"United We Bargain, Divided We Beg"
“United We Bargain, Divided We Beg,” is one of Taylor Cordes’ favorite labor organizing quotes because it perfectly explains what union power gets its members.
“When we are on our own, we have to beg the powers that be to listen to us and give us what we need,” said Cordes, an NCAE community ally who works closely with Wake NCAE. “When we are united, we have the power to stop begging and start bargaining!”
Cordes, a former high school teacher, is currently a long-term substitute for Wake County Public Schools. She joined NCAE as a community ally in 2022 after leaving the classroom. “I joined because the problems that pushed me out of the classroom weren’t going to go away without serious effort. NCAE’s leadership seemed dedicated to building our union so we can demand those changes.”
She confessed she was not a member while actively teaching, something she attributes to not having much of an NCAE presence at her school. However, she attended both NCAE rallies in 2018 and 2019, which was her first big introduction to the Association. She served as a poll greeter for NCAE during the 2022 election season, and now attends meetings and trainings offered by Wake NCAE as well as serves on the local’s Team Wake Wins communications committee, where she creates video content for platforms such as Instagram Reels to keep people updated and engaged on what the union is doing.
And, she wears red every Wednesday in support of public education!
Cordes said she believes deeply in the power of the collective and feels that’s what NCAE represents – a collective of public education workers. “We have unions to thank for many of the things that have become a normal part of life, such as weekends off, no child labor, the 40-hour work week, and more. As a community ally member, I am dedicated to the growth and success of NCAE because I know the power of the labor movement and I know public education workers are also worthy of big labor rights wins.”
It’s not enough to passively support the cause, Cordes added, not with the current state of attacks on public schools and the profession. “If we want to be able to collectively bargain for better working conditions, we need the majority of educators to be active members of our union. Passivity continues to get us just more of the same.”
