Educators and staff at the Community Charter School of Cambridge (CCSC) today announced that they are forming a union with the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts (AFTMA), joining a surge of union organizing at Massachusetts charter schools this year. The union will represent 66 teachers and other school employees at CCSC, which educates around 250 students in grades 6-12.
“I love teaching because I get to meet and learn from amazing young people every day while trying to be a guiding force in their lives,” said Mallory Karlicek, a High School English Teacher at CCSC. “I signed on to form a union because teachers felt they were being pressured to take on more responsibility without fair compensation. I wanted to lend my voice and support to ensure teachers are valued at our school, and I hope having a group voice will make each single voice better heard.”
“I’m excited to welcome the educators and staff at the Community Charter School of Cambridge to our AFT union family! We are thrilled to support their organizing for better working and learning conditions,” said AFT Massachusetts President Jessica Tang. “All educators and school staff deserve a true voice on the job, and all students deserve a healthy school environment that meets their diverse learning needs. CCSC employees are part of a powerful movement of charter school educators who are forming unions with AFT Massachusetts because they understand that when we organize together, we can build the schools and communities our students and their families deserve.”
The new union at CCSC follows the announcement of new unions at two Dorchester charter schools earlier this year: Neighborhood House Charter School, which formed a union in February, and Codman Academy Charter Public School, which formed a union in April. Both organized their unions with the Boston Teachers Union, a local affiliate of AFTMA. AFTMA also represents educators at the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School in Harwich.
"There's a growing movement of charter school educators forming unions because we see the need to come together and organize for better working conditions and a voice on the job,” said Jessica Cordero, an educator at Neighborhood House Charter School. “We’re ready to support each other as we negotiate contracts that will help improve our jobs so we can better support our students.”
The employees of CCSC look forward to working with the school administration to reach a contract that delivers better working conditions for educators, addresses students’ classroom needs, and ensures a fair discipline process for employees.
"I love teaching because it’s transformative. Not only for the students, but for you too. I’ve grown so much as a person alongside these young people because I’m invested in becoming better for them,” said another teacher at CCSC. “I sought to form a union for several reasons, including teacher retention and due process around employee discipline. Too many people, especially men of color, are flippantly removed from our staff. Overall, no one can build relationships and achieve long-term academic goals if the staff is constantly turning over. I am hoping that through the collective bargaining process, we can achieve clarity and a sense of mutual respect. I want to be heard and listened to. Now, I feel like it will happen.”