Conflict-Loving Unions Now Want Collaboration?
by Kyle OlsonAfter years of obstructing efforts to reform public education, the nation’s teacher unions are using this week’s national education conference in Denver to push for a spirit of “collaboration” among education reformers and teacher unions.
It’s too bad that the unions’ new-found interest in “working together” has not been reflected in very recent teacher union behavior.
In a recent radio interview, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said, “Let’s solve problems for kids rather than making them pawns in an economic austerity budget.”
In a recent press release, Weingarten said, “When collaboration trumps conflict, it helps create the conditions for teachers to teach and students to learn.”
Such happy talk makes for a good press release, but it does not match reality. Across the nation, teachers unions are attacking reformers and have not resisted the temptation of using children as political pawns.
• Last summer, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis told union members, “When we join forces together with our parents, our students and our communities and fight smart – well, they haven’t seen a fight like this. Not in a long time.”
•Lewis ramped up the rhetoric at a rally last fall, telling union members, “I’m not wearing earrings because we’re in a fight, a real fight.”
•United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew attacked New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, saying “It’s apparent the mayor shares his definition of democracy with Hosni Mubarak.”
•Mulgrew’s UFT continues to attack Bloomberg in a new television ad that pits school children against millionaires who need to pay “their fair share.” The ad concludes by saying, “This about protecting our kids’ future, Mayor Bloomberg.”
•This past weekend, members of the Wisconsin Education Association Council picketed outside the home of a state lawmaker who sponsored an education reform bill.
•Last December, Weingarten herself made a public display of solidarity with Central Falls, Rhode Island teachers who were suspected of staging a “sickout” in order to score cheap political points against the local school board. In fact, things are so bad in Central Falls that many high students did not receive a grade during a marking period last fall because the students had not received adequate classroom instruction time.
•In the Rochester City School District, the teacher union passed a “no confidence” vote in the district’s superintendent, in hopes of wearing down the superintendent and school board during contentious contract negotiations.
•In a recent letter to union members, Indiana Federation of Teachers President Rick Muir repeatedly refers to the state’s education reform efforts as a “war.” “Make no mistake about it,” Muir writes, “we will lose the war if we sit back and do nothing.”
So Weingarten’s appeal for “collaboration” with reformers in order to solve problems instead of to win arguments does not match very recent teacher union behavior. It seems more like a clever strategy to hijack the momentum of the reform movement and prevent real change from occurring.
Unions feed off conflict, often pitting teachers against administrators and school board members. Weingarten’s poll-tested buzz words don’t paper over that fact.
The unions’ desire to work with reformers is just a last-ditch attempt to obstruct meaningful education reform. Lawmakers in Idaho, Tennessee, Indiana, New Jersey, Florida, Wisconsin and Ohio, are on the brink of historic education reforms. The teacher unions are fighting for their very survival. That’s why they suddenly want to work together.
For decades, the unions defended the status quo in public education. They were wrong then, and they are wrong now.
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52 Comments
I know of a couple of groups who are glad that we have teachers and teachers union, used cars sale mans and lawyers…. they have fallen to second and third place in the most hated leeches in our country. Where do we stand in world rankings in math and science? You guessed it middle of the road or at the bottom of both categories… scumbags.
We are all watching to see if Scott Walker prevails in Wisconsin, this could ether be his Custer at Little Big Horn or the template for real American 'progress'.
Back in the 80's we (Ct Gov't) made it mandatory that teachers get their masters degree and we (taxpayers) gave them big fat raises. What did we get? Lower test scores.
Get rid of binding arbitration & teachers unions.
Too late.
The issue with the Unions will come to a major head shortly. Trumka himself said he got into the Union, not for the workers rights, but for pushing his Democratic/Progressive agenda.
The violence President Obama and team wanted in the streets will come March 19th, 2012. They are selling this protest as a fight for Democracy, interesting that that is the same thing they said about Greece.
Powder keg……….fuse………it has been lit.
Kids Get Pro-Union Homework Assignment
PHILADELPHIA – Students at a Philadelphia-area elementary school get a homework assignment about how much their teachers are underpaid, to the chagrin of school officials.
PAgrassdroots
How necessary are unions these days for people who don't work dangerous jobs? If you sit at a desk all day, or teach kids to read, do you really need a union?
Unions need to be outlawed!
Yeah and at one point we all were led to believe Obamacare was dead. Don't believe it now, unions are lefties and full of $ hit.
They apparently don't know the definition of the words "unsustainable" or "shame"
ALL GOVERNMENT UNIONS – Too Little, Too Late.
You have done enough destruction in the past 60 years …failing to TEACH our kids, failing to DO your jobs.
YOU are Greedy, Tax-sucking Leaches unwilling to pay YOUR fare/fair Share. Do us a favor and Resign.
