On June 12, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) announced that teachers at all six schools in the Citizens of the World Charter School network voted overwhelmingly to unionize. The teachers, who backed the union with 90 percent support, are unionizing as the Citizens of the World Charter (CWC) Educators United local of UTLA.

Citizens of the World teachers join a small segment of unionized charter-school teachers, who represent about 11 percent of all teachers employed by charters. The win is significant because if unions were to succeed in growing their presence in charter schools more broadly, it would mean a major blow to charter boosters’ decades-long effort to undermine teachers’ unions. Jacobin contributor Sara Wexler spoke to two Citizens of the World teachers about their organizing drive and why they decided to unionize.