Collective bargaining may not have a single blueprint, but it remains at the heart of union leadership, AFSA leaders emphasized during a panel discussion at the union’s Triennial Convention on Sunday.

Opening the conversation, AFSA President Mark Cannizzaro framed negotiations as both complex and deeply local. “While contract negotiations aren’t the only thing we do as union leaders, they are critical—and they’re what members focus on most,” Cannizzaro said. “There are financial wins, but non-financial wins often give us even more strength for internal organizing.”

Cannizzaro pointed to AFSA’s growing national collective bargaining database, calling it an indispensable resource for local presidents. He also highlighted the first contract secured by Local 145 in Chula Vista, California, which won strong initial language on recruitment, retention, transfer, and reassignment shortly after forming.

The panel then spotlighted contract victories from across AFSA locals:

• Jody Covington, president of AFSA Local 10 in Buffalo and a working principal in a grades 5–12 art school, celebrated achieving pay parity for elementary and secondary principals and assistant principals. The long-standing pay gap had caused internal division, but careful comparisons of job responsibilities and workload convinced the district parity was fair.
• Christine Handy, president of AFSA Local 146 in Montgomery County detailed her local’s unique approach to funding a full-time union president position. Members contribute a personal leave day—balanced by negotiated additional leave—to support the role without tapping the union’s budget. Handy also emphasized a longevity supplement system that adds thousands to administrators’ salaries over time, boosting retirement security.
• Karl E. Perry, president of AFSA Local 25 in Baltimore underscored the importance of wellness for leaders. He spoke about moving into a full-time union presidency after health scares and about protecting hard-won benefits like the ability for administrators to sell unused vacation days. Perry noted his local grew membership by 24% in four years, giving him stronger leverage at the bargaining table.
• Henry Rubio, president of CSA Local 1 in New York City described solidarity itself as the greatest win, with nearly universal member participation in his local. That strength, he said, has helped shrink longstanding salary gaps between elementary, middle, and high school leaders, while also winning provisions to improve work-life balance, including wellness and remote work arrangements.

Throughout the session, speakers agreed that successful bargaining rests on more than raises alone. It’s about solidarity, creative solutions, and ensuring members see themselves reflected in every contract.

“Contracts don’t just set pay—they define respect, wellness, and the quality of professional life,” Rubio said. “And when we bargain from a place of unity, we bargain from a place of strength.”