Politics and activism top agenda at PSRP conference
AFT activists gather in Anaheim for education, protests and a little fun

Odd-numbered years in poli- tics are supposed to be a little quieter—no elections for president, U.S. Senate or House of Representatives. Not that there aren’t important races at the state or local level, but the big national spotlight is a little dimmer. After the mixed results that AFT-supported candidates enjoyed in 2004, however, the union’s focus on turning around the nation’s political climate has only strengthened since November.

When 800-plus PSRP activists gathered in Anaheim, Calif., in April for the AFT’s 28th annual PSRP Professional Issues Conference, that focus on politics came during addresses from two members of the California congressional delegation and two of the three top elected officers of the AFT nationally as well as in workshops, breakfasts, talent show skits and a lively rally focusing on threats to the future of Social Security.

It didn’t take long for Lorretta Johnson, the PSRP division chair and an AFT vice president, to set the context for the conference in the opening session. After pointing out that the PSRP division is the fastest-growing segment of the AFT, she said the division still faces huge challenges. "We bring problems here, and we leave with some solutions," she said, echoing the meeting’s theme of "Raising Issues, Taking Action: Moving the Union On."

Johnson also returned to one of her common topics: PSRPs’ struggle to be recognized and respected in their workplaces and communities as well as their unions. "Being a paraprofessional and school-related personnel is not an insult," she declared. "Schools can’t run without us."

In her opening keynote address, AFT executive vice president Antonia Cortese warned about Republican leaders’ efforts in Washington to dismantle much of the social safety net that has long protected the most vulnerable members of society. That includes not only plans to privatize Social Security and limit collective bargaining rights but also chronic underfunding of the No Child Left Behind Act and misguided private school voucher plans. "PSRPs around this country need a union to be strong, and the AFT needs our PSRPs to be strong," she said. "As long as we’re solid and stick together, nobody is going to hurt us."

Following the opening session, the conference-goers boarded buses for the most noteworthy "taking action" portion of the weekend. More than 300 people turned out for a rally to draw attention to the risk of private Social Security accounts. (See related story.)

Political poll of PSRPs

Another general session included results from a brand-new poll of AFT PSRPs on politics and related issues. The poll, conducted by the firm of Brilliant Corners Research and Strategies, confirmed that many of the issues discussed at the conference—including cuts in Social Security benefits, declining quality of public education because of budget reductions, and soaring healthcare and prescription drug costs—are the same ones that top PSRPs’ list of worries.

One trend among the union’s PSRP membership is a growing presence in rural areas and small towns. That has produced a larger number of members who identify themselves as moderate or conservative—68 percent. Nevertheless, PSRPs in 2004 still voted for John Kerry over George Bush by a 62 percent-to-36 percent margin. Among members in rural areas, however, Bush outpolled Kerry. The poll presentation was followed by a "town hall" format that gave members a chance to raise issues or pass on advice from their local unions and communities.

Luncheon speaker Mike Honda, a former principal and AFT member who was elected to Congress in 2000, was not shy about sharing his progressive views. "I’m here to tell you this country is in trouble," he said. Since the current administration took office more than four years ago, he continued, it has squandered a large budget surplus—largely through massive tax cuts tilted toward higher-income citizens—while also pushing through laws that undermine privacy, destroy the environment, cut retirement security and discriminate against whole groups of Americans. Honda is especially sensitive to any form of discrimination since he and many other Japanese-Americans were sent to internment camps during World War II. "It wasn’t real easy to be an American with this face," Honda said.

When the government starts to lose touch with its citizens and the core principles that underlie its constitution, "you have to take the government back," Honda declared. "The ability to come together and fight for what’s right is important in this country. That’s why unions are important."

Honda also recalled his days as a teacher and school administrator in San Jose, where he was the first person to sign up for the local AFT union there in the late 1960s. As he went on to become a vice principal and then principal, Honda said he never took the support staff in school for granted. "When you come in as a new principal, the smartest thing you can do is sit down with the support staff and find out what’s going on in that school. The principal who does not pay attention to that could not be successful."