Getting Involved
Working for Change: A Guide for Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists in Schools
Audiologists and SLPs may hesitate to engage with their unions due to a perception that unions primarily advocate for classroom teachers. This perception may lead to the belief that union activities do not align with their professional roles or standards.
The ASHA Code of Ethics (“the Code”) states that practitioners must use “every resource” to ensure the provision of high-quality services. This includes advocating for manageable caseloads and adequate support, which unions may be able to help address.
Additionally, the Code encourages professionals to promote public understanding of the disciplines and to support the development of services that meet students’ needs. Participation in union activities can serve as a platform for audiologists and SLPs to educate colleagues and administrators about their roles and to advocate for appropriate resources and recognition.
Active participation in unions may serve to improve working conditions and quality of services to students.
Annalise's Story
Annalise was a speech-language pathologist (SLP) in the public school system. Although she loved her job, she was frustrated because she was required to provide services to more than 100 students. Because of her caseload, she did not feel that she could provide the quality of service that her students needed.
A colleague suggested that Annalise discuss the issue with her union representative. She was reluctant to do this because she had never been involved in the union. Annalise had always believed that the union looked after the interests of teachers in classrooms and was not especially interested in helping audiologists and SLPs. She knew, for example, that the union was advocating for smaller class sizes for classroom teachers, but it had never made caseloads for audiologists and SLPs an issue. Annalise had always felt that being active in a union was somehow inconsistent with her personal standards for professional behavior.
As Annalise explored the issue, she began to rethink her position. She read the ASHA Code of Ethics, the first principle of which is “Individuals shall honor their responsibility to hold paramount the welfare of persons they serve professionally.” Per the Code, she saw that she was obligated to use “every resource” to “ensure that high-quality service is provided.”
A Key Realization
The Code requires that audiologists and SLPs “honor their responsibility to the public by promoting public understanding of the professions, by supporting the development of services designed to fulfill the unmet needs of the public, and by providing accurate information in all communications involving any aspect of the professions.” She understood that by staying out of union activities, she was passing up an opportunity to help her colleagues and her school administrators understand her work better and advocate for proper resources.
Annalise decided to see what the union could do for her and her fellow SLPs. As the first step, she talked with her building representative, a teacher who'd been active in the union for some time. The building rep offered to arrange a meeting with representatives of the officers of the union and the bargaining team. In preparation, Annalise talked with several SLPs and developed a list of their concerns, emphasizing how the caseload problem was affecting their ability to do the work that they needed to do.
The meeting went well. Annelise felt that the union representatives understood the SLPs’ problem and respected their credibility after hearing the real-life examples of how SLPs’ caseload problems were impeding the district’s goals. Most important, she felt that the union reps understood SLPs as a significant constituency.
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