Japan Teachers' Union stands in solidarity with those in Wisconsin

[Godhumor]

From the NEA's page on responses to the Wisconsin situation (http://www.educationvotes.nea.org/2011/02/17/calls-come-from-white-house-international-community-and-others-to-support-wisconsin-workers):

______________________________________________
The Japan Teachers’ Union (JTU) also express our concern for Wisconsin governor’s budget bill to strip state employees of collective bargaining rights.

The JTU hereby message words of encouragement to colleagues of NEA and AFT struggle for defending the fundamental rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

The JTU also struggle for acquiring the right to strike and collective agreement conclusion.

The JTU always support fully the struggles of colleagues of NEA and AFT to secure the fundamental rights of teachers and other public employees in United States of America.
_______________________________________________

As someone who taught in Japan, I figured the union would issue a statement on the situation here (The union is very internationally aware due to the adversarial nature of negotiations with school boards at the prefectural level). Glad to see that I figured right.

[RandySF]

1. Oh, the teabaggers will go apeshit now

After hearing a bunch of "funny-sounding foreigners" speak out in support of American unions.

[Godhumor]

2. There's a lot more from the international community--I just chose to highlight the one I have

experience with.

But, yes, I am sure they'll have to resort to derogatory nicknames or make fun of translations to soothe themselves.

[applegrove]

3. I know someone who was fired for trying to start a union in Japan. He took

them to court and won. Good labor laws there.

[Godhumor]

4. Japan is surprisingly unionized

Percentage-wise, more workers in Japan are in unions than here in the US.

[Hannah Bell]

5. but they're mostly company unions. japan went through its own purges of dissidents

back in the day.

[Godhumor]

6. Most union people in Japan belong to at least two unions--the company union and the trade union

It is one of the more interesting aspects of Japanese labor, to say the least.

[Hannah Bell]

8. and nearly all trade unions fall under rengou, the major labor confederation,

and it's basically a company union (maybe "captured union" is a better term) in that its position vis-a-vis the owners = collaborative rather than adversarial.

unionism has been declining in japan for decades.

[Godhumor]

9. I lived in a union city (Honda plant).

And, while the national federation is more geared up for the national and big policy debates--the enterprise and industrial based "local" unions fought, and continue to fight, very, very hard for their workers.

It is why workers belong to the big union (policy) and the "local" (in the trenches).

And, to your other claim, I will simply say, they're still more unionized than the US.

[Hannah Bell]

10. yep, about 20% last figure i saw, down from about 40%. it's not surprising

they'd still be more unionized than the US, since japan's industrial boom & peak took place about 20-30 years later, but they're following the same trajectory, and their period of radicalism was much shorter-lived.

japanese workers strike less than american ones & that's saying something.

[Godhumor]

11. Different culture, different expectations. The unions are not weak, though

And, yes, they're around 20% union membership now (Actually, slightly under), but the unions have done a remarkable job with regards to worker rights in a climate where you are supposed to be loyal to the company over all us. While I lived there one of the big wins was the removal of Saturday school days for public schools (They still had club practices on Saturday, but it was a big step).

[Hannah Bell]

12. how was that a union victory? you mean for the teachers' union?

[Godhumor]

13. Yes that's what I meant...getting late and combining posts without explanation

Think I'm going to bed.

[Hannah Bell]

14. gotcha, thanks.

[roguevalley]

7. teacher unions rule overseas. i was in england when the teachers

were on strike and visited a poor school in white chapel. When the bell rang for recess the teachers stopped mid word and went to the teachers lounge. They stayed there until the bell rang and went back to class. I have never seen such powerful and incredible work to rule before. NUT=national union of teachers.