Fight for unions shown on the History Channel contrasts with busting of teachers' unions

[madfloridian]

under this administration's education policy with Arne Duncan at the head of the Department of Education.

They were strong and powerful fights, it was moving to watch Marisa Tomei and others speaking out as the voices of those workers decades ago.

Nearly all of those unions have been gradually stripped down of the power they once had. I remember the air traffic controllers' union being busted by Reagan. No one in my area particularly cared...if Reagan did it it was a good thing. Besides people in Florida don't like unions anyway.

Now under Arne Duncan's drive to form charter schools using public school money...schools and districts are actually being rewarded for defying the teachers' unions and breaking contracts with them


LA teachers, parents, and students rallied against the school district's summer decision to open hundreds of public schools to charter bids--a move spurred on by President Obama's "Race to the Top" fund. Teachers from LA, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., met before the school year began to shape an alternative to the plan. Photo: UTLA

The president’s “Race to the Top” fund, championed by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, promises billions in federal dollars to cash-strapped states. But there will be “winners and losers,” Obama says. The unprecedented payout takes a bead on the teachers unions: money will flow to districts that alter pay and seniority provisions in union contracts and states that roll out the carpet for (mostly non-union) charter schools. The reformers will meet again in October for a workshop on gearing up their unions to fight. They’ll organize forums and joint press releases in each city before the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) convention in Seattle next year—where they will bring a vision of education reform that puts educators, not “education management organizations,” in the driver’s seat.

I don't see much defense at Democratic forums. or among Democrats, of teachers' unions.

It is easy to feel pride in those who fought after the Great Depression to get decent wages and working conditions.

It is not very easy to fight now, to stand up now, to speak up now...when it is a Democratic administration leading the way to bust teachers' unions.

There is a lot of money and power and media behind the message of the corporate charter schools.

I was thinking while watching The People Speak on the History Channel about what courage it took for those workers who had the corporations and the law against them.

I see only a few bloggers speaking up about the dismantling of public education.

I wonder who will make a documentary about how easily it happened.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Paging Robert Greenwald

Documentary needed.

Great OP, Mad. :hi:

[MichiganVote]

2. Wait until they have ALL families paying for public education. They'll blame the teachers no doubt.

Think Charter schools and traditional public schools will remain free? Hardly.

[ThomCat]

4. I think you are exactly right.

Opposing teachers unions is just one black mark against Obama. I'm disgusted, again, by his choices. :grr:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

21. You mean instead of mostly property owners?

[proud2BlibKansan]

56. And renters and people who do business in the community

EVERYONE pays taxes that support education. Not only or mainly property owners.,

[MichiganVote]

80. And everyone pays fees on top pf taxes. More "fees" will be assessed on students who attend school.

[MichiganVote]

81. I mean inspite of property owner taxes. Keep in mind there are diff. funding structures by state.

[Metta]

3. Yes, Arne Duncan is a lapdog for corporate fascism.

I hope more people wake up to that and his agenda to turn more of our children into cannon fodder and mindless automatons.

[Chisox08]

22. Arne Duncan was Mayor Daley's yes man

The only reason he was selected as CEO over Chicago Public Schools, other than the constant Daley ass kissing, was his going up against the Teacher's Union here. I doesn't surprise me that he is trying to weaken the Teacher's Unions nationally.

[Mithreal]

24. He is Obama's lapdog. The President must be held accountable as well.

[Metta]

52. Yep. He's creating and inheriting the karma now.

Sad day for one and all.

[Waiting For Everyman]

5. K&R

My parents were both public school teachers, madfloridian - before the unions. I saw the "before" and "after". I also know, both from them and first-hand, something about what went wrong to wreck public ed - way back in the early 1970's. The decline wasn't an accident.

There was a "pilot program" by a guy named Spiro Agnew (as County Executive), and instead of being scrapped as the obvious abject failure it was known by all to be, it became national policy (as VP). That's the part I happen to know, which never became public.