My parents were both teachers. My mother was told in college that even though they had to stay for 4 years, they would teach them everything they needed in 3 semesters.
Some people are good at teaching, some are bad. More time in college does not make them better.
I live in PA and am tired of paying for Phila, Pttsbgh and Chester Schools. They get the bulk of the tax money. Am waiting to see how the proposed voucher system being proposed will work. If only for these districts, it will fail miserably.
hey teachers if your in it for the money…find a different job
Don't trust them, it is a scam just like everything else they do.
"interesting that that is the same thing they said about Greece"
And Egypt.
No compromise. Unconditional surrender.
Unions only want their Member's money, and Socialism for America. Disband public Unions! They are a strong arm of the Socialist Democrats who are ruining America! . Union Members, you can't all be Socialists. Rise up and reject your Unions!
Take obama's Army away from him!
Absolutely Dave. Outlaw the Unions. As a side benefit, the Obama Administration will lose one of it's strongest Armies !
Moving Our Nation Back Toward Our Founding Principles!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl6nJna-bl8&fe...
"The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves."
George Washington
"using children as political pawns" is the unions' S.O.P.
After reading stories about the Dropout Factories and how the administrators worked against the teachers trying to do a good job, it lends validity to the movie "Waiting for Superman" and the idea that the problem is the System itself. It beats down many of the good teachers till they give up on the students. The problem isn't the teacher per se. The problem is the system and the unions. Bad teachers would be weeded out, like any business, if the system weren't corrupt.
I agree. It is too late for the unions. They chose to remain part of the problem, not the solution.
I think he will. Do you think Chris Christie set the stage? I do. The voters seem pretty savvy to the games. However, we had an intersting discussion the other day with a coworker. His wife was talking about going to madison to protest. After we showed him the facts of the matter, he agreed to what Walker was proposing. It's amazing how grossly misinformed the union workers appear to be. Feature, not a bug.
It's time to defang the unions.
I have no idea how much union members pay in dues. If anyone knows, please enlighten me. I do know that total union (public and private) membership declined again, last year- by approximately 600,000 members. That is a good trend. The unions, much like the progressive Marxist politicos are panicking. That warms my heart.
I think School reform is in order…Shut down all the schools for a year or so and reform…reform the curriculum, reform school lunches and reform the teacher pool (random drug testing and academic testing on teachers, if they fail, they don't teach and lose all benefitsor something to that effect)… Math, reading/phonics,spelling, writing, American history, American politics (including the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, what it means to be American and responsibilities of a Constitutional Republic), American economics, and our American Heritage– would be a MUST and some kind of IN-DEPTH trade like carpentry, hair stylists, sewing, electronics, plumbing, machanics… so kids have some kind of work skills when they get out of high school. I know they already teach the basics of these trades, but we need in depth training of these trades so the kids can go straight into the work force, and if they want they can go on to college for the degrees in the medical and other higher education jobs. Our kids should be able to go to work right after High School.
I stopped voting for the school levy along time ago…when our state started the lottery, they said that the monies would go to our schools and they are still raising the school levy every year…so the lottery monies didn't help our pockets or the children like the state said it would. I hear some schools are asking the students to supply their own toilet paper, now, plus their own daily supplies (and special mandatory project supplies).
No one that is not working hands-on with kids should be making monetary/administrative decisions of any kind for them. The only ones representing children at a bargaining table should be those who work directly with them. That puts the decision making back at the local level where it belongs. Get the feds & the unions out of there completely.
I think the worm has turned and we have them on the run…..
nothing like seeing that rat-faced chunt, weingarten, once again acting like the unions actually give a rats ass toward the children ,usually they run propaganda ads on t.v. showing teachers at home,calling parents to see how their students are doing??etc.portraying teachers going the extra distance,concerned about students??this is usually a heads up, that teachers are going on strike, if they dont get what they want the hell with your kids education..FIRE THE WORTHLESS BASTARDS AND HIRE NON UNION TEACHERS THAT CARE..
OBAMA AND HIS OBAMUNIST FOLLOWERS,have been working overtime to expand unions(21000 irs agents,healthcare and taxes) (200000 in govt??) govt motors plans$ 400,000,000 in bonuses for its union workers,like oprah throw the dogs a bone they'll follow you anywhere,same tactics(unions) used overseas,when overthrowing countries or trying to stay in power,gee i wonder if obama would use unions(riots)to get what he wants???
Look, noslave, I understand what is happening- the only growth for unions is in the public sector. I understand and agree with your frustration about what Obamao is doing. However, I need to know how much a member pays in dues. That was my question.
Parents need to sit down with their kids and explain how much more a teacher makes than them with all the bennies. Then they need to ask their kids what they are willing to do without (cell phone?) so their part time teacher can take home more money. Make it real and personal.
