Influence of teachers unions in question

[alp227]

Teachers unions have a well-deserved reputation for exercising political clout. With a nearly unparalleled ability to raise cash and organize their ranks, they have elected school boards, influenced legislation and helped set the public school agenda in major American cities for decades.

Now, that clout is in question.

A nationwide school reform movement with bipartisan support has collided head-on with unions over three ideas that labor has long resisted: expansion of charter schools, the introduction of merit pay for teachers and the use of student test scores in teacher evaluations.

Even the long-held protections and prerogatives conferred by seniority and tenure no longer seem sacrosanct.

"To say that we're under attack is an understatement," Los Angeles teachers union vice president Julie Washington told an angry audience of her members recently. "This is a wakeup call for all of us."

It's not that unions have been slumbering, but they have been slow to come to terms with the surging momentum for reform. Critics see them as obstacles to change; even union sympathizers agree that their voice in the education debate has been muted.

"The big ideas that are being debated are not the ideas that they put there," said Charles Kerchner, a professor of education at Claremont Graduate University, who has written several books about teachers unions. "They're not forming the agenda."

Full story: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-teachers-unions-20101107,0,7068892,full.story

[FBaggins]

1. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that teachers union support declined in this election.

I'd also bet that a number of Democrats lost their seats because of it (though I don't know if others will learn their lesson).

I'm merely guessing, but it's based on the theory that you can only kick a dog so many times before it turns to bite you.

The administration and enough elected democrats have done enough that many teachers cannot distinguish from right-wing attacks on education... that if the dog didn't bite this time around, it certainly wasn't pulling the GOTV weight that it usually does - and it could certainly bite next time.

My apologies to any teachers who prefer not to be compared to dogs. :)

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. My union worked harder on this election than they had in years

I am still stunned that Carnahan lost in MO. It certainly wasn't because our union wasn't there to support her.

[Hannah Bell]

2. if their clout is in question, that might make you ask how real it was in the first place.

if they had so much clout, how were they rolled so easily?

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. It wasn't easy

It's the culmination of a well organized and well fought 30+ year campaign to destroy all unions, and particularly teachers unions.

[adnelson60087]

3. Teachers' Unions do not utilize our power. We should have

our unions organize a "red flu", similar to what cops have done with their "blue flu" idea when fools dare to tread on them. Red because everyone knows we teachers mark in "red ink" on papers. Anyway, Every Friday, we have a "red flu" across the nation, until our parents start to feel the pain and say, "why are my kids home again on Friday".....and then ask "Why are the teachers upset"....They will convey our message to the politicians in a way that none of us could. And watch as the Politicians backpedal.

Would our unions have the guts???

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Do you really think school would be canceled because teachers called in sick?

Kids wouldn't be at home. They'd be at school managed by administrators and non union teachers.

[adnelson60087]

7. Is it really that easy to staff hundreds of missing teachers?

I don't think so, and more importantly, the budgets of school districts cannot absorb that cost for multiple weeks.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. It takes a major catastrophe to cancel school

And for only once a week? No way.

[adnelson60087]

9. As I think about my school alone, we have 4400 kids

and about 230 teachers and 50 or so paraprofessionals. I don't think my district would have a choice, do you? What is your situation like?

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. They rarely cancel school, even when the weather is bad

They aren't going to be considering how they are going to manage kids IN school. They WILL think about the hundreds of phone calls from angry parents when school is canceled.