most powerful tools educators have to protect our profession, our students, and the future of public schools.
We use our collective voice to push back against harmful policies like vouchers, high-stakes testing, and privatization, while also demanding fully funded public schools, equitable resources, and policies that prioritize students over share-
holders. At the federal, state, and local levels, our unions serve as a counterweight to billionaire-funded campaigns and special interest groups that seek to dismantle public education in favor of profit-driven models. In a union, organized people are the defense against these forces—fighting for equity, transparency, and democratic control of schools.
The most fundamental role our union plays is through collective bargaining. This process allows educators to negotiate fair contracts that determine everything from salaries and benefits to workload impact and teaching conditions. Without collective bargaining, educators lose their voice in the very decisions that directly affect their classrooms and students.
Our union unites educators. We have since 1865 and we will continue to do so for the days, years, and decades to come.