Ei-iE

Alfonso Cepeda is a graduate of public school and holds a bachelor's degree in basic secondary education and has a master’s degree in Hispanic literature.

He began his career as a teacher in rural areas and taught in public schools at the primary and secondary levels. He has also been a teacher in teacher training schools.

Alfonso Cepeda has an extensive union career that began in his home state of Coahuila, Mexico, and took him to the National Executive Committee of the SNTE, where he held various portfolios: Labour Rights and Organising, Security and Social Rights, and Administration and Finance. This diverse experience allowed him to have a solid knowledge of the union and the concerns and demands of teachers and education workers. At the same time, it strengthened his expertise and commitment to public education and labour rights.

As General Secretary, he has prioritised the two foundational issues of the SNTE: The defence of public schools and education and the defence of the rights of education workers.

Among the most significant achievements of the SNTE under his leadership is securing permanent contracts for more than one million education workers, providing employment and social security for them and their families. In addition, the union secured a 75% salary increase for education support personnel, a priority sector in terms of equity. Thanks to his tireless struggle for decent pensions for education workers, today he is promoting the reform of the pension system from the highest legislative tribune in the country, the Senate of the Republic.

At the international level, as a member of the EI Executive Board and Coordinator from the North America and Caribbean Region for the period 2022-2024, he has helped promote solidarity with sister unions, the dignity of the teaching profession, decent working conditions, professionalisation and decent pensions for education workers.

He was re-elected to the Education International Executive Board in 2024, at the 10th EI World Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina.