When Bob Prola graduated from college, he thought he had to get a job in the business world, he says, so he got into the insurance business. He quickly discovered that it wasn’t for him and that he had to find a career that made a positive impact and wasn’t “soul sucking”.

Bob’s mom was a teacher and a member of the San Leandro School Board. His dad was a San Leandro City Council member and an AFSCME leader. Clearly, he was meant to be an educator and a leader in his union.

Bob has worked as a teacher in San Jose’s Oak Grove School District for 23 years, currently teaching fourth grade at Ledesma Elementary School. Having grown up in a union household and walking picket lines as a child, his involvement in the Oak Grove Educators Association came naturally.

“During the Schwarzenegger years and the attacks on public workers, I joined rallies and protests. My union rep noticed my involvement and encouraged me to get more active in union work. Fifteen or more years later, I’m still at it,” says Bob.

After a long stint on the union’s negotiating committee, Bob now serves as an OGEA vice-president, assisting with grievances and other union work including the organizing team, encouraging members to take action around bargaining and other issues. He’s currently working on politics with local education leaders to protect public education.

Bob was a strong advocate for the affiliation of the OGEA with the South Bay Labor Council and was elected to the Council’s Board earlier this year. He continues to encourage other CTA affiliates to do the same.

When he’s not teaching or doing union work, Bob enjoys family outings to the mountains and attending his son and daughter’s water polo matches.