Vegas, Baby!
Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Las Vegas to represent my California School Employees Association union chapter in their annual conference. I was one of close to 2,000 people in a huge conference room listening to and voting on resolutions that will affect our union.
CSEA encompasses the support staff of schools – paraeducators, custodians, secretaries, librarians and media specialists – and I have to say I’ve never been in a more kind and welcoming crowd. As a new delegate, I had a red ribbon on the bottom of my badge identifying me as a newbie; it was essentially a “get out of jail free” card, as people were extra forgiving of any mistakes in the process. People went out of their way to say “Welcome!” as we passed them or got brave enough to approach the microphone. The final day all the newbies – just over 300 of us — were celebrated by having us march through the hall and up to the center stage with a rousing song and much cheering.
Our days started at 8 or 9 a.m. and went to 10 p.m. – with an hour and a half for lunch, and two hours for dinner subtracted, the total hours in business sessions were 47, which include the four hours for our provided dinner dance on Thursday night. 47!! (By the way, the hour and a half for lunch barely gave you enough time to hustle to a food source, stand in line, order, pay, eat and hustle back to the conference room, as you were part of a herd of literally thousands.)
This year we had 18 resolutions to vote on, including a massive budget. I calculated the hours spent in just debate, and estimated that we spent 13 hours and 15 minutes on the back and forth arguments for or against those 18 resolutions. The process to vote on a resolution was interesting, and sometimes painful. The resolution was read as a motion and seconded. Then there were microphones for people to speak to pros and cons – and there had to be at least three, each, before the motion to end debate could happen. To speak you lined up at a microphone, and when your microphone was announced, a giant spotlight lit up and your mic went live. You had to state your name, chapter, region and area. (Luckily those were printed on your badge that hung around your neck for the duration of the conference! According to that, I am from Chapter 673 – Windsor, Region 78, Area B. And yes, I spoke once, to offer an idea.)
We also had elections for board positions, so we heard 12 campaign speeches for four positions. (Voting was the last day, starting at 7:30 a.m. Your “I Voted” sticker was your ticket for a lovely provided breakfast.) We had awards for outstanding members, keynote speakers, and reports from legislators who fight for our union. We also had breakout education day, where we could choose two of 11 classes to attend. (My classes were Name That Stress! and Mindfulness 101, both excellent.)
Overall, I’d say the trip was a mix of exhausting, exhilarating, inspirational, educational, fun, tedious, and encouraging. There was no time for being a tourist — although I heard some people went out after the sessions closed to gamble or otherwise party, I was already way past my bedtime when we were released for the night. The one bit of Me Time I took was on the final day, between being dismissed and our flight, when I was able to spend a couple of hours with my sister-in-law and her family. (Let me tell you, I made the most of those hours by kissing on and playing incessantly with the little ones – 5-year-old Jack, 3-year-old Nolan and almost-four-months old Wesley!)
I came away from the conference impressed with the dedication of all those who came before me, and determined to be more active in our chapter. We are a part of a huge and supportive CSEA family, proudly dedicated to making a difference in students’ lives. I feel honored to have taken part in the process, and to have represented our members. Thank you, Chapter 673!
