Unions’ Role in Advocacy

Abstract

You have accessThe ASHA LeaderInbox1 Jun 2012Unions’ Role in Advocacy Pamela Greenhalgh Pamela Greenhalgh Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.IN2.17072012.38 SectionsAbout ToolsAdd to favorites ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In Regarding the “Why Make Time for Advocacy?” article (April 3), I am disappointed at the blatant neglect of the best advocacy source for school-based SLPs—unions. Union support is advocated in the ASHA publications State Advocacy Guidebook for Salary Supplement (2001) and Working for Change: A Guide for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists in Schools (2000), with the latter giving specific guidelines for obtaining union support of workload issues. In 2002ASHA Leader articles (Moore, “Trying on the Union Label” and Bellini, “One Voice Does Make a Difference”), school-based SLPs are told that, “Union advocacy is not a traditional role for SLPs but we cannot be isolationists. You should not be a silent party. Be tenacious and aggressive. You are entitled.” I could not have said it better myself. I have presented three times on union advocacy at the California Speech-Language-Hearing Association (CSHA) Convention, and have been featured in an Advance article on union advocacy (June 23, 2009). I was the grievance chair for 15 years and am the chapter president and the California Teachers Association State Council Representative for my local union. Why? Advocating without my union got me nowhere. Advocating with it got me a $5,000 stipend, more prior years’ credit, credit for non-public school employment on the salary schedule, and better working conditions. Leaving out unions from an article on advocacy is like eating without teeth—extremely insufficient and quite unsatisfactory. I advocate for better support of school-based SLPs by ASHA. Pamela Greenhalgh Fullerton, California Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Additional Resources FiguresSourcesRelatedDetails Volume 17Issue 7June 2012 Get Permissions Add to your Mendeley library History Published in print: Jun 1, 2012 Metrics Downloaded 99 times Topicsasha-topicsleader_do_tagleader-topicsasha-article-typesCopyright & Permissions© 2012 American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationLoading ...