Union Means Never Standing Alone
By Paul Egan, Secretary candidate, A Better Contract
When you fight for what’s right in this system, you learn early: it comes with a cost. But you also learn something else—that courage is contagious. That when one person stands up, it makes space for others to do the same. And that’s how real union power is built—from the bottom up, not the top down.
That’s why I’m running with A Better Contract. Not to play defense. Not to climb a ladder. But to help build a union that actually stands with its members—and knows how to win.
I’ve been tested. In 1999, as a chapter leader, I stood up for my members against an administration that ruled by intimidation. In retaliation, I was dragged into a bogus cheating scandal—one that later collapsed under the weight of its own lies. The city investigator was exposed for bullying tactics and manufactured headlines. My hearing lasted two minutes. The charges were dropped without a word of argument. Because the case had no merit—and they knew it.
But the most powerful part of that story wasn’t what happened to me. It was what happened around me. My members re-elected me while I was in exile—because they knew I had always stood with them. And they stood with me. That’s solidarity. That’s union.
That same conviction carried me through 15 years of service to this union. I was hired after that case to work as a Special Rep, then District Rep, and ultimately Political Director. I’ve negotiated. I’ve organized. I’ve represented this union in the halls of power. And through it all, I’ve never forgotten where our strength comes from—not from access, but from action. Not from backroom deals, but from member-led campaigns that shift the balance of power.
That’s why Unity is panicking. Not because of my past—but because of our future.
They see a slate of leaders ready to do what they won’t: build power at the school level, take bold stands, and lead with integrity—not fear. So they’re doing what entrenched power always does when it feels threatened: trying to distract, distort, and divide.
They’ve dredged up stories to try to define me. One of them, about an Albany dinner, has made the rounds. Here’s what actually happened: I stood up when our delegation was being mistreated. That’s what I’ve always done—and will continue to do. The rest is noise, leaked by someone bitter they didn’t get the job I held. But I won’t be reduced to gossip. Because our members deserve a conversation about something far more important than me: you.
We’re not building a better career path for ourselves. We’re building A Better Contract—a union that backs its members the way we’re supposed to. A union that doesn’t fold in the face of retaliation. That organizes chapters into real centers of power. That defends its leaders instead of isolating them. That isn’t afraid to take on the DOE, the city, or anyone else when your dignity, safety, or pay is on the line.
You don’t have to choose between speaking up and being safe. Not anymore.
If you’ve ever stood alone, you shouldn’t have. If you’ve ever been told to wait your turn, to tone it down, to “go through channels”—you’ve been sold a version of unionism that’s all hierarchy and no backbone. We’re here to change that.
The question isn’t whether we can win. The question is whether we still believe we’re worth fighting for.
I do. And I know you do, too.
Let’s stop reacting. Let’s start building. Let’s win