New Jersey Teachers’ Union’s ‘Electile Dysfunction’ for Corzine Explained
by Kyle OlsonAn interesting document found its way to my inbox last weekend. It was a PowerPoint presentation of an analysis done by the New Jersey Education Association, regarding its efforts to re-elect Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine.
The document can be found at NEAexposed.com.
Citing “Electile Dysfunction,” meaning the polls were telling them that voters, including teachers, weren’t as enthusiastic about Corzine as they would like, the union’s Director of Government Relations, Ginger Gold Schnitzer, proposed a double-dose remedy: “A robust member-to-member campaign,” followed by “an independent communications campaign to inoculate the public.”
The first dose of the union’s plan was to appeal to its members. The radical community organizer Saul Alinsky taught the NEA that the trick to “organizing people is to appeal to their self-interest.” Thus, the union promoted Corzine’s pro-union “accomplishments,” like investing $3 billion into public pensions, increasing school funding, increasing school construction, expanding pre-kindergarten programs, opposing school vouchers, and providing free medical benefits for teacher for life.
Oddly, the union didn’t cite any accomplishment that actually helped students.
To “inoculate” the public, the union targeted women under 45. It purchased advertising on cable channels typically watched by women, like the Food Network, HGTV, Lifetime, TLC, Bravo and a few others. Even though the ads were purchased by an “education” organization, they focused completely on issues they thought would sway women to Corzine, like health care and family leave. The ads also directed viewers to a website operated by a group called “NJ Kids and Families.”
How heartwarming, not to mention completely phony.
We all know Corzine went down to defeat November 3. But the New Jersey teachers’ union held its head high in one aspect - it successfully tore Christie down in the eyes of women under 45.
According to polling conducted in August, 36% of women under 45 favored Corzine while 32% supported Christie. But at the polls, following the advertising blitz, 54% of that demographic went for Corzine while 41% voted for Christie.
This leaked analysis underscores the fact that teachers unions are inherently political organizations that put the interests of their members first. And kids? Heck, what do they have to do with schools?
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59 Comments
That's the problem with unions on the whole. They exist for the benefit of their members. And like any good organization, they will do what the union leadership believes to be in their member's interest. Unfortunately, many times what is in the best interest of a union, ISN"T in the best interest of either that particular state, or the nation. But then, unions don't really care about that, now do they. I belong to the United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners, Local 495, and to be honests, the union in Maryland does nothing to protect its members from summary termination. None at all…
do you know the difference between the nea, uaw, sieu on the one hand and the communist party on the other? SPELLING!!!!
These pukes sound no less different than Phil Jones, Micheal Mann and the CRU on the global warming scam. Wonder if they share the same ad agency or what? Or is it the same commie ideology?
One problem here with the author. The author says the unions put the interests of there members first. No ,they never have and never will. They put the interests of the senior management first. Look at the UAW-thery always protect the oldest union workers. Why you ask? They pay the highest union dues.
We need vouchers. It saves money and creates non union teaching positions.
Once unions become integrated the jobs they hold and the employers who give them the jobs are NO LONGER relevent it is now ALL ABOUT THEM! When it comes to our children I think a good robust commercial campaign during the 2010 elections to show how HEARTLESS and GREEDY unions especially the Teachers Unions are would be the smartest move Conservative politicians can make!
Good point. When I said the union puts its members first, I meant in relation to kids or taxpayers, who are footing the bill for public schools.
But I have no disagreement with the notion that union bosses ultimately come first. We'll be proving that in Michigan in the coming days.
Kyle;
"This leaked analysis underscores the fact that teachers unions are inherently political organizations that put the interests of their members first. And kids? Heck, what do they have to do with schools?"
That IS the sole purpose and intent behind any UNION. Whether it be the Teachers UNION, The Auto-Workers UNION, or the SEIU UNION. It has NOTHING to do with any particular industry. It has everything to do with protecting, preserving and further perpetrating the long range insulation of those at the top. It is about UNION dues, it is about money, power and prestige.
Seems odd that they couldn't generate any widespread interest in Corzine. He's corrupt, unlikeable, personally rich, well connected to the Democratic party machine, and physically unattractive. What's not to like?