I was part of that pilot program, and had access to the teachers involved, because of my parents knowing them, to ask a lot of snoopy questions about it afterwards as a "curious kid". It was so stupid, I wondered about it. Several years later when nominated for VP by Nixon, people were asking "who is this guy Agnew?". I knew what his nomination was a pay-off for, but reporters at the time didn't question any further why he was so suddenly elevated, they let that question drop. (From PTA pres. to VP in 8 years!) Another few years after that, these stupid ed policies starting being adopted as the best thing since sliced bread, and the older teachers (who knew better) were forcibly retired en masse. Nobody cared then. All we have to do to fix education, is go back to our highwater mark (@1965-67), and do the same things we used to do right, then. Only updated of course. We used to have the best education system in the world. And there was a reason for that.

Are you familiar with this guy?

http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/underground/

From what I know of it, he's mostly right.

edit: where I disagree with him (a big point) is on "free market choices". If schools were as good as they used to be, people wouldn't be clamoring for choices. Few people wanted choices in the '60s, that's a recent thing. But it is true that schools have become propaganda factories, and all of the supposed "choices" are going to be that same way too. It's a non-solution.

[madfloridian]

8. I don't remember Agnew and an education policy...

but if you can put a name to it sort of, I might recognize it.

Can't load the site you linked to, will try later.

One thing I do remember is Agnew and Nixon's Southern Strategy...and this part from a book called Nixon's Piano.

Pretty racist stuff, so won't post the text again.

[olegramps]

33. It's not limited to the teacher unions.

The workers can only blame themselves for their present situation. They bought the managements lies that they would be well taken care of. Hell, why pay unions dues when I can get the same benefits without paying those crooked bastards was the motto of the day. As soon as the unions were busted management with the assistance of their bought and paid for politicians outsourced their jobs, canceled their health insurance and cut their pensions. If the workers want a fair share of their labors they have only one alternative, unionize. Otherwise accept your fate of being forced into virtual servitude.

[librechik]

48. WORD

[Hannah Bell]

66. interesting, i'd like to know the name too.

[2Design]

6. I was against Bush NCLB but this is taking even more aim at unions than Bush did

where is our democratic party values? Unions are what made this country and mad the middle class.

[tonysam]

7. The Democratic Party is apparently in bed with the

"venture philanthropists" like Broad and Gates, and their ideas are wrecking this country's school system--on purpose.

[2Design]

9. nclb took a huge assault and vouchers another and now this adds

even more - if they break the teacher union we will have no major union in the usa for the workers any more and education will be doomed to make robots and corporate slaves

[tonysam]

10. The unions are already being co-opted

Take a look at their willingness in various states to gut teacher protections in order for school districts to receive Arne Duncan's "Race to the Top" blackmail money.

That was the whole point of RTTT, to destroy teacher protections, what few there really are.

[madfloridian]

17. School leaders will do anything to get Arne's money.

Very true.

[2Design]

18. didn't obama appoint this guy ans support this - school leaders

did everything to meet nclb too and gave our childrens name to recruiters to be killed on foreign soil for the corporations and not to protect our freedoms

[madfloridian]

19. Yes, I think under NCLB schools are required to give name to recruiters.

So legally there was no choice.

Teachers are told what to do and how to teach now. They do the best they can.

Yes, Obama and Arne were close Chicago friends and basketball buddies.

Arne is not an educator, he is a businessman.

[Thothmes]

92. They always have

Schools systems prostitute themselves to the federal dollar. Dont like NCLB, suck it up, it comes with federal money. Dont like the current administration program, suck it up, it comes with Federal money. Schools systems are free to tell the Feds to go pound sand, if they are willing to let go of the federal money teat.

[Hannah Bell]

64. public unions = last bastion of organized labor, where rank & file can be moved quickly for

mass action.

once they're gone, there is no significant organized labor whatsoever.

enen something as basic as a mailing list = completely in the bosses' purview.

[Brickbat]

11. My MIL was a public school teacher for almost 40 years. She walked the picket line and this K&R is

for her.

[madfloridian]

13. I taught over 30 years.

Florida won't allow teachers to strike, just negotiate. I think it was the strike in the early 60's by teachers here that was the last straw.

