Forty years of making a difference for PSRPs

By Maria Portalatin

Editor’s note: Maria Portalatin retired this year as chair of the United Federation of Teachers paraprofessional chapter, a post she had held since 1980, when she also became an AFT vice president. The UFT is by far the AFT’s largest affiliate, and Portalatin played an important role not only in helping organize paraprofessionals in New York City, but also in developing the national union’s PSRP division. In this special edition of “Where We Stand,” Portalatin looks back on her years with the union.

When I started as a paraprofessional at P.S.172 in Brooklyn almost 40 years ago, we made $1.25 an hour. Like many of the other New York City paras who joined the system back then, I was a mother and active ­parent in the school. We were hired through Title I, and we ­really had to prove ourselves to the teachers in the schools ­because they weren’t used to having another adult in the room.

It’s amazing how much things have changed. Today, the ­United Federation of Teachers (UFT) represents more than 20,000 paraprofessionals. And if you ask teachers about us ­today, those who have a para in their classroom would never give him or her up—and those who don’t would love to have one. It’s also incredible how many of our New York City paraprofessionals have moved up through the ranks to become teachers, principals, superintendents, college professors—and even members of Congress.

When I first started, we weren’t represented by the UFT. In the early years, the city’s human resources administration had a career ladder program that provided a stipend, books and other support for paraprofessionals to pursue higher education. But the union that represented us at the time didn’t want to push to expand the program, even though hundreds of us were interested in it.

So we called Al Shanker. He listened to us and said he would see what he could do. Al really was a man with a vision. Once he decided that the UFT should bring paraprofessionals into the union, he stuck by us. At one point he even told teachers who disagreed with him that he would step down as president if they didn’t agree to represent paraprofessionals. Let me tell you, that made us feel important. Paraprofessionals have been very, very faithful to the UFT since then.

We got our first contract in 1973, and the main thing we wanted in there was the career ladder. The beauty of it was that once it was in the contract, it was open to every New York City paraprofessional. Thousands of us have taken advantage of it since then. When I was at my granddaughter’s school recently, the principal thanked me for the program because she was a former para who took advantage of it.

A big step in my career as a union leader came in 1980 when I was elected an AFT vice president. At the time, Lorretta Johnson was the only other PSRP leader on the executive council. Becoming a vice president gave me an opportunity to reach out to other PSRPs around the country and help organize them as well. That’s something I always enjoyed doing.

Then, in 1993, the AFT established the program and policy councils for each division, and I served on the PSRP division’s PPC from the beginning. That council really has shown that the AFT is committed to PSRPs; it helped get us the respect and recognition we deserve in the AFT and outside.

One of my great passions in the labor movement has been my involvement with the Labor Council for Latin American ­Advancement, or LCLAA, which is the AFL-CIO’s official constituency group for Latinos. I remember going to the first meeting in New Mexico in the early 1970s—it was me and 11 men. We’ve grown from that early group of pioneers to having 65 chapters all across the country, and I’m still the national ­secretary-treasurer­. I’m proud of all the opportunities that LCLAA has given our members in the labor movement.

NCLB is just one example of an issue where the active involvement of the UFT and my paraprofessional members made a difference. I always pushed to keep them active, get them to come to meetings, get out and vote, and always keep moving forward. We’ve learned that when we’re one strong, united force, we can achieve our goals.

When things got tough over the years—and believe me, things can get really tough in New York City—I always reminded the paras of my motto: “Yes, I can; yes, I will; I will make a difference.” I’m proud to know that I made a difference.