This is exactly why I hate unions. I am a public school teacher and love teaching. I did not join a union when I first started teaching because of my experiences with unions growing up in Michigan. I was highly pressured by the teacher's union rep in my school to join and I finally did to obtain the legal protection part. However, I have since moved on to a different area of the country and been raising my kids for the last several years. When I go back to teaching, I fully intend to resist the union. The teacher's unions have two purposes: protect incompetent tenured teachers at all cost and re-elect Democrats in the county, state and national elections.
Of your kindness please remember that only 16 states suffer teachers' unions; happily, Texas is not one of them.
Mack,
Viet-Nam veteran
Voter
Reagan Republican
Teacher
The post election stats after the union's tv blitz speak to what a herd of sheeple too many Americans have become in swallowing undigested sound bytes. The Empty Suit, who never uttered anything but empty platitudes with lots of help from the media was swept into the WH with far too many people suspending serious scrutiny.
Here's hoping that as this administration wrecks havoc on people's wallets and sense of security that our gullible sheep will wise up. Geez, these women hadn't noticed that public education, the teacher's union, hasn't done a very quality job for their kids? Maybe for some of these sound byte sheep reduced to husband's post-pink slip beans and rice diet and away from the cooking channel a bulb will light up.
Huh? Texas has one of the biggest Teachers Unions in the Country (because we're one of the biggest states). Try to keep a teaching job in one of the public school WITHOUT being a fully paid member of the Union.
Just because we are a Right to Work states doesn't mean that there aren't Unions here.
Unions for people essentially working for the government betray the problem with just about everything liberal. Why should you need a union if you work for the government?. I thought we needed government to run reeducation (sorry) and healthcare because government knows best and its fair and it equal and its not greedy or corrupt like an insurance company or private school. If these are the true character traits of governments, then why unionize as government employees? Oh wait, those thing are only true if Democrats are governing. I can;t wait to see the new unions resulting from public healthcare.. Its going to be …. well…. not "free"
Private companies have to deal with employees unionizing, labor has the right to try and get a bigger piece of the pie. The problem is when public employees are unionized, and they now make up appoximately 90% of unions,. Public employeees are asking for a bigger part of the tax money we pay, they want more from the tax payer. Yet the govt. produces nothing. Public employees are unionized for the purpose of having taxes raised to get a bigger piece of the pie. It used to be illegal for public employees to unionize, but not anymore. I think they alreday make good money and have good benefits as "state" "workers". I think the law should be changed back that public employees cant unionize.
LOL — Trenchant but accurate.
Good one!
tsk tsk tsk
Not to mention Corzine did absolutely nothing to improve anything in his state. Now why would anyone want to vote for this dead beat. Being that he donated millions to the Teachers Pension, should be more of a reason to be glad this idiot did not get re-elected.
All labor unions are like this. It's all about politics with the unions.
NJKidsAndFamilies.org says "Coming Soon" like it never really existed. Although there is a line acknowledging the NJ EA pays for it. "Click here for more information" leads to a PDF proudly proclaiming they are not directly connected to any candidate, no sir, thank you ma'am.
Why a PDF? My guess, because then it doesn't get cached by Google etc, only the link remains, thus they can swap in a "less incriminating" version as needed.
Most telling for this "coming soon" website, Google did find this petition asking Chris Christie to "change his position" on several issues. (Read now "in case" it gets deleted.) Campaign leftover, or will some SEIU-style "educating the public on the issues" be "coming soon"?
as I have said many times…..these unions are nothing but scams, for political re-election campaigns.
If you take the time to read their 2008 LM-2 financial reports from bothe the AFT and NEA…you can quickly see how much of the teacher's membership dues goes out as grants/gifts or lobbying for political activities…..most of the cash on their balance sheet is sepnt on these activities..and in overhead/payroll for organizing..very little is lect for cash on hand for the teachers, let alone funding future pension plans…they are in essence broke and hoping FEDS will give them bailouts for helathcare and pension liabilities.