I retired shortly after the FCAT became God here. Could not stand the assemblies where the kids did cheers for the FCAT, where we all had to spout nonsense phrases in support of testing.

[Brickbat]

16. We live in northern Minnesota and she walked the line in December many years ago.

I watch for your threads and I thank you for all your past work and all the work you do here getting the word out. This part of Obama's change really chaps my ass.

:patriot:

[Sancho]

27. FYI

The Florida statewide teachers' strike of 1968 was a strike action in the state of Florida in February and March 1968 by teachers and other education workers belonging to the Florida Education Association (FEA). The cause of the strike was under-funding of the state's educational system at a time when attendance was rising sharply, and low pay and benefits for teachers. The strike lasted from a few days in some school districts to three months in others. Although a special session of the Florida Legislature approved higher taxes to pay for more school funding, FEA members felt the funding hikes were not enough and voted to continue striking. No additional funding was forthcoming, however, and most local affiliates of the FEA settled their contracts and went back to work by March.
The 1968 Florida strike is considered the first statewide teachers' strike in United States history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_statewide_teachers'_strike_of_1968

[Fading Captain]

12. I see way too many Hondas in the teachers' parking lot

in my community. Right here in Michigan.
Solidarity, eh?

In Michigan, teachers are about to take one on the chin.

The "looking out for #1" philosophy that enables a Michigan teacher to buy a foreign car as their students' parents lose their automotive jobs, as business close down, and finally, as tax revenues dry up, is coming home to roost.

[madfloridian]

14. That is the biggest bunch of BS....And yes, Granholm is selling teachers out there.

You are blaming teachers for NAFTA and CAFTA and all the other deals that broke our country's manufacturers.

[madfloridian]

15. You sound anti-union AND anti-teacher.

:eyes:

[teacher gal]

25. Incredible

to me that you would blame public school teachers for the job losses in Michigan and seemingly desire that we go down. I've taught for 12 years (in New Mexico) and certainly can't afford a Honda - I've never been able to buy a new car in my life. I drive a 2003 Ford Focus and bought it used 2 years ago. I am single. It is tough but I know I'm extremely fortunate compared to so many Americans who are hurting now. I am thankful for my health insurance and retirement and I want us working toward a more just society where far more Americans enjoy those benefits too. No raise in four years by the way.

But you seem to fall for the Divide and Conquer hopes of the ruling elite, pitting American against American. Why don't you recognize that the same unfettered corporatism that has devastated our economy and hurt so many Americans is working mightily to destroyy public education and the teaching profession? Far better to work for better jobs and benefits for ALL Americans than resenting public school teachers.


And by the way, the majority of American teachers are individuals, whether union members or not, and they give their all for their students under incredibly challenging circumstances and unrelenting criticism and disinformation about our schools. Your comment about "looking out for number one" is most uncalled for. Public education is the national scapegoat and bashing our schools and teachers is a national, bi-partisan sport.

P.S. I am a non-union teacher.

[michreject]

31. And they won't see the connection

Their attitude is let me bust your union by buying anti union autos, and putting you out of a job but you had better support mine.

[madfloridian]

34. Teachers did NOT cause Michigan's economic problems

Take your anger out elsewhere.

[Kolesar]

36. Consumers buying over-rated Toyotas caused Michigan's economic problems

I am more angry that the Japanese dumped products here to destroy America's TV and electronics industry.

[madfloridian]

37. You are messing up a thread with much blame and little reality.

This is ridiculous.

[Kolesar]

39. I don't see any TV industry here anymore

RCA would have still had an impressive business based in Indianapolis had not the US trade negotiators let our business get stolen. I think it was Japan's reward for cooperation in our imperialistic endeavours.

Think of all the semiconductor jobs we lost too.

[madfloridian]

42. My point: It is NOT the fault of teachers that jobs are gone.

It is ridiculous to blame them for it.

It doesn't even make sense, and it shows contempt for a profession that is already treated shabbily in our country.

