Tacoma Teachers Strike: UNION and PROUD (PICS)

[Generic Other]

I estimate 300-500 when I came to march the long mile. SOLIDARITY!

[Ishoutandscream2]

1. God bless them, one and all!

AFT and TFT member, here. Solidarity!!

[bluestateguy]

2. UNION THUGGERY! Look over there! Kenneth Gladney is being beat up!

Just kidding.

Solidarity indeed.

[Claudia Jones]

5. count on it

The smear campaign will start soon. Sadly, some people here will promote the smear campaign.

[Generic Other]

23. The strikers were advised to avoid reading the news

Because we all know how the media will treat them!

[Starry Messenger]

3. k&r

[rsmith6621]

4. I Drove by the 19th St Picket line about 9:30 this morning and...

.....I think I will need a new horn that I blew in support of them teachers..I told some at a stop light the SUP Jarvis can go to hell.

[Generic Other]

9. Yay!

:thumbsup:

[iemitsu]

15. thank you

i heard your horn but was unaware of your exchange with the multitudes.
you said what is in our hearts.

[Claudia Jones]

6. thanks n/t

...

[roody]

7. Where is Tacoma?

[Generic Other]

10. Union Dispute Near Seattle Turns Violent and Idles Ports

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1904435#1923915

[Change Happens]

11. Seattle, Washington....

Sort of..

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

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

[femmocrat]

8. In Solidarity.

Don't give up the fight!

[Brickbat]

12. K&R for my MIL, a teacher who struck in Duluth in a January many years ago.

Nobody strikes for fun. Solidarity!

[Generic Other]

14. Hard to march on a cold Duluth day in January!

I am certain though she marched because she cared for kids. And as is often the case, the administration cares nothing about the teachers or the kids.

[Brickbat]

17. It's funny you say that -- one morning when she was up early to hit the line, her neighbor came out

and said, "You must really hate kids if you'd leave the classroom like this."

She already knew he was an idiot, but still, it was a hurtful, slanderous, false thing to say.

[senseandsensibility]

13. Looking good!

I support the teachers, and hope the district settles with them quickly.

[Shagbark Hickory]

16. I hope Wisconsin is taking notes! n/t

[Generic Other]

18. Wisconsin bravery inspired us all

The pro-labor progressives there threw everything they had at that creep Walker. Never forget. Koch money won the day.

[Shagbark Hickory]

21. They didn't throw a strike.

That's what was needed there as you will see from these fine people in Washington.

[Generic Other]

22. Wisconsin aint over IMO

Solidarity!

[Generic Other]

24. Madison's response to Tacoma

[Shagbark Hickory]

26. I kept saying the teachers needed to strike there.

It would have impacted the economy and had parents and local business persons calling for it to stop, whether they even knew what was going on with the