What will it take?
By Camille Zombro, SDEA President and
Marc Capitelli, SDEA Vice President

We consider ourselves a democratic (small d) country and union. The question is whether or not the facts stack up to demonstrate that citizens / members are really participating in their country / union. We have convinced ourselves that our country / union is vibrant and representing the "will of the people," but how do we actually measure up?

The 2004 Presidential election saw 121± million of our 293± million citizens vote. That means that only 44% of our citizens (56% of eligible voters) decided to exercise their franchise and vote. 29% of the eligible electorate elected President Bush.

You can't blame education levels or red/blue states or regional differences because the data shows that the percentage does not change much across those lines. Our most cherished right as a democratic society is the right to cast a vote, to "be heard" if you will, but we don't exercise that right!

In our union's last presidential election 1310 members voted for SDEA President. 7581 were eligible to vote. 17% of our members exercised their franchise! 10% of membership elected our current president. The most highly educated demographic group there probably is did not vote in their union election, a union that is affecting their working conditions, salary and benefits.

These statistics point out two disquieting facts. We are a country/union governed not by the majority, but by a minority who, for some reason, care enough to vote. This leads to a conclusion. We are not a "vibrant, democratic" organization unless we find a way to get meaningful participation from our "electorate".

What does it mean that one participates in a democracy? Here is our continuum: EASY to HARD

• Choose to participate in the system
  
• Become informed about issues and office holders/seekers
  
• Vote
  
• Work for issues or candidates (time/money)
  
• Run for office

SDEA leadership has striven to widen the involvement of our members, multiply the number of opportunities for members to participate, and build the infrastructure to enhance communications. We're working toward a very clear
goal: meaningful participation and a member-driven organization. We can't take care of national politics, but we will continue trying to involve you.

Here is some of what has been happening in the past year at SDEA:

• A change of focus from a "service" union to an "organizing" union.
• Working with the District to face the tough issues of finance, Special Ed., and school renewal/reformation among many others.
• Building the external political relationships to make SDEA (you) more powerful when we deal with elected officials, the media and the communities we serve.
• Building the new internal structure to improve the communications
  between leadership and membership (Site and Group Organizers). Leadership needs (and wants) to hear you better.
• Revising the SDEA governance documents to reflect our current reality.
• Redirecting our human and financial resources toward increased training and material resources for Association and Council Rep- resentatives as well as Site and Group Organizers.
• Starting in a new web-based member benefit/ticket process (Member
  Access-look for your cards in September).
• Teaching our members the power of organizing.

This is only a short list of concepts we are working on. Each one we take on requires more people and more resources-it also requires us to redirect our efforts away from the priorities of the past and the services we are currently
providing. That is our quandary. We can be much more powerful in changing your working conditions with your involvement!

We want you to become involved enough to vote, work on District issues or support your union with active involvement.

• The Comparability/Compensation Task Force raised uncomfortable issues that we (SDEA & SDUSD) have never faced together before. We want our members to understand those issues.
• You are 35th out of 38 districts in your 20-year earnings. Does that get
  you riled up?
• Our entire contract is up for negotiation in '08. Is there anything you want changed?
• Charter schools continue to blossom. How does SDUSD meet that challenge? Should SDEA organize charter schools?
• We are paying over $95.00 a month in dues. Don't you want to decide
  how your dues dollars are spent?

We don't want to be total gloom and doom. There are a number of bright spots. Our "all member meetings" last spring enlisted over 700 members
who volunteered to serve as Site and Group Organizers to engage their fellow members in the two way communication process. At the end of last
school year we had a great response from membership when you demonstrated to the school board that you deserved comparability in our
salaries on June 12. You were impressive in your public comments and your solidarity. Our members taking part in union activities have seen Rep.
Councils that reflect the struggle to practice democracy. We have had some pretty raucous Rep. Councils. That's good because democracy is messy,
but it is better than anything else!

Leadership does not ever want to hear that you were never asked to participate in your union. We are asking you RIGHT NOW! We are making it easy. All you have to do is call, write or email.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Call, email, or write Camille at:
San Diego Education Association
10393 San Diego Mission Road, Suite 100
San Diego, California 92108

(619) 283-4411 zombro_c@sdea.net

Call, email, or write Marc at:
San Diego Education Association
10393 San Diego Mission Road, Suite 100
San Diego, California 92108

(858) 853-0612 cap@alum.calberkeley.org