also, wouldn't you like to be the President of one of these unions, making a salary larger than the US Presiden, .over 500,000 per year?? Look it up and you will see how many union management make in egregious salaries…….hmmmm………..hmmmm………..hmmmmm
We must all work to call Congressional and Senate leaders to defund ACORN, the NEA and SEIU, along with all the liberal programs and the approximately 366 sub agencies under ACORN… They must all be investigated… It apparently is the classic Mafia style of layering organizations, WITH HIDDEN LINKS TO ACORN so they cannot be traced to ACORN. START CALLING YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES. WE DON'T NEED TO HAVE PHONY AND DEAD PEOPLE REGISTERED TO VOTE. WE HAVE SEEN THEM STEAL ONE NATIONAL ELECTION FOR OBAMA AND THE DUMOCRATS. (AND SOME FOR THE STATES) WE DON'T NEED ANY MORE ILLEGAL SHENANIGANS FOR ELECTING POLITICIANS… LOOK AT THE FINANCIAL MESS THIS COUNTRY IS IN NOW… !!!! AND IT AIN'T GETTING ANY BETTER…
[...] at BigGovernment.com, Kyle Olson has an interesting post about the NJEA and their strategy during the recent election. Knowing that there was [...]
[...] at BigGovernment.com, Kyle Olson has an interesting post about the NJEA and their strategy during the recent election. Knowing that there was [...]
Can't wait Kyle I want my state back.
I grew up in new jersey and my brother is the president of his school union in nj. nj pays the highest property taxes in the nation as a result of the abbot decision which stated that those students in the poorest disttricts must receive the same amount per student as the wealthiest diestricts. this means 31 districts out of approximately 600 disctricts receive HALF of all school funding. despite this, approximately 80% of all incoming nj students in nj colleges must take remedial math courses to prepare for college math. there is a film out about the nea in nj called "The Cartel". I have not seen it yet, but have read about some portions of it which is pretty damning. despite all the money being poured into the poor districts, there is a lottery for a charter school in newark, nj which shows parents either jubiliant or devastated depending on if their children get into the charter school the parents see the charter school as the only chance for their children. i could no longer afford to live in nj despite making over $100K per year so have moved to another state. the rest of my family will leave the state within the next two years which will end our family line that has been in nj since 1640.
Cowboy Remeber when public employees were not allowed unions? They were renamed associations and they would get sick instead of striking. By what right should public unions exist. It seems self evident that the employees are represented since they in fact OWN the employeer. There job exists for the public good period If you dont like it work for the private sector where if the union takes to big a share your company your company and job goes down, oh wait I live in Michigan strike that.
Thanks for the PDF Info another thing I did not know
I lived west of Buffalo NY in the 70's, and when we traveled on route 20 past the Bethlehem Steel plants they were always going strong. The plant produced some of the finest steel in the world at the time. But like clock work every year the USW always went on strike, for higher wages{at the time the minimum wage was a $1.75 and the average wage at the steel plant was $18-20 an hr}, more benefits etc,etc. Finally the steel company said no more and closed the plant. The mighty Union had struck themselves right out of a job. Oh well.
Mack be careful about touting Texas too much, many of us may envy that state so much we might all move there. There are so many good things about Texas!
So right, Cowboy! As a teacher that refused to join the local, state, and national teacher's union, I agree that the dues is all in which they are interested. I am so glad that my family got the use of that money for all those years and not the union bosses!
Aren't teachers unions not for profits? How are they able to skirt the campaign laws? This really shows how corrupt this government and teachers unions as a whole are.
States with majority conservatives need to pass laws that make it illegal for school districts to mandate teachers be a part of a union. Also, government workers unions should be stripped of all powers to lobby. These socialists need to be shown for what they are.
http://www.livingfortruth.wordpress.com
The NEA wasn't the only teacher's union in NJ that did that! The AFT was doing the same. They printed up tons of false advertising about Christie. I heard teachers calling into 101.5 radio and say that the teacher's unions were threating them and telling them if Christie was elected, they'd have no job and/or he'd take away their health insurance.
You'd think the teacher's unions would be professional, but they are not. They are just as, if not more dirty and corrupt than the teamsters and the SEIU.
