Cyndi Oberle-Dahm, Advisor & Inter-Organizational Liaison

I began teaching in 1993, and from day one, I was a member of the union.  My first year after receiving tenure (1995-1996) was Local 434’s one and only strike, and I remember being inspired by our union leadership who led us through it.  In the years following the strike, I asked if I could be a part of the Executive Council, and in the following years, I served in many positions including Public Relations Committee Chair, Parliamentarian and Campus Representative.  In 2011 I became President Elect.  I served three two year terms as President of the Teacher’s Council of Local 434.  I also served on four negotiations committees, bargaining multiple contracts, including the impact of teaching through the Covid 19 Pandemic. I also navigated our last successful  grievance which went all the way to arbitration. Belleville Federation of Teachers has also won every single grievance that we have filed against the administration.  Unions and union power work!
  
In 2016, I was elected to serve as a Vice President on the Illinois Federation of Teachers Executive Board.  On a more local level, in 2015,  I was elected as Vice President of Educational Issues on the Southwest Area Council (SWAC) Executive Board, and I have served as SWAC President since 2021. More recently, at the 2022 IFT Convention, I was elected as one of three officers of the statewide federation.  I am currently serving as Secretary Treasurer for the Illinois Federation of Teachers.  The IFT Board consists of Vice Presidents from throughout the state, and it includes higher education, administrative assistants, para professionals and public employees.  We have 100,000 members throughout the state that are standing with us on a daily basis. ​