LEVITTOWN — Due to the tenacity of four women, CSEA recently welcomed 49 teacher aides at the Island Trees School District to our union family.
Several years ago, a few aides made an attempt to organize a union, but their plans didn’t come to fruition. The most recent attempt began with a simple conversation.
“Even after the first attempt didn’t work out, I still kept the possibility of unionizing in my mind,” said Carmen Garcia, one of the teacher aides. “Then, one day I [spoke]to these ladies [Teacher Aides Mónica Navarrete, Antonella Ducatelli and Jodi Kilbride] about the possibilityof organizing and they all said they were in.”
This time around, the aides knew it was time to organize because they were tired and frustrated of poor treatment at the workplace.
“We just want to take a stand and be a voice for everyone who doesn’t feel comfortable being vocal about their opinions,” said Navarrete.
“Originally, I was nervous about unionizing, too,” said Ducatelli. “But in the long run, it’s what’s best because we have some job protection and a means to seek fairness.”
In a true example of member engagement, members from the nearby Plainedge School District helped guide the new unit while they were going through the organizing process.
“At the time, some of the Island Trees [teacher aides]didn’t understand why they needed a union,” said Plainedge School District Monitors and Aides Unit President Eileen Loftus. “I explained to them that we [Plainedge School District teacher aides] were being treated with far more respect for being the professionals that we are, since organizing.”
Loftus also reminded the Island Trees employees of another important reason to have a strong union.
“I also reminded them that management’s promises can be tenuous without a union contract to bind them to their word,” said Loftus.
“It’s nice to have access to people who understand the process of organizing a unit and are willing to help you navigate around any potential issues,” said Ducatelli.
Another important factor in the workers’ organizing action was a large meeting that organizers held to address the concerns of potential members.
The meeting was an opportunity for attendees to visualize the strength in numbers they would have as an organized unit.
It was also important for attendees to see the four organizers, who are also their colleagues, conduct the meeting.
“I think that people were expecting to see the ladies sitting with the rest of the teacher aides,” said CSEA Statewide Organizer Jessica Riley. “The ladies signed people in, they introduced speakers and they conducted the actual meeting. There’s nothing like seeing people step up and take charge. That’s when unit members really started to look at them as leaders.”
Berkowitz
Nassau Educational Local 865 President Monica Berkowitz also played an important part in bringing the new unit into the CSEA fold by allowing them to use the local office for meetings and offering much needed advice.
Being a former teacher aide, Berkowitz has an acute understanding of the unit’s reason for wanting to organize.
“Teacher aides are an invaluable asset to any school district,” said Berkowitz. “On superintendents’ conference days, we are the ones excluded from all the trainings that go on for all other staff members in the district. We should be treated with the respect that everyone else is afforded.”
“Sometimes the term “aide” is confused with “maid,” said Berkowitz.
Members say that they have already noticed that they are being treated with more respect by management now that they have union representation.
“We are an integral part of the children’s education,” said Garcia. “We hope that being part of CSEA will help us get closer to being treated like the professionals that we are.”
— Wendi Bowie