[MichiganVote]

83. Nonsense. The problem is trade law, easily as corrupted as the rest of our Gov't.

[michreject]

41. I'm not angry

Just fine thanks you very much.

My allegiance is to those who support union made products. Honda buyers aren't one of them.

[Hannah Bell]

68. bs.

[michreject]

73. Since the only reply you have is BS.

I suggest further education to increase your reply repertoire.

[Hannah Bell]

91. as i told you before, teachers = 4.2% of the workforce. thus, BS.

[Hannah Bell]

67. bs.

[proud2BlibKansan]

58. Hondas are made in the USA

Fords are made in Mexico.

[michreject]

61. By non union workers

But I guess it's OK since Honda has managed to lower the standard of living for all auto workers.

[proud2BlibKansan]

62. I thought Honda had unionized its plants here

Or am I thinking of Toyota?

At any rate, the three best cars I have ever owned were Hondas. I'd buy one again in a minute. Since I am a teacher I don't have money to toss away on a car. I need a reliable vehicle that is cost effective. Honda fits the bill.

[michreject]

65. Honda is not union

Since I'm a UAW retiree, I choose to not support those who support non union vehicles.

Nuff said. :hi:

[MichiganVote]

82. Really? Last time I looked all I saw were USED cars cuz' they can't afford a new vehicle.

[mrmpa]

20. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also trying to dismantle unions

Pittsburgh City School Districts just received a $40 million grant from the Gates Foundation. One of the items the city must do with the compliance of the Teacher's union, is merit pay for teachers. One of many reason teachers unions were formed was because of pay disparity. The politicization of pay and jobs was rampant and unfair.

I see the Gates grants as a way of bribing districts to rid themselves of unions. Teachers Unions just aren't seeing it, or getting it.

[madfloridian]

23. Hillsborough Co got 100 million from Gates for merit pay and incentives.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/4804

They had a big celebration the other day, but they failed to say what the big money was really meant to do.

This is a different field dealing with real live children who have bad days and don't always test well even when they can.

[teacher gal]

26. K&R n/t

[michreject]

28. Charter schools are weakening the Teachers union

Just like all the all the Asian auto buyers/supporters did to the UAW.

Sympathy?

VVVVVVVVVVVVV

[Freddie Stubbs]

29. Why don't the charter school teacher unionize like the public school teachers did?

:shrug:

[michreject]

30. Why can't the UAW organize Asian auto makers? nt

[Freddie Stubbs]

32. It hasn't stopped them from organizing at Mitsubishi:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=ay0oXkoiIkBY&refer=japan

[proud2BlibKansan]

76. They are afraid

Same reason other employees in other occupations don't unionize.

[mrmpa]

78. They're starting to

A charter school in Pennsylvania has recently unionized. It is going to be necessary for them to unionize. The wages right now in charters are extremely low, teachers can't live on it. UNION-YES.

[proud2BlibKansan]

79. The charters here are hiring teachers who aren't certified

That complicates attempts to unionize.

[madfloridian]

35. You are blaming teachers for auto company failures? Two of you are in this thread.

That's shameful.

[michreject]

40. No

I blame union teachers for buying anti union Asian auto, putting thousands of auto workers out of a job. Then asking from support from union supporters, including unemployed auto workers.

If you don't see any non union cars in school parking lots, you aren't looking.

[Hannah Bell]

69. massive bs. teachers = 4.2% of the US workforce, & some own union cars.

There's no fucking way they destroyed the auto unions.

I'll say this, in fact: the auto union's leadership sold out their workers.

[michreject]

72. BS

I never stated that teachers destroyed the UAW. The love for Asian vehicles helped though.

[Hannah Bell]

90. 4% of the workforce. they didn't "help" more than any other consumers,

& in fact, public employees are more likely to buy union & turn out for union actions than other workers, most of whom are non-union.

your whole spiel is bullshit.

[madfloridian]

38. Now I've seen it all. 3 in this thread blame teachers for auto company failures.

That seems to be the ultimate insult to teachers, that a Democratic forum would have so many actually come out and say that teachers hurt the auto companies by buying foreign cars.

