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UTW President Paul Babich address the Wichita America’s Edge Rally on January 28 2008
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I am pleased to represent both of our national affiliates, the American Federation of Teachers
and the National Education Association, here this evening. Both of these great national teachers unions are committed to the principles of America’s Edge and to the IAM’s efforts to
assure a highly skilled workforce for the future.
As you might well imagine, I have had the opportunity to know hundreds of students at
Mayberry and South during my thirty years in the classroom. Many of them were smart, hard-working, and not college bound. Either college was just not for them, or they were simply not
able to afford the time and money it took to go to college for four years. Unfortunately, some of
my students dropped out of school because they thought school was just not relevant. Some of them
would tell me, “Don’t worry about me, Mr. Babich, my dad works at Boeing and he’ll get me on out
there,” or, “Mom knows somebody who works at Beech who needs help.” The skills they learned in
high school would get them through and they could hold down good paying jobs that made them members of the great middle class.
This scenario is not so true anymore. Skilled workers today need all the reading, writing and math they
can learn in high school, and they need 21st century skills like critical thinking, teamwork, adaptability,
and flexibility. On top of all that, they must have the willingness to be retrained over the course of their
careers. Both NEA and AFT have conducted research that shows the kinds of programs described in
America’s Edge can actually help cut the dropout rate in our high schools and motivate students to be
more successful in school. Vocational and technical programs in our high schools are needed to make
school more relevant for many students, to help reduce the dropout rate, and to increase potential earnings for our future workforce. We need to have post-secondary options other than four years of
college for today’s young people. These options should include community colleges, technical education centers and union apprenticeship programs.
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Sign a petition to support a national skills initiative that:
* Re-emphases technical and vocational classes in America's high schools;
* Expands the availability of industrial technology and information technology courses in America's community colleges;
* Creates High Tech
Institutes in each state that focus on 21st Century manufacturing technologies and materials: and
* Provides a pathway for all Americans to readily upgrade
their skills to remain competitive throughout their working lives.
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A few weeks ago I was listening to Ed McElroy, president of AFT, when he referred to union
members as “islands of privilege.” I was kind of surprised by the phrase. After all, it doesn’t seem like much of a privilege when I bang my
head against the wall every year at negotiations just to hang on to what we have. But Ed explained himself, and I had to agree! He said union members are islands of privilege because
they have decent health benefits, higher wages, and job protections that are the envy of those not fortunate enough to have a union fighting for them
. We need to enlarge that island of privilege, and one way we can do that is by adopting the recommendations of America’s Edge and equipping our kids with the 21st century skills
they need to compete in the global economy. Then we can keep the jobs here at home. America’s Edge is nothing less than another way
to defend our country. That is why the IAM and its partners are making America’s Edge an issue in the 2008 election.
United Teachers of Wichita is proud to partner with our brothers and sisters of the IAM and
with our national affiliates in promoting America’s Edge. This program is going to help equip our kids for high skill, high paying jobs; to
grow the middle class; to strengthen the union; and to protect our county. It is a high and noble cause deserving of support and participation.
God bless you in this important work and in keeping the union strong.
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