BRONX TIMES REPORTER, NOVEMBER 2 BTR 9-DECEMBER 5, 2019 7
Barr and Nesbitt offered
powerful and general
testimonials about how
members of our unions often
fi ght each other in individual
cases but in the
end we are all members
of a working class that is
fi ercely devoted to educating
the city’s children.
“We can’t do the work we
do without the people who
lead our schools,” said
Barr. “We are family.”
Mr. Nesbitt, whose union
represents school aides,
lunchroom workers, school
crossing guards and parent
coordinators, gave a heartfelt
take on the same theme.
“Some have asked the question,
‘Why would we stand
with the administrators,
the people who may discipline
our members?’” he
said. “You are leaders who
wake up every day and give
your all for the 1.1 million
children in NYC, children
who are in transitional
housing, children who are
in broken households. You
treat them with love, you
treat them with dignity, you
treat them with respect as
they attend school. And yet
when you ask for fair conditions
for yourself and for
your own families, you are
told no, this going to cost too
much.”
CSA’s rally coincided
with another union event
that began a few yards
away in City Hall Park:
The Transit Workers
Union Local 100, which is
engaged in protacted and
acrimonious negotiations
with the Metropolitan
Transit Authority. Leaders
of each union pledged
support for the other at
their respective events.
Throughout the event,
a spirit of unity and excitement
coursed through the
crowd. Nancy Russo, a retired
AP and fi erce unionist,
was one of CSA’s early
members who was present
at the creation of the
union, and she delivered
a short address that spoke
to her desire for the union
to continue growing stronger
as new generations of
educators enter the ranks.
“It’s often said that you
stand on our shoulders,
and that gives you a view of
the future, unobstructed,”
she said. “Tonight, I ask
you to step down from our
shoulders and let us stand
shoulder-to-shoulder with
you in this fi ght for a fair
contract. Know that we
stand with you, and we’ll
welcome all of you when
you cross over the line to
where we are.”
Jessica McKenna, an
assistant principal at PS
247 in Brooklyn, joined
her principal, Christopher
Ogno, in making the
trip to City Hall. Ms. McKenna,
a teacher for more
than 20 years and an AP
for about two, noted that
she had been on her feet
since 7 am but that it was
crucial to be an active
member of her union.
NYC School
Leaders Stand
With Labor!
Great
Schools
Begin
With Great
Leaders
Council of School Supervisors & Administrators
LOCAL 1: AMERICAN FEDERATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, AFL-CIO
40 RECTOR ST., 12TH FL., NY, NY 10006 | T: 212 823 2020 | F: 212 962-6130
MARK CANNIZZARO PRESIDENT | HENRY RUBIO EXECUTIVE VP | ROSEMARIE SINCLAIR FIRST VP
www.csa-nyc.org
/www.csa-nyc.org