The more than 5,600-member-strong Jefferson County Teachers Association have officially affiliated with the Kentucky State AFL-CIO, its longtime ally.
“The AFL-CIO and JCTA have a lot in common,” said Maddie Shepard, JCTA president. “As educators, we care about public education and our ability to put the best public educators in front of Kentucky's kids.
“We also care about what affects everything inside and outside the school walls-the plight of the working class. This partnership will allow us to take a coalition approach to working together to defend and strengthen what we care about: public education and the working class.”
“So, we in JCTA decided to make use of this learning. We have decided to join the AFL-CIO: a strong coalition that cares about what we care about, and stand beside the ranks of more than 100,000 union members across Kentucky.”
The executive boards of both organizations approved the affiliation. Kentucky State AFL-CIO President Dustin Reinstedler is happy to welcome JCTA into federation ranks.
“JCTA has always been a powerful and influential group,” he said. “The Kentucky State AFL-CIO is honored to have them as a partner. This affiliation sends a clear message to the wealthy that we cannot be divided. I applaud President Maddie Shepard, her board, and her members for this excellent show of solidarity with the over 100,000 union members who make up Kentucky State AFL-CIO.”
Shepard and Reinstedler said affiliation was a logical step because JCTA and the state AFL-CIO have often been on the same side in Frankfort.
For example, when Gov. Matt Bevin pushed for a “right to work” law and legislation repealing the state prevailing wage law in 2017, JCTA stood in solidarity with organized labor. In 2018, when Bevin tried to gut teacher pensions and public school funding, union members helped swell the ranks of massive teacher protests at the Capitol.
Last year, the JCTA and the state AFL-CIO teamed up to help stop Amendment 2, which would have changed the state constitution to permit tax dollars to be used to help fund private schools, thus draining vital state funds from our public schools.
“I took office just as the fight to defend public schools and defeat Kentucky's Constitutional Amendment 2 was getting underway,” Shepard said. “The two most important things I learned during that campaign were that we are stronger when we build coalitions and work together, and that it’s possible for people from all walks of life to join together for something they care about.”
Said Reinstedler: “I realize it may sound cliché to say ‘the children are our future,’ but that’s the truth. Who we have educating them, and how, is just as important as who we elect to represent us in government.
“Make no mistake, the national agenda to attack, weaken, and dismantle education is a tactic used by the ultra-wealthy in their agenda of monopolistic control of our lives. Because of this, we must protect every aspect of education at all costs.
“Education is just as much a part of organized labor as construction, shipping, food service, or any other way people make a living. Bringing education back into the fold of Kentucky organized labor is another step towards class solidarity and towards the goal of all working class people being united and powerful.”
Reinstedler said “Shepard has demonstrated that she is a forward-thinking leader who cares deeply about her members and about the labor movement as a whole. Although I have known Maddie for many years through our work in organized labor, working with her and her team this past year has been energizing. Maddie is truly a trade unionist who not only talks the talk but walks the walk. As I watch the continued attacks on education, like school vouchers and district issues, and as I watch JCTA members fight back, I am beyond impressed with how tough they are.”
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