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Teacher unionism is sometimes seen as a hindrance to education policies and reforms. However, its capacity to intervene concretely in these areas remains little explored. This paper takes the example of the “fundamental school” project. Developed by the powerful Syndicat national des instituteurs (SNI), it aimed at bringing together primary schools and lower secondary education. This organization actively promoted this project to the public authorities and political actors from the 1970s to the mid-1980s. Such action constitutes a case study of the ability—or inability—of teacher unionism to influence education policies.