I was hearing a podcast today and the issue of police unions were discussed

[La Lioness Priyanka]

and compared to teachers unions. Teacher unions are vilified, mostly unjustifiably, but it has made the teachers union disown bad apples among their mix.

Where is the usual anger at unions when it comes to cops? why are the unions mollycoddling the bad apples?

Why are people not angry with the leaders of these unions, when we feel no compunction about lashing out at teachers unions?

I feel like these were important and complex issues that the podcast raised, and was wondering what other people thought about it.

FYI: for the most part i support unions.

[arcane1]

1. It's where their anger at the broadcaster's unions, guilds, etc, that create their tv shows hides.

VERY selective hate they have there!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

2. i think the point was that our hatred for teachers unions vis-a-vis cop unions

do not make sense.

both people who were speaking were pro-union, they were just puzzled as to why one union is expected to be accountable and the other not

[arcane1]

4. I think from an authoritarian view, teachers unions strengthen education. This is bad.

Police unions maintain cohesion amongst the skull-bashers, which is good.

Though now that you mention it, I can't recall the last time I hear a right-winger even acknowledge that police have unions!

[Logical]

3. Police unions protect bad cops. Read about the philly police. n-

[femmocrat]

5. Teachers unions are attributed to have far more power than they actually have.

The union also has nothing to do with dismissal of ineffective teachers although the union will ensure that any member/teacher has due process.

I cannot speak to police unions, but often wished that teachers would band together like the police do when there is an "attack" upon them. We do not actually know that the police "mollycoddl(e) the bad apples". They do seem to be more unified than teachers, though.

I was on our local strike committee and there were a number of "turncoats" and weak-kneed members who were only too happy to take the negotiated benefits while refusing to participate in our protests. I doubt if a police union member would do that.

[Lurks Often]

6. Police Unions are smaller and generally don't attract much attention

until something major happens. (At least they are smaller in CT, where each town police department tends to have it's own union.)

And in the end, they do what all unions are supposed to do, actively work to protect the employees of the union. It's just sometimes we really don't like it when a police union is successful.

Realistically how many of us not in a union or related to someone in a union pay much attention to what a union does unless it makes headlines somewhere?

On edit: Note that most, if not all, police unions are forbidden to strike, do walk outs and other such negotiating tactics available to a more typical union.