To Our
Members

Fair pay. Fair pensions. A fair chance for every child. The rich paying their fair share of taxes.

That’s what so many of our fights come down to.

When we push to Fix Tier 6, we’re fighting for fairness for the educators who give their careers to New York’s students but still face an inequitable retirement system.

When we say One Job Should Be Enough, we’re fighting for fairness for the school staff, bus drivers, and direct care staff who deserve to make a living wage without piecing together multiple jobs just to get by.

When we champion the 1-in-5 campaign to end child poverty, we’re fighting for fairness for families who deserve stability, dignity, and opportunity — not survival on the edge.

Fairness doesn’t end in our schools — it must extend to our entire economy.

New York has more billionaires than almost anywhere on earth, and yet our students and communities are constantly told there isn’t enough to go around. That’s not a budget problem — it’s a fairness problem.

When the wealthiest New Yorkers and corporations pay their fair share in taxes, we can fully fund our schools, strengthen higher education, Fix Tier 6, and end child poverty. Fairness means everyone contributes their share.

These are not separate causes. They are one fight.

They are our fight.

Because fairness is not too much to ask — it’s the least our communities deserve.

It’s what drew each of us to this profession in the first place. We teach fairness. We model fairness. And when we stand together in our union, we live fairness.

So in the year ahead, you’ll see this message everywhere:

Our Fight for Fairness.

Because when we fight for fairness, we make New York stronger — for all of us.

In solidarity,

@MelindaJPerson
MelindaJPerson