Unions are like divorce lawyers, "always maintain conflicts between the two sides". I can never understand why the force of hand "STRIKES" are always used to punish the employer. Look what the union just did to Boeing. Forced a 52 day strike which caused the company to loose millions. After so many strikes, Boeing decided to move out of Washington, to a state that is more work friendly, South Carolina. Seems it's more economical to build a new plant at half the cost of a union strike. Too bad for those workers, hope the union can find them new jobs. Look what the union did to UPS, that strike a few years ago caused Fedex to move right in with Fedex Ground taking a good chunk of business away from UPS. I dare them to strike again …
Corzine has been in bed with the teacher's unions (even though his former girlfriend and head of the state workers union–Karla Katz– was at another union, the CWA.) Corzine "used the full weight of his office to support a union drive at Rutgers University by rigging the rules. An agreement he brokered gave unions the right to organize, even in the office during work hours, while forcing Rutgers president Richard McCormick and his staff to remain silent."
"The New Jersey Education Association, for example, has sent mailings to its 200,000 members that are crowded with falsehoods. One claims that Christie would end collective bargaining, eliminate pensions, and cut school spending — none of which is true."
http://blog.nj.com/njv_tom_moran/2009/10/nj_labor...
Pazzi,
The weather in Texas is perfect just now! Come on down!
Re another comment by someone else: Don’t pass on misinformation; you do Conservatism no good. There are lobbies of varying quality in Texas, but no teacher can be required to join or support one. Many public servants in Texas may by law bargain collectively and strike; teachers may not. That’s not an opinion, that’s a legal reality. Another reality is that many local school boards have in the past been dominated by the Democratic Party; that is changing rapidly. Most teachers, at least in my little corner of the planet, are a generational transition from blue collar to the professions, and thus live lives that are far more Sarah Palin than they are Joe Biden. My father was a farmer (and a WWII veteran); my daughter is soon to be a PhD and is a proud Republican, as am I.
I do not work for a union; I work for the people of the State of Texas, and it will be a cold day in Corpus Christi before I walk out on my kids.
Unions are the scurge of the earth.
It's no small coincidence the big bag of nothing Odumbo is a big union supporter.
Unions === Enemy Within
"This leaked analysis underscores the fact that teachers unions are inherently political organizations that put the interests of their members first"
I would ammend this to say the union puts its own interests over those of its members or the students
You're a lying piece of crap. Local 495 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters no longer exists — and hasn't for well over 20 years ago — probably closer to 30 years.
And when Local 495 did exist it wasn't in Maryland
Christie won!
But that does not end NJ problems. Christie no longer can bring a Federal Indictment f4room a Federal Grand Jury. He will have to depend on a US Attorney that Obama supports. SEIU at the very least. And the transparency of Obama will evidence itself in NJ with regard to … EVERYTHING!
With a Norcross (You do remember Norcross … George was the guy who said of Corzine, "I have him in my pocket!") in the Assembly, and his brother George having NJ in his pocket; New Jerseyans will continue to bleed blue until they are bled through.
I wish Guv Christie the best … alas, I fear he will just put the more visible crooks out to pasture to graze at the pig trough; and allow the younger generation of crooks to relive the infamous YOUNGER BROS of Wyatt Earp fame a seat the table.
FEH!
Is this really what the teacher union members want? I doubt it! the teachers I know are appalled by Obama and by the crap they are required to teach as dictated by the progressive left wing kooks! This is a prime example fo special interest-the union bosses wanting cash for supporting some jack ass who is running for office and their crying about it after they lost! i hope the new governor cleans house in New Jersey. The corrupt unions have to go and ther leaders jailed for election tampering! I've admitted it inwriting. hang them all! how dare they use our children as pawns in their get rich scam! wake up New Jersey!
Corruption fun unitl someone gets hurt! Guess what-you're the one getting hurt and your not paying any attention! You will when you can't mow your own lawn without hiring a union worker to do it at $100 a pop! wake up1 Investigate SEIU and ACORn and the rest of their afilliates and friends they are all corrupt! look into how much moeny the scam form the state of New Jersey alone. i'm sure they broke New Jersey tax laws the same as they broke federal laws! Don't allow them or Obama to steal anymore! Shut them down, jail the founders and management! jail any politian who gets in the way too! take back you state new jersey and stop the corruption!
Rich Vail commented, "That's the problem with unions on the whole. They exist for the benefit of their members."
