Wil's Vision FOR UTLA

WHY I AM RUNNING FOR UTLA NEA VICE PRESIDENT

I see a UTLA that is in a state of flux. We have ideals and needs that are varied, and we are being forced into a narrow path and specific ideology of a few. In the age of Janus we cannot be a Union that is dismissive of various ideas and plans, and need to have healthy debate. As an organization we needed Union Power and the core values they sought to bring forth in 2013. We had gone through a time were we saw few gains and reactionary and misguided leadership, and UP stirred something in us that needed to be awakened. I am proud of the turns we have made and the leaders we have grown and nurtured during this time. I am one of those who has grown, and I am passionate about the seat I am seeking. While organizing has proved to be an essential element of our future, there must be more, and reshuffling the UP deck cannot be a part of our progress.

AFFILIATE RELATIONSHIPS AND WORK WITH CTA/NEA

Our current UTLA NEA Vice President, Cecily Myart-Cruz, has done a great job leading our local to gain respect on a state and national level within CTA and NEA. My first NEA Representative Assembly in Denver was the same week Cecily began her term. I saw what she was handed and was astonished to be amongst a group that was wrought with infighting, inaction, and apathy. UTLA was corraled in the back of the room of our CTA caucus, and in the back of the California delegation on the RA floor in the Mile High City. The reason for this is we were an embarrassment to our state affiliate. There was little accountability and therefore not a reason to truly take the process of being a delegate seriously. Cecily changed the tone of the past, and over the next five years I grew in pride and action as an UTLA NEA delegate.

While Cecily has made strides in turning our Service Center around, I see the need to make some changes in order to help engage all of our delegates to become greater participants. Many of us who write New Business Items for CTA State Council and the NEA RA do so in silos. I would look to move the day of our meetings to two weeks before State Council so we avoid having so much of our time spent by visiting candidates. Candidates for statewide office currently spend about 30 minutes of our time to attempt to get votes. These are crucial mintues that we should be using to work together to write NBIs, policy statements, amendments, and legislation, and create strategy to go to the various committess we serve on to advocate for our positions as a collective. This would allow for delegates who have ideas, but do not currently bring forth actions, the opportunity to work with others in the writing process and share to others what UTLA brings forth. All of us have passions within education, we just need the opportunity to bring our ideas to the table.

I look to be a leader for you with our CTA and NEA affliates, but I am not the name in this race. Alex Caputo-Pearl is the safe vote for membership in this race. He is the known name on the ballot and a leader in our union, but he is not the only leader. Unlike our current President, I am an actual active member engaged and involved with the National Educators Association. ACP is a national Vice President of AFT, which would make him an appropriate candidate for the UTLA AFT Vice President. As an delegate to the 2018 AFT Convention in Pittsburgh, ACP gave a stirring speech about our eventual strike. I, on the other hand, have served as a representative of UTLA over the past six years as an active delegate to the NEA Represetative Assembly. In Denver, Orlando, Washington DC, Boston, Minneapolis, and this past July in Houston I have spent the week surrounding Independence Day working to represent you to NEA. In those six years on the RA floor over the course of 35 days, I have brought forth NBIs, resolutions, and supported and advocated for many others important for our membership. During that same period of time, Alex Caputo-Pearl and Gabriel Serrano have spent ZERO days representing you before NEA, yet both seem to think they is qualifed for this particular position. ACP's name is known because he is the President of the second largest educators local in the nation, but he has not taken the time to build relationships with our NEA sisters and brothers from other states in order to get policy, amendments, and resolutions past.

BOARD OF EDUCATION

We have a problem UTLA members. We do not defeat CCSA in elections.

This has happened because UP has no plan to win the LAUSD school board. Our Union cannot stand idly by and just hope that we have friendly candidates we can support. We must be aggressive in order to combat what is going to be a massive fight in 2020 and 2022. The reality is that CCSA will probably make the next round of Board elections the most expensive in history. They will absolutely be coming for Schmerelson, McKenna, and Patty Castellanos in District 7. Winning two of the four odd numbered districts gives CCSA a wider path to continue to siphon students from our schools.

As your next UTLA NEA Vice President I have a solution: The "UTLA Board Leadership Training Academy.” With the help of members, we will identify, recruit, and develop UTLA members as potential BOE candidates in all seven districts. The Academy will teach potential contenders what is required to run for a Board seat, and what will be the necessary skills and knowledge necessary to serve their communities.

When elected as your UTLA NEA Vice President, I will spearhead this effort. People going through this program would have the opportunity to learn what it means to be a BOE member. We would train Academy members understand how to write board resolutions. The Academy would get these folks out to influential meeting spaces in their districts. Winning the Board is not as simple as spending millions of PACE dollars to create mailers, we need a plan, and the Board Leadership Training Academy gives us more of a chance to defeat CCSA and keep the Board friendly to LAUSD students and educator needs.

ORGANIZING FOUNDATION + SERVICE STRUCTURES

I urge you to seek a change in our Union leadership and focus. I vision a UTLA that has an organizing foundation, but utilizes the Collective Bargaining Agreement in order to service our members. Most members did not join UTLA in order to rally and fight about all issues. Most educators in our Union want to be able to have fair-pay, good healthcare, a pension, and a work environment conducive to doing our jobs; let's combine service with organizing. I forsee a UTLA/NEA Service Center that turns its focus from other's candidacy to one that allows for our delegates to be advocates for all members. I envision a Board Leadership Training Academy that grooms as many as 35 UTLA members per Academy to run in LAUSD School Board elections. I will work with our CTA sisters and brothers in LA County to build a coalition that is supportive and connected. While we are #UTLAstrong, an alliance of 47 LA locals is even more powerful. I will continue to work with delegates in Yolo County and North Dakota, so we may aid them through their struggles as we learn from them to focus on our own. I love my Union, but it is time for change. I hope to earn your vote. -Wil

I have had some members ask me if I would be willing to join a slate of candidates for the 2020 UTLA Citywide election.

As an independent and experienced voice in our Union, I understand the value of teamwork and am ready to work with other leaders within United Teachers Los Angeles. I will not be working with a slate because I believe we need to build a diverse team of leaders in UTLA, committed to constructive dialogue and even allowing for disagreement on some issues rather than following a single vision or voice. That said, I will be working with other independent candidates in order work toward creating a new UTLA leadership group that is developing strategies and solutions to aid a greater number of members.

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