JUFJ's "Thinking Jewishly": Teacher Exposes Union-Busting at Cesar Chavez HS

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Local activist and JUFJ Jeremiah Fellow David Krakow has won an important victory for teachers at the Cesar Chavez charter school, including a pledge that the school will not interfere with union organizing. A history teacher at Chavez, Krakow was fired after heading up efforts by teachers to deal with shared concerns at the charter school. Although the school – named after legendary farmworker labor leader Cesar Chavez – denied that he was fired for his organizing efforts, Krakow says the human resources director told him that the school was "fundamentally anti-union." Krakow filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which found for him and issued a complaint against the school, which settled the case for triple lost-wage damages of $15,000 and agreed to post a notice at Cesar Chavez saying that their workers have a right to form a union, that they won’t tell teachers they can’t organize and won’t threaten to close the school if they do organize. Click here for Rend Smith’s complete report in Washington City Paper along with the complete text of the notice. Although the irony of blatant union-busting at a school named after one of the world's most famous union organizers is painful, the lesson of the rewards of fighting back reinforces Chavez’ legacy. - Robin Metalitz, Jews United for Justice