Another thing to blame on teachers. Since Ronnie Reagan's day this has been going on. Now 3 in one thread are doing it.

I never thought I would see teachers blamed for such as that.

They have become such a scape goat...hey why the hell not?

[michreject]

43. You should take a reading comp class

I never blamed teachers for the auto industry's problems. I lay the blame on non union auto consumers, which teachers are a large segment.

Non union consumers shouldn't contribute to the destruction of my livelihood and then ask for my support.

[Name removed]

44. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Hannah Bell]

70. No, they're NOT a large segment.

The second largest population is teachers, who comprise 4.2% percent of the US workforce (1994 statistic) and are identified as the professional group ...
www.uiowa.edu/~shcvoice/research2.html - Cached - Similar

[tonysam]

71. They're identified as "professionals," but in terms of what they do,

they are NOT. They have no real discretion or control over what they do, a hallmark of what constitutes a "professional"--it is mandated from above, always. College teachers professionals, yes, but public school teachers, no, regardless of what the federal government classifies them.

I was treated WAY better when I worked in a private school; I WAS treated as a professional and given a LOT of latitude in my teaching, even if the pay sucked. I wish I could say the same about public schools.

[MichiganVote]

85. Oh that's really funny. Like Doctors these days have "discretion" over Ins. companies.

In the public schools the staff and admin. are subject to a vast array of regulations that compete with professional judgment every single day. Blame Congress and lobbyists. They do more of it every year.

Anyway, the people who deride public school personnel as not being professionals are often the same people who want to pay them less--not more.

[Hannah Bell]

89. fine, but my post was responding to the claim that teachers were

a large segment of import car buyers.

teachers = only 4-5% of the workforce, so they can't be an important segment of the auto market, & certainly not responsible for detroit's decline any more than other groups.

[Starry Messenger]

55. I wonder how many auto-worker's kids

were in parochial schools? I mean, if we're gonna go there, let's go there, right?

[madfloridian]

59. Be careful about being too critical.

One of my posts is no longer there, if you know what I mean.

But the charter school backed parents groups in Detroit are still calling for teachers to be jailed. And the posters in this thread are still blaming teachers.

:shrug:

[Starry Messenger]

60. I'm just trying to even things out here.

The cries of victim-hood were getting on my nerves. Should we also count how many auto-workers voted down money for schools? It's all interconnected. Counting a type of car in a parking lot to form conclusions is bad science.

[madfloridian]

63. Yep, you are right.

:hi:

[madfloridian]

46. Michigan parents' group wants teachers put in jail. Perhaps why the negativity...

directed toward a post that stands up for teachers unions.

http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2009/12/detroit-parent-groups-ceo-calls-for.html

I just did a search on the name of the person calling for the jailing of teachers in Detroit. Interesting hits.

http://www.google.com/news/search?pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=Sharlonda+Buckman

It sounds as though many in Michigan really do blame teachers for everything.

:shrug:

[madfloridian]

47. Yep, it could explain part of the misdirected anger....

that blames teachers for just about everything.

[madfloridian]

51. More about Sharlonda Buckman who wants all Detroit teachers jailed.

http://www.tellusdetroit.com/city-gov/schools/dps-parent-breakfast.html

She is very angry.

[madfloridian]

57. Sharlonda also wants schools officials jailed...and sued just like teachers

Is the Skillman Foundation behind this group's formation? They tend to like charters a lot. And why is the Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb playing an active role with a group that wants to jail teachers?

http://detnews.com/article/20091212/SCHOOLS/912120373/Detroit-parents-want-DPS-teachers--officials-jailed-over-low-test-scores

"Detroit -- Impassioned parents demanded jail time for educators and district officials Saturday following the release of test scores that showed fourth- and eighth-graders had the worst math scores in the nation.

City students took the National Assessment of Educational Progress test this year, and 69 percent of fourth-graders scored below the basic level in math and 77 percent of eighth-graders scored below basic.

The Detroit scores on the progress test were the lowest in its 40-year history. The sample of students included 900 of Detroit's 6,000 fourth-graders and 1,000 of the district's 6,000 eighth-graders.

