Learning from a progressive labor victory in DC

This past June, the Washington Teachers Union (WTU) held its union elections. Laura Fuchs beat the incumbent to become the new president of the WTU. I recently interviewed Laura about the steps she took to win in order to add to the literature about social justice caucus members winning union leadership elections, including the many books (such as Labor Notes (2014) How to jump-start your union: Lessons from the Chicago teachers) and articles written about the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU).

Social justice caucuses are composed of union members who believe the union must be democratic, transparent, and committed to social justice causes. This stands in stark contrast to the political reality in the United States, which undermines democracy, justice, and empathy (see Lois’s contribution). For example, the 2025 CTU contract put in protections against Trump’s policies, including “revers[ing] the privatization of key positions like tech coordinators and nurses while vastly improving staffing for librarians, case managers for students with disabilities, and teachers who support English Language Learners. And for the first time, it includes protections for academic freedom, Black history, and culturally relevant curriculum. It calls for the continuation of Sanctuary Schools, and creates LGBTQIA+ safe spaces in schools.” Right now, unions need social justice educators more than ever.

Laura is one of the founding members of the DC Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators (DC-CORE), the social justice caucus of the WTU and the only caucus within the union. While Laura did not run as DC-CORE, she had the support of the caucus, and many members of her slate are caucus members. Laura ran on a slate called Educators Taking Action (ETA) whose platform includes member engagement to “ensure that members are getting the information they need to take action and opportunities to provide regular feedback” and transparency to “give all [members] an opportunity to evaluate what’s working and what’s not.” ETA also supports open negotiations, making bold demands through organized collective action, and social justice causes that support school communities. The WTU is one of the most powerful unions in Washington, DC; the nation’s capital and an easy target for Trump and his MAGA followers as DC doesn’t have representation beyond local politics. Laura won in DC “in the mouth of the dragon” offering the possibility of hope in these extremely demoralizing times (see Keith’s contribution).

Laura has been a social ...