American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten sounded the call for a common union strategy in these times when, "in the midst of a remarkable [national] political transformation, there is incredible economic despair."

Weingarten also is president of NYSUT's largest local affiliate, the United Federation of Teachers in New York City.

What binds all AFT affiliates, she said, is "a dedication to the belief that we make a difference in the lives of people who need us most."

That includes confronting the lie that teacher unions block needed reform - a lie proclaimed by those "more interested in making educators and [their] unions … pariahs, not partners," she said. It means going after any superintendent who misuses the stimulus dollars, and taking up the Obama administration on its pledge "to work with us and not against us."

Don't reject reform ideas out of hand, she said, but instead "take a fresh look at some of the more divisive issues in education. … Let's be the ones who advance the smart approach - the way that is good for kids and fair to teachers."

Speaking earlier at the UFT breakfast, Weingarten praised NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi for "his visionary remarks on transformational leadership" in Thursday's State of the Union address.

"When you don't speak up and speak out, tyranny happens," she said. "You must have a voice even when there are consequences. It's what makes a democracy."