Teachers unions trying to retain clout
By Stephanie Simon, Politico
It’s designed to be an impressive show of force: Thousands of unionized teachers plan to rally today in cities from New York to San Francisco to “reclaim the promise of public education.”
Behind the scenes, however, teachers unions are facing tumultuous times. Long among the wealthiest and most powerful interest groups in American politics, the unions are grappling with financial, legal and public-relations challenges as they fight to retain their clout and build alliances with a public increasingly skeptical of big labor.
“I do think it’s a moment of truth,” said Lance Alldrin, a veteran high-school teacher in Corning who has split from his longtime union after serving for a decade as the local president.
The National Education Association has lost 230,000 members, or 7 percent, since 2009, and it’s projecting another decline this year, which will likely drop it below 3 million members. Among the culprits: teacher layoffs, the rise of non-unionized charter schools and new laws in states such as Wisconsin and Michigan freeing teachers to opt out of the union.
The American Federation of Teachers has been able to grow slightly and now represents 1.5 million workers — but because many new members are retirees or part-timers who pay lower dues, union revenue actually fell last year, by nearly $6 million, federal records show.
Teachers are “grappling with…public relations challenges,” is putting it very mildly. I think taxpayers (i.e., those irascible “customers”) are tired of: 1) tenure, 2) benefits and pay unrelated to performance (can you say “grades?”), 3) union dues being used for political payoffs, and 4) undemocratic practices. Why are they so terribly afraid of school choice and tax vouchers if they care so much for our children? In California, the state teachers’ union shares culpability with other powerful unions for creating the one-party system that rules the state. According to the National Institute on Money in State Politics, the California Teachers Association gave 169 times more cash to Democrats in California as it did to Republicans between 2003 and 2012. $15,714,516 buys a lot of political grease in the Golden State. Curious though why the Gov only took in $62,900 while Dave Jones, State Insurance Commissioner, netted $66,400.
When a teacher on the internet can give free classes in return for advertising revenue, the school has changed. Also, when hacking is systemic in public schools,……..
Gus the Great you said just about all. The unions are for the unions, the heck with students. It continually amazes me how once wonderful ideas become so corrupted as to be unrecognizable as with unions, especially government employee unions.
I guess that one might say the same things about politicians. They use taxpayer money to get re-elected, they have their version of “tenure”, their pay is not affected by their performance, they get payoffs in various forms and they certainly have “undemocratic practices”. One could also move through various industries and business and find who gives the most money to particular parties. If you want to crucify folks for doing things like this, start with the politicians, they are definitely “grappling with public relations challenges”. Vote out the ones who participate in these things. And it isn’t just one party that does it.