The Central Labor Council called for Fresno Unified to apologize for a post attacking Louis Jamerson, executive director of the Fresno Teachers Association. (GV Wire Composite/Paul Marshall)
- The Central Labor Council called Fresno Unified’s post attacking the teachers union an “alarming abuse of institutional power” in a letter to trustees.
- The labor council said the attack on Louis Jamerson, executive director of FTA, distracts from the work to educate students.
- The district said in a social media post the attack was "deliberate" and reflective of the kind of attacks FTA has made against the district.
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The Central Labor Council criticized Fresno Unified for targeting the teachers union leader, calling on the district to walk back the controversial post and hold the creator accountable. They urged the district to prioritize student outcomes over disputes with the union.
On Wednesday, Dillon Savory, executive director of the Fresno-Madera-Tulare-Kings Central Labor Council AFL-CIO, wrote a letter to trustees opposing an official Facebook post from the district’s communications team attacking Louis Jamerson, FTA’s executive director.
The recent public attack launched by Fresno Unified School District on Mr. Jamerson using the district’s official, taxpayer-funded communications platforms is not only inappropriate, but an alarming abuse of institutional power.
— Dillon Savory, executive director of the Central Labor Council
The letter said the district’s post distracts from bigger issues such as “overcrowded classrooms,” “unsafe learning conditions,” and “unmet student needs.”
“The recent public attack launched by Fresno Unified School District on Mr. Jamerson using the district’s official, taxpayer-funded communication platforms is not only inappropriate, but an alarming abuse of institutional power,” Savory’s letter stated. “Fresno Unified is the third-largest school district in California. When such a body chooses to target an individual labor leader in this way, it sends a message about how dissent is treated and how power is wielded in this system.”
Fresno Unified Board President Valerie Davis said she had heard about the letter but had not read it.
Fresno Unified Called its Attack on Louis Jamerson ‘Deliberate’
“Their commitment was to wage war on somebody that represents 4,600 people that teach the kids every day.”
— Dillon Savory, executive director of the Central Labor Council
“We recognize the concerns raised and appreciate the passion of our labor partners. The Facebook post was a one-time choice to call attention to a pattern of increasingly divisive rhetoric that has affected our leadership and community dialogue,” Henry said in a statement.
On April 30, the district posted its attack on the union leader.
“The Fresno Teachers Association executive director — who’s never taught a day in a classroom — has been paid nearly $1 million in two years,” the post read. “He has no public goals. No transparent evaluation. Just 2-4 employees to lead.”
After the post garnered hundreds of comments, mostly in opposition to the attack, the district doubled down on the strategy it took. The post author said it was a “deliberate disruption” and a choice to “hold up a mirror to the tone and tactics that have been coming from FTA leadership.”
The district posted the Her-Jamerson comparison as Her, Fresno Unified’s first female and first Hmong superintendent, has faced “unprecedented attacks.”
“We cannot ignore that identity plays a role in who is targeted and how,” the post states.
It was a one-time choice to hold up a mirror to the tone and tactics that have been coming from FTA leadership and a small group of vocal detractors for far too long.
-FUSD Facebook Account Responding to Comments
The Central Labor Council’s letter recognized the accomplishment of Her becoming the first woman and first Asian-American superintendent, but the organization said the district is using that as a shield against criticism.
“But the fight for equity cannot be used as a weapon to silence legitimate concerns. That is not progress. That is performative politics at the expense of justice,” the letter states.
Vitriolic Post One of First Major Communications from Her’s Administration: Savory
Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias said at the May 1 city council meeting — a day after the district’s post came out — that both the FTA and the school district have been engaged in “childish attacks.”
“It doesn’t do anyone any good, especially the kids of the district who are literally not learning while the adults are engaged in childish attacks and rhetoric back and forth,” he said.
The district will have to begin negotiations with FTA soon as the current teachers’ contract expires in 2026. An 11th hour agreement between the district and the union in 2023 came a day before teachers would have gone on strike.
Savory told GV Wire he’s never seen before the kind of personal attacks made by a governmental institution anywhere in the state.
With Her becoming superintendent less than a month ago, the post comes as one of her administration’s first major communications.
He didn’t think the post came from Her, but the district’s official communications team, led by Henry, had to approve it.
“If I was superintendent I would be looking at who made that post, who was responsible for the person who made that post, and questioning their commitment to the students because they’re commitment was not to the students in that post,” Savory said. “Their commitment was to wage war on somebody that represents 4,600 people that teach the kids every day.”
Central Labor Council’s Letter to Fresno Unified Trustees
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