Just as the Islamists have no clue as to the eventual wrath coming down on them, so seems to be the case with these ungrateful, unappreciative, un American union leeches who "teach" our children…poorly…
At some point, soon, unless big concessions are made, the schools will be closed and a new start with different teachers will commence.
Like Ronald Reagan did in 1981 with the air-traffic controllers union. It CAN and WILL be done.
Like the democratic controlled government, they only want collaberation when they are not getting their way.
They think there's power in numbers, but when the economic numbers fail to make sense, the folks paying the bills, will shut off the power ($), leaving all the union leeches in the dark.
Ann
WUp..How do you get the "bold" in you post ? You write it first in "Word" then copy/paste? I digress..
I'm really looking forward to a "non essential" government shutdown in March. We'll soon prove how non-essential 75% of them are.
The light of day shining on their lack of importance.!
If I were them, that's the last thing I'd want exposed.!
Should be interesting.
Exactly right. And then they use collaboration to get their way.
Don't speak of what you don't know. 'Reforms' in Idaho are opposed by the public at about 8 to 2. That includes the entire public, not just teachers and union members. Don't be so quick to jump on the 'reform' bandwagon without knowing what each 'reform' actually looks like. In Idaho the proposals include buying a laptop for every high school freshman and requiring online classes. To pay for it the state wants to eliminate a huge number of teaching positions and raise class sizes. The state superintendent of education is working on a contract through a company in Virginia who funded his campaign-even though not a word about his 'reforms' were spoken during elections. Another recent 'reform' includes cutting Kindergarten down to just three weeks for students who are deemed 'ready' for 1st grade. Yes, it does also include a very lengthy document taking away all teacher rights-including limiting courts ability to review firing cases. All 'reforms' are not equal. Don't judge.
You know I think teachers would be interested in one idea of reform I have. I have given this example before. We spend $10,000 per student and have a class size of 16. If a teacher makes $80,000 where does the other $80,000 go? If we weren't wasting that $80,000 we can be spending some of it on the teachers. Unfortunately, the teachers defend that wasted $80,000 so they don't deserve any more money.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Its my opinion that education as of late has dwindled down to "whats in it for me"?–Well those teachers, administrators , and the biased ass people censuring my ops can kiss my derrierre!
Im squeaking by with a way above average IQ–I can handle any education required on my end if its needed!
The purpose of having a "union " was supposed to protect the worker——-Its a very good premise—–Its also being abused to the full extent!
Given the level of academics nowadays that cant pass the entrance exams to kindergarden without cheating—–I would be more than amply prepared to educate my grandchildren—and at a better level I may add—Scruples are a major part of the curriculum!
Okay Junior: This is how its going to be—You bring home work from school and were going to make your teacher explain it to me! EVERY SINGLE DAY—at least that way one of us is getting an education!
I can be silly all day—I made my kids educators earn their monies—-Perhaps Im better at it , but its not my job—Its also not your job to represent education under the premise of being underpaid and overcompensated!
Time to get unions out of American business and the government, they are no longer useful and in most cases they destroy the schools…….government agencies…car companies…etc. America needs to take our country back fron unions and get the government out of our lives……….they work for us ….get it Obama….you work for the people.
I've been watching/reading Michelle Malkins insight on the Wisconsin Teachers fight. here is the first article she ran about it:
http://michellemalkin.com/2011/02/16/watch-wiscon...
Additionally in that story she mentions a blogger who mentions a video. Here is a link to that video. it really lets us see how well the LEADERS of the Teachers Union et. al. gt their points across. As the blogger said, Fire them all.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1582221...
I wouldn't go quite THAT far, Dave. I WOULD, however, outlaw public employee unions…immediately. If you work for the taxpayers…no union….period. If you want to join a union, work in the private sector. Taxpayers should NEVER be held up for more, more more (of whatever) by union thugs.
In a recent press release, Weingarten said, “When collaboration trumps conflict, it helps create the conditions for teachers to teach and students to learn.”
Maybe it's time for the teachers to learn a thing or two.
wisconsin protests should explain how your kids are being brainwashed,close schools,use students to help protest,so you can get more pay and do less for education of them???
for years ,the unions under obamas protection (bailouts,tarps,etc.)have ridden for free,while average taxpayers and future generations of their children will have to pay to keep the car(america) running,we are going broke, at this pace, now wisconsin asks the unions to chip in for gas,their reply ??go F yourselves ,obama told us we are special??what arrogance,fire the bastards,my kids can baby sit students just as well, and wont sexually assualt them as some union perverts did..
I would, I've been a member of several private sector unions and they are nothing more than greedy tools. Take the Boeing machinists union, they have ruined the market in WA state. They have also forced Boeing to move to another state that has "right to work" laws as to not have to deal with the unions. We have federal labor laws now to protect us, we don't need unions anymore. They drive the prevailing wage up and make it harder for the rest of us to get said jobs.
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