Not exactly. They exist for the benefit of the union bosses. Any benefits that accrue to union members are strictly coincidental. *heh* As Jerry Pournelle states in Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy,
"Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy states that in any bureaucratic organization there will be two kinds of people: those who work to further the actual goals of the organization, and those who work for the organization itself. Examples in education would be teachers who work and sacrifice to teach children, vs. union representative who work to protect any teacher including the most incompetent. The Iron Law states that in all cases, the second type of person will always gain control of the organization, and will always write the rules under which the organization functions."
And as they write those rules, they ALWAYS write them in favor of themselves, and benefit their members only as much as is necessary to keep their positions of power, influence and wealth. Obviously, it benefits teachers' union officials to weigh in to "protect" incompetent, lazy teachers, because the good teachers are all too busy to cause any trouble for the union bosses, busy working their butts off, working against the system to actually TEACH.
As the late Albert Shanker, former American Federation of Teachers president, once said: “When school children start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests of school children.”
Ah, home schooling is a godsend.
Nefarious
Egregious
A$$hats
I hope Christie outlaws this organization and investigates every single member into personal bankruptcy.
Corzine must be a member of the Socialist Party of NJ. His policies are identical to that party and his spending sprees highlighted the illegal immigrants and the non working tax consumers he seemed to have bussed in from Philly. NJ is now a red state so I am hoping to see the anti American thugs flee my native state. The teacher's union will be examined by Chrisie and the union is shaking in it's boots. I love it,,,,and I hope all parents get behind our new governor while he exposes the corruption our children face each day at the hands of inept school systems.
I am the last of my family to remain here in NJ. As such, I, too, feel assaulted by the socialist party. Yet, when senators suggest that we people STILL have the right to move state to state, I am beholden to the idea of escaping the welfare state that the democratic party created. My only regret is leaving behind the burial sites of the fabulously hard working family members I leave behind.
This isn't Corzine's state. He is from the Chicago metro area. His intent here in NJ was to line his own personal coffers. He has been nothing more than a usurper who got elected via the socialist party.
I've said for years that unions have outlived their purpose. I've seen nothing lately that changes my mind.
I have to disagree with you here; "…abor has the right to try and get a bigger piece of the pie." The "pie" is our money and it is not a "right". All of us work harder to earn more….except union members. In fact, all contract negotitations included heated arguments for the employees to work LESS while getting paid more. It's completely bass ackwards, just like the unions. Crooks and thugs, that's all they are.
I too grew up in the communist, I mean, union state of Michigan. Most of those in my area worked for GM, Ford or Chrysler. Those I knew were some of the laziest, whiniest, incompetents but bringing home paychecks bigger than the medical interns in the area! For what? For guiding a robotic arm holding a bumper into place? Please! They routinely leave work early and have a coworker clock them out. A big majority of them are drunk or stoned on the job. You can't get these losers fired. Despicable!
Whatever happened to our freedom? Being forced to be a union member because it's a "union shop" is completely un-American! When did we become so unwilling to fight for our rights?
Read Joe Williams’ scathing book ‘Cheating Our Kids’ and you’ll see how unions and other organizations related to education repeatedly put the concerns of children and their parents last in any discussion. As he often explains, the unions are working solely for their own self-aggrandizement that ultimately has nothing to do with educating children. Williams is a journalist who covered education topics for many years, and he fully explains that most of the problems have been caused by unions and their Democrat stooges in government (the ones they’ve been supporting with their collected union dues via campaign contributions). He points fingers at everyone, especially in government, but comes down heavily on the Democrats, despite the fact that he is one himself. An eye-opening read, to be sure.
Some ads claimed that Christie would have kept women away from getting mammograms, while Corzine "had fought" for their availability. Ironically, a little sooner a gov't panel recommended that all such test be withdrawn from all women under 40. I wonder what Corzine would've done then? Keep fighting or roll over for Obamacare?
So Jon gave teachers' unions3B of our tax money…
No the Pie is the companys money not yours, labor plays an important role in business and has a right to try to get as much as they can by unionizing. when public employees unionize to try to improve their standards the piece of the pie that will pay for it is public monies, our public treasury, its a different thing when its privately employment, these businesses are private and i think unions are ok for private business
This is some valuable information, I just completed my paper for school and think I should go re-edit it lol. You may have just made me a regular
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