Caporale, Ralph, Jr., 1917-2007

Ralph Caporale, Jr. (1917-2007) was a New York City teacher and school principal and an early organizer of teachers. He was involved in the High School Teachers Association and was acquainted with Al Shanker and other United Federation of Teachers (UFT) pioneers.

His daughter, Lynn, completed a small scrapbook in 1959 as a school project. Clippings in the scrapbook document an episode that took place in New York City in April of 1959. In January of that year, close to 1,000 evening high school teachers handed in their resignations as a protest against poor working conditions and even worse pay ($12.50 a night for four hours). This action was not authorized by any union although it did win the backing of the High School Teachers Association (HSTA) and the Teachers Guild. The evening schools were shut down for several weeks and finally the Board of Education gave in and increased wages to $24 a night.

By March, 1959, it became clear that the budget for the 1959-1960 year would not include promised salary increases for New York City school teachers. Encouraged by the success of the evening teachers in February, the Teachers Guild president, Charles Cogen, planned a protest work stoppage for budget hearing day in April. The Teachers Union was supportive of the idea but the HSTA preferred a plan of its own that would call for mass resignations of high school teachers. In early April, after a week-long Easter vacation, the New York City school system was facing the threat of a major teacher work stoppage.

The Mayor's budget, made public the week before, indicated that there would be only a $200 across-the-board annual increase in teacher salaries. This was unsatisfactory to the many organizations representing New York City teachers. On April 10, 3,500 members of the Teachers Guild voted to stay away from their jobs on April 16 to reinforce their demands for higher salaries. The Teachers Union told its members not to cross picket lines, but the HSTA discouraged its membership from participating in the strike.

On the evening of April 15, Charles Cogen was contacted while conducting a broadcast communicating details about the upcoming work stoppage. He was told to report to the office of the superintendent. A last minute compromise was worked out and the Teachers Guild agreed to hold the action in abeyance until April 28. An after-school rally was held the next day at City Hall instead.

Because any increases for teachers would also be demanded by other city workers, a good deal of negotiation was necessary to reach a satisfactory solution. In early May, the superintendent recommended salary increases of from $280 to $510 for the city's 40,000 teachers and up to $1,000 for school administrators. Both the starting salary and maximum salary were increased and salary steps made more equal. The Teachers Guild was generally pleased with the plan and the strike was averted.

From the guide to the Ralph Caporale, Jr., Teachers Guild Files, 1959, 1969-2007, (Tamiment Library / Wagner Archives)