Welcome back to the sixth episode of Red, White, & True, a podcast that aims to navigate the world of polarized, partisan politics. Join host Chesney Evert and Edith Salvatore, president of the Sequoia District Teachers Association, as they discuss the economic and social importance of labor unions in our communities.

Labor unions are organized groups of employees in a specific industry. They utilize strategies like collective bargaining to ensure members’ interests and rights are protected. It’s democracy in the workplace; laborers come together to enforce a balance of power.

People outside the educational sphere blamed teachers and administrators for the economic recession in 2021, as school closures meant parents had to step away from their jobs to improvise childcare. Salvatore speaks to managing these attitudes and their impacts from inside a teachers union, advocating on behalf of teachers in the Sequoia Union High School District.

Resources: Democracy Dies When Labor Unions Do by Eric Levitz

This story was originally published on Scot Scoop News on January 13, 2022.