from the blue collar world to the pro-
fessional realm several generations
later, said Steve Babson, labor pro-
gram specialist at Wayne State
University.
Hecker is obviously going to play a
major role in school reform and edu-
cational policy," Babson said. "He's
going to be a clear player in southeast-
ern Michigan." Opposed to privatiza-
tion and voucher schemes, Hecker
wants to fix public-sector education
rather than bail our, he added.
Hecker's first taste for union organ-
izing came while pursuing a Ph.D. in
labor relations at the University of
Wisconsin. He organized his fellow
grad students into the American
Federation of Teachers.
At the time, he met another grad
student active in the AFT local who
was pursuing her Ph.D. in economics
his future wife, Alice Audie-
Figueroa, currently the International
UA\X"s education director.
Alice, along with their three chil-
dren, Joelle, 12, Jose, 10, and
Gustavo, 5, and David's father Arnold
Hecker and sister Gerri, from New
York, joined David onstage. Both
Hecker's daughter and fa t her spoke.
Hecker admits the challenges facing
education are enormous. He cites a
reacher shortage and not enough
funds allocated by the stare to
enhance public education.
There are no - magic bullets," he
said, "bur we know what needs to be
done: smaller classes, professional
development of all staff, reading pro-
grams ... textbooks and cleaning sup-
plies. Research and common sense
shows us that.
"If you want high standards for
every child," said Hecker, who is
upset by Gov. John Engler's recent
proposal to eliminate 59 million for
summer schools, - then we have ro do
something about it. Good education
comes with a price rag."
Hecker is currently running for
president of the MFT/SRP.
Micah Fialka-Feldman, 16, of
Huntington Woods, recently selected
for the 2001 Michigan Youth
Leadership Forum for Students with
Disabilities, represented students at
the presentation. Afterward he said,
"David is the kind of person who
reaches kids like me how to under-
stand politics."
"I have the utmost respect for
everything David stands for," said
Rabbi Arnie Sleurelberg of
Congregation Shir Tikvah in Troy.
He's a mentsh [good man] among
„
mentshes.

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