The work performed by the teachers, speech language pathologists, and registered nurses of UE Local 613 at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children requires a high level of technical and social skills.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the local has also needed to confront new challenges in maintaining the participatory principles of bottom-up, rank-and-file unionism. Led by the efforts of their executive committee, union representation and meetings have proceeded with minimal interruption.
UE Local 613 President Marie Maletic stresses it is not just the technology that has made this transition viable, but the ingrained practices and principles of independent organization. “I think a member-run union like ours is best suited to function properly during a crisis because of our experience making decisions to fit the needs of the membership,” explains Maletic. “We depend on one another and work hard to keep our union strong.”
Particularly successful has been the use of Zoom conferences to continue holding union meetings.
“Other than social events, we have been able to proceed with all of our regular meetings. We had a membership meeting on zoom video conference in April that had about 40 participants, which was actually higher than our normal in-person meetings. I am proud of our members for staying engaged through all this. As everything around us continues to change, we will continue to be flexible in our approach,” adds Maletic.
Specifically, the local has used these virtual platforms to stay informed on new developments with the school and allow members a continued voice at the table. “Our President and I meet every other week with our school’s superintendent and assistant superintendent using video chat,” states Vice President Kate Landon. “This lets us stay up to date on information during these uncertain times, as well as giving us the opportunity to share members’ concerns. We’ve also made a plan to continue these meetings through the summer months, which typically wouldn’t happen due to our working schedules.”