Advertisement

Sharlonda Buckman, CEO of the Detroit Parent Network, called for jailing and civil lawsuits against anyone in the city's educational system that is not doing his or her share to help properly educate children.

"Somebody needs to go to jail," she said in a tearful address to 500 parents gathered Saturday for the organization's annual breakfast forum. "Somebody needs to pay for this. Somebody needs to go to jail, and it shouldn't be the kids."

I read somewhere that Detroit public schools had been losing much money to charter schools.

Let's spread the blame around to the corporations who are paying money to win.

[Crzyrussell]

95. Money is just an excuse that

many use to defect attention from the real problems in public education.

[MichiganVote]

86. Like everything else...frustration runs deep and so does stupidity.

[Echo In Light]

49. K&R

[Time for change]

50. Teachers are grossly underpaid

This is sad.

[Bozita]

53. K&R

[Kermitt Gribble]

54. K&R! n/t

[katkat]

74. teachers' unions are a terrible thing

Here in Rhode Island anyway, along with other state employees' unions.

They have gotten such enormous benefits for their members that regular taxpayers and the state and towns are going broke. Work for twenty years, retire at damn near full pay and with largely paid for health insurance for the rest of your life.

Sounds good, doesn't it? Where do they think that money is coming from? From moderate and low income taxpayers (the size of our wealthy class in Rhode Island is, like, zero), some of whom are losing their homes to the enormous property taxes required to support this.

Plus, the state legislature, populated by venal morons, is owned by the unions. When last seen they were about to pass a law that would completely gut the ability of towns to negotiate better contracts, by legislating that if a contract expires and a new one can't be agreed upon, the teachers get to continue working under the terms of the old contract ad infinitum.

[tonysam]

75. Aren't they terrible? Let's just do away with unions altogether and let the teachers

be paid what day care teachers make and have constant turnover. That's REAL progress.

The truth of the matter is the teachers' unions aren't very effective in protecting teachers' rights. That's MY beef with them, that they are all too often in cahoots with the school districts and cut deals with them in order to preserve an administrator's job while tossing the beleaguered teacher to the curb.

[madfloridian]

77. Well, I guess you will get what you consider important enough to pay for.

And in your case education doesn't seem to be that important.

There are several ways to read your post, and several interpretations of it.

But I don't see the people who valued the auto unions, American made cars, etc...jumping on you with both feet like they did on me.

DU seems officially anti-union now, and that makes me feel odd.

[katkat]

88. education is important

What is more important to me is my potentially losing my house or running out of money in my old age because I have to support greedy guses retiring at 45 and living off me for the next 30 years.

There are plenty of ways to provide quality education without having teachers live like the leisured class, which is exactly what they do in RI. I have two cousins who retired as state workers in their 40s and now enjoy a life of leisure and travel at nearly full pay and paid for healthcare, while I'm looking for a part time job because my property tax is ten times here what it was in California, for a house of comparable value.

Oh yeah, explain to me how having marble floors in the new high school aids education.

[tonysam]

93. Sure they do. Sure they do.

I never lived like I was a member of the "leisure class"; I could barely pay the fucking bills on my queenly salary, and then I was shitcanned illegally so I could be screwed out of my full retirement. I will get less than 500 a month if I wait until I am 65 to collect, and then it being Nevada, I would have my SS reduced because WEP/GPO.

Cry me a fucking river about your hardships.

[madfloridian]

96. You think teachers live like "the leisured class"? Really?

[proud2BlibKansan]

84. Damn I should be teaching in Rhode Island!

I've never heard of teachers being able to retire damn near full pay. I'm moving!

Your last comment about the contracts is pretty standard. That's been the law in many states for many years now.

[MichiganVote]

87. Because God forbid we blame the goddamn wealthy for being cheapskates.

[Omaha Steve]

94. I'm thanking all my former teachers, I write my local union newsletter

I don't always use the right word or punctuation. My readers don't seem to mind. :-)

[madfloridian]

97. Nice post.

:)