Summit School District: Organizing the Unorganized
Ten months ago, the support staff workers of Summit School District set off to organize a union recognition campaign. Ten months later, we organized over 130 workers, teachers, parents, students, and community members to back a Board of Education meeting to demand said recognition. What follows are key lessons from this ongoing campaign—lessons forged in struggle, which is still taking place and constantly developing as workers continue to escalate their demand for a win.
Summit County is situated in the western half of Colorado, with a large Hispanic population and a community that leans relatively progressive, as opposed to other nearby counties. Yet, beneath the veneer of tourism and wealth, the reality for workers is brutal. Wages are abysmally low, while the cost of living ranks among the highest in the state. The tourism industry dominates the county’s economy, with wealthy skiers and visitors from across the world driving up rents and destabilizing the housing market. Long-time community members are pushed to the margins, forced to commute long distances or take on multiple jobs just to survive. These contradictions—between the poverty of labor and the luxury of capital—create ripe conditions for the organization of workers.
When I had my initial conversations with workers in the school district, I encountered absolute horror stories of economic distress, depression, isolation, substance abuse, and high rates of suicide. Two workers died during the course of this campaign, casualties of a system that drains the working class of hope and life. This atmosphere of despair created deep apathy toward change. Yet it is precisely in such conditions that revolutionary organization becomes most necessary.
Smaller communities require an organizer to develop deep, trusting relationships with the workers. That’s precisely what it took to move people. Workers will not trust an outside organizer who doesn’t first implant themself in the community they seek to change. Whether it’s attending student plays, dancing events, art festivals, or simply being present in the things that are most meaningful to workers, community-building was central to the organizing work of this campaign.
After five months of relationship-building, I successfully identified ten key leaders in this district with the power to move their fellow workers to action. For over three months, we trained these folks on what it means to organize through intensive classes and simulations, equipping them to become organizers at their worksites. Developing autonomy and setting high expectations for even the average worker further contributed to the success of this campaign. When workers came back for the new school year, they were set and prepared with an escalation campaign that succeeded in moving over 76% of the workers in the district. Within three weeks, leaders collected union cards, collected petition signatures from parents, and rallied hundreds of people to support the organization of classified workers. Within four months, the apathy and resentment for change was virtually nonexistent. All it took was the proper training and organization of powerful, militant leaders of the community.
Two days prior to the workers’ action, ICE presence was spotted in the county, causing rampant chaos and fear. Parents, students, teachers, and other workers hurriedly locked down schools, and parents refused to leave their homes with their children for fear of deportation. We managed to rally a small protest in front of a store where the ICE agents were initially spotted, but community leaders expressed hesitation and fear in continuing with their planned Board action. It took intense conversations to recognize this for what it was: the opposition weaponizing fear to paralyze our class. To retreat in the face of this repression would be to concede victory before the fight had even begun. Perseverance was key.
Thus, on September 18th, more than 130 support staff, teachers, parents, students, and community members packed the Summit School District Board of Education meeting to demand recognition of our union. One of the support staff leaders stood in front of this crowd and read a short speech, prior to entering the building, as we chanted “Union, YES!” in a crowd of red shirts. The speech read:
“Thank you support staff, teachers, parents, students, for coming! This means a lot to us, and each and every worker in this district has worked so hard to make tonight happen. As you may know, the board tonight will be presented with a resolution to pass. There is no law in the state of Colorado that requires anything more, since there are no steps for recognition in public education. That means the board’s decision to recognize us is voluntary.
It means a lot that we are showing up and standing together, especially when our community was met with a lot of fear the past couple of days. It’s important to remind ourselves that this is precisely why we organize. We organize not only for our conditions as workers, but the protection of our community as a whole. Let’s make tonight a memorable night for the progression of our working conditions as support staff!”
Board members voiced support, in lip service, but ultimately no concrete decision was made for official union recognition. In addition to this, the Board is now collaborating with a known union-busting hawk, Adele Reester. She was present at this meeting, and even went into executive session with the Board. The district is billing her hours to counsel the Board on what steps to take. If these administrators are serious about granting workers union recognition, why are they colluding with a union-busting lawyer responsible for the decertification of three locals in Colorado?
However, the workers are aware of this tactic, and are now taking steps to escalate even further. One thing to note, which support staff leaders tried to emphasize, is that board policy is not required to recognize workers for collective bargaining. Colorado has no state law when it comes to collective bargaining for public education, making this process completely voluntary based on each school district.
One thing is certain: no matter how long recognition will take, we will continue to act like a union, to advance working-class interests.
Every worker that showed up should feel extremely proud of their show of force and organization. Our unity and organizing power brought us this far, and it’s that same power that will win us the leadership of the working-class movement in the struggle for socialism-communism, the liberation of the entire working class!
Long live the working class!