It’s official: the Hawaii State Teachers Association and the Hawaii AFL-CIO are joining forces.

Civil Beat reported back in October that the teachers union had quietly applied for membership with the AFL-CIO, the state’s largest labor federation. In an email to teachers, HSTA President Wil Okabe touted the affiliation as one that would give the 13,500-member union more political clout and help it forge partnerships with other labor organizations for the sake of reforming public education in Hawaii. 

A press release today announcing the news says that the partnership will help the HSTA build on its alliance with the National Education Association, enhancing “collective efforts to advocate for the needs of students and their families, educators’ and other workers’ rights in the workplace.”

Though the affiliation was announced today, it became official more than a month ago at the AFL-CIO’s biennial convention. 

Photo: Teachers rally. (Alia Wong/Civil Beat)

— Alia Wong