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He describes coordinated relief efforts, member support, and union advocacy focused on teacher pay, fair evaluation, and challenging value-added measures through a federal lawsuit. He also explains how union power works in a right-to-work environment: benefits come largely from state law, while local negotiations and school board decisions shape salaries, planning time, duty-free lunch, and job security.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-professional-educator-union-strong-before-and-after-the-storm/590614/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-professional-educator-union-strong-before-and-after-the-storm/590614.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Stanley","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-10","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":19},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What overarching goal does the article say professional educators share?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"To ensure all students receive a rich, well-rounded education so they can become productive, engaged citizens.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How did the HFT respond when Hurricane Harvey devastated the Gulf Coast?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The union coordinated volunteers to deliver food and bottled water and to clean and repair damaged homes for affected educators and support professionals.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Which major policy battles does Capo highlight for the HFT in recent years?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Campaigning for a successful pay raise after years without increases and filing a federal lawsuit against the use of value-added measures for educator evaluation.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},590614,1792070043,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":19,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":81,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":129,"read_time":39,"preview_page_count":4},2336477405376,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","THE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR  \nUnion Strong Before and After the Storm  \nProfessional educators—in the classroom, library, counseling center, or anywhere in between—share one overarching goal: ensuring all students receive the rich, well-rounded education they need to be productive, engaged citizens. In this regular feature,  \nwe explore the work of professional educators—their accomplishments and their challenges—so that the  \nlessons they have learned can benefit students across the country. After all, listening to the professionals who do this work every day is a blueprint for success.  \nBy Zeph Capo  \nn August 1992, I began my teaching career at an elementary  \nIschobothoein SciteFdreaou. OsnItlaotkrdstfoaywain thrd toeaaesswrooardimng, Iyl  \nin my new profession. But days later, Hurricane Andrew hit, closing schools and destroying my home. I lost everything I owned. Twenty-five years later, another storm would playa defining role in my life. In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, where I serve asthe president of the Houston Federation of Teachers (HFT). For several days, the storm and its aftermath ravaged the Gulf Coast. Severe flooding took lives, destroyed homes, and closed  \nZeph Capo is the president of the Houston Federation of Teachers (HFT), an AFT vice president, and a trustee for Houston Community College. A former middle school science teacher, he previously served as HFT vicepresident and legislative director.  \nschools. This time, my own house was spared. Others were not so fortunate. The homes of many of the 6,000 teachers, school nurses, counselors, and other support professionals the HFT represents were damaged or destroyed; their lives were completely upended.  \nImmediately, our local began helping members in need. We coordinated volunteers who spent countless hours delivering food and bottled water as well as cleaning and repairing damaged homes. We showed that, together, we were stronger than the storm.  \nI truly believe that our strength resulted in part from the battles the HFT fought, and ultimately won, in recent years. These battles centered on hot-button issues such as teacher pay and evaluation. After more than three years without a salary increase, we launched a successful pay-raise campaign for our members. We also filed a federal lawsuit against the use of value-added measures (VAM), securing a victory for the right of educators in our school district to be fairly evaluated.  \nILLUSTRAT IONS BY VIKTOR KOEN  \nFor videos of HFT members helping others in the community, visit [www.aft.to/HurricaneHarvey and www.aft.to/TeachingInShelters](www.aft.to/HurricaneHarvey and www.aft.to/TeachingInShelters).  \nAMERICAN EDUCATOR | SPRING 2018 27  \nIt’s no secret that organized labor and public education face a time of great uncertainty. Our country’s current president and secretary of education have made clear their intent to support corporate greed atthe expense of working people and their unionsand to champion privatization schemes that undermine public schools. I hope that, by sharing the HFT’s recent successes and our ongoing efforts to rebuild in the wake of Harvey, other local unions facing challenges just as daunting can apply what we’ve learned.  \n***  \nThere’s a long-standing joke in nonbargaining states, such as Texas, that we don’t have collective bargaining—we have collective begging.  \nAlthough the HFT operates in a “right-towork-for-less” environment, the success  \nof our union still depends upon active  \nand engaged members who are politically strong and savvy.  \nDespite not having a collectively bargained contract, most of the benefits you would find in one (the duty-free lunch period, the right to planning time within the school day, and due process rights) are found in our  \nstate law. In a sense, our state law really serves as our master contract.  \nAs for salaries, state law sets a minimum sal  \nary schedule in each local school district, and then each district augments or sets its o","cbCaicoMPPgSrgBy","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaicoMPPgSrgBy","pdf",211642,"English","# Union Strong Before and After the Storm\n## Mission and background of HFT leadership\n## Relief efforts during Hurricane Harvey\n## Union advocacy: pay and evaluation battles\n## Organizing and labor context in right-to-work states","[{\"question\":\"What overarching goal does the article say professional educators share?\",\"answer\":\"To ensure all students receive a rich, well-rounded education so they can become productive, engaged citizens.\"},{\"question\":\"How did the HFT respond when Hurricane Harvey devastated the Gulf Coast?\",\"answer\":\"The union coordinated volunteers to deliver food and bottled water and to clean and repair damaged homes for affected educators and support professionals.\"},{\"question\":\"Which major policy battles does Capo highlight for the HFT in recent years?\",\"answer\":\"Campaigning for a successful pay raise after years without increases and filing a federal lawsuit against the use of value-added measures for educator evaluation.\"}]","THE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR - Union Strong Before and After the Storm | PDF"]