Happy new year, OSEA! I hope you had a wonderful holiday break and are ready to lean in to all that 2025 has in store. OSEA is laying the groundwork for big things ahead. Since October, I have had the opportunity to visit dozens of chapters across the state as part of the President’s Road Show. Thank you to every member who welcomed me to your worksites and spoke with me about the successes and challenges you face. While every school, district and chapter are different, we share a lot of things: our love for our students, our pride in our work and our commitment to working together to make a difference.
Of course, I also saw firsthand the chronic issues in our education system that unite us across chapters. While some districts are making progress, too many staff continue to be injured, stressed and scrambling to meet the needs of their students without enough support. If this sounds familiar, I want you to know that you are seen and heard. The force of our union is behind you working to improve working and learning conditions across the state.
You can be part of that effort – in fact, we need all our members to be informed, engaged and activated during the upcoming legislative session! OSEA members are the union, and change only happens when we work together to achieve it. That’s true at the bargaining table and at the State Capitol.
If you want to see better wages, higher staffing levels and more safety measures to protect staff, I encourage you to join us for Legislative Education Day (LED), March 2nd-3rd. This is an event where turnout really does make a difference – there is nothing like seeing the halls of the State Capitol filled with OSEA members, proudly rocking our blue T-shirts. And there is nothing as powerful as all of us, sharing our expertise and lived experiences with lawmakers to advocate for better laws and policies.
If you haven’t given testimony at the State Capitol before, don’t worry. LED is designed to prepare you for anything that might come up! The event begins on Sunday, March 2nd, with a full day of training, speakers and small-group workshops. You’ll be matched with members from your district who will be with you in the Capitol, and you’ll practice together to share your stories.
On Monday, March 3rd, we’ll set up appointments with your representatives. This gives you and your team a dedicated time with elected officials and their staff, who are ready to listen to you about the issues facing our schools and education programs.
LED is the easiest way to participate in legislative advocacy and you will have a big impact. Sharing your stories and expertise with lawmakers is empowering, and it is one of our best tools to make change statewide, rather than district by district. One of my first leadership opportunities within our union was chairing the Government Relations Committee; I care deeply about making sure education workers have a voice in the Capitol and a say in the decisions that impact us. I hope you will join us! Registration is open through Jan. 28th and you'll find more details about signing up in this issue of the Journal.
Of course, the opportunities to make a difference don’t stop with LED. We have several chapters going into bargaining in the new year, and we know that solidarity and chapter strength make the biggest difference at the bargaining table. If your chapter is negotiating a new contract this year, there will be lots of opportunities to help build your chapter strength, support your bargaining team and make your voice heard!
We also need members to get involved in running our union at the state level. Conference 2025 will be held in June and some deadlines are right around the corner. Please read on for information on how you can submit resolutions, run for a Board position and more.
Whether it is in our chapters, in our statewide union or in the Capitol, members make the difference. Every time one of us steps up and gets more involved, our union gets a little stronger. Our bargaining teams win a little more. Our workplaces get a little better. Step by step, we are building a brighter future in education. OSEA members, never doubt how powerful we are together!