Francis W. Parker is currently one of the only private schools in Illinois that has a teacher union, and right now, library staff, assistant teachers, and other faculty members are searching for the same benefits that others experience at Parker.
The FWP Assistants Union is a membership-based organization of Assistant Teachers and Library Assistants at Parker. The aim of the union is to improve working conditions and protect teachers’ interests through collective bargaining and negotiation with their colleagues.
The group is currently affiliated with the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), which represents over 100,000 workers across Illinois in nearly 500 bargaining units. One is the Faculty Association, already present at Parker. Furthermore, the union is autonomous, meaning that the Assistant Teachers and Library Assistants will make their own decisions about personal contracts, elected leadership, and priorities, just as the faculty at Parker has been doing.
The formation of the FWP Assistants Union has been in the works for a couple of years, and some members say it was a long time coming. The success of the union’s formation has been rooted in collective action by each member and a collaborative approach to organizing the next steps needed to persevere.
“The union was put together because the Assistant Teachers and Library Assistants believe in having clear and concrete guidelines for our work responsibilities that ensure equitable, fair, reliable, and transparent compensation,” Assistant Teacher Isabelle Davis said. “We would like to constitute contracts that follow the belief in establishing a just, equitable, and diverse workspace with antiracism at the forefront of the movement.”
The members need to participate and collaborate on decisions related to their work responsibilities, health, safety, and accessibility. Lastly, the members support investing in paraprofessional talent through improved employee benefits, professional development, employment terms, and advancement channels. In other words, the members of the union want to be recognized as valuable team members, helping them grow professionally so they can contribute more effectively and stay in their job positions for a longer period of time.
Davis went on to share that the FWP Assistants Union is taking action because it will ensure all voices within Parker’s embryonic democracy are heard.
“Assistants play a vast part in creating the caring, supportive, and community-centered environment that Parker students need to flourish.”