What Kind of Experience Builds a Union? It’s trust. It's a vision. It’s showing up for one another, and organizing for the future we all deserve.

Amy Arundell, A Better Contract

As this historic election enters its final stretch, the incumbents have made their strategy clear: they can’t defend the status quo, so they’re attacking the people bold enough to challenge it.

Lately, they’ve settled on a new talking point: that we don’t have the right kind of experience. That the educators, nurses, paras, and therapists on our slate aren’t “ready” to lead. That now, of all times, is not the moment to hand the union over to… the people who are the union.

Let’s unpack that.

What they’re really saying is that unless you’ve been part of the inner circle, you don’t belong at the table. That unless you’ve played their game, waited your turn, and cosigned their compromises, you’re not qualified to lead. That power belongs to them and people like us should stay in our place.

But that’s not experience. That’s entitlement.

Experience is not a crown. It’s not a club. It’s not something hoarded behind closed doors or conferred through backroom deals.

Experience is earned, day by day, year by year, in classrooms, in cafeterias, in union halls and rallies, in the quiet moments when a colleague breaks down because they can’t take another day of being disrespected. Experience is forged in action, not in title.

By any honest measure, I am deeply experienced. I’ve organized chapters, negotiated contracts, represented members in crisis, built coalitions, and stood firm when the ground shook. I’ve walked the walk — not from behind a podium, but shoulder to shoulder with the people who are the union.

And let’s be honest: when Michael Mulgrew was handed the presidency, he didn’t have half the experience I do today. He was chosen, not elected by rank-and-file members in a contested race. He was tapped by an incumbent machine that has held uninterrupted power since this union’s founding.

So let’s talk about the experience that really matters.

Does a leader know how to listen, not just nod along, but truly hear what members are saying, even when it’s uncomfortable? Can they organize? Not just manage, not just maintain, but inspire people to act, to rise up, to fight and win? Do they understand the soul of this profession, the sacred trust between educators and students, the burning injustice of a system that robs both? Are they brave enough to question a status quo that isn’t working?

But there’s a deeper question underneath this debate: Who gets to lead? It’s not proximity to power that qualifies you to lead — it’s years of organizing, listening, showing up, and standing firm.

Because when someone says, “You don’t have the right kind of experience,” what they often mean is, “You haven’t been part of the inner circle.” When someone says, “You can’t challenge power unless you’ve already held it,” what they’re really saying is, “Change is impossible.” And let’s be blunt — it’s ludicrous for leaders of a teachers’ union to attack their own members for not having “enough experience.”

We are educators. We know people can learn. That’s the whole damn point of our profession. In fact, our union contract guarantees that certain comp-time positions rotate — precisely because growth, opportunity, and shared responsibility make us stronger. We don’t gatekeep experience. We develop it. So when the current leadership criticizes the experience of our slate. When they imply that teachers, nurses, paraprofessionals, and therapists aren’t ready to lead, they’re not just attacking us. They’re disrespecting the professionalism and expertise of their own members. They’re revealing how little faith they have in the people they claim to represent. And that says far more about them than it does about us.

So yes, we have experience. More than enough.

But more importantly, We have a vision for a democratic, member-led union that fights unapologetically for better pay, real respect, and a public education system worthy of our students.

We have diligence: the kind that gets results when no one’s watching.

We have care for every member who feels unseen, unheard, or abandoned.

We have passion not just for winning arguments, but for winning justice.

And we have a plan to transform our union from a service provider into a powerhouse of member-led action.

Experience matters. But courage matters more.
And this moment demands both.

Let’s rise together — and build the union we deserve.
When we fight, we win. There’s still time to vote for ABC. Every borough office has in person voting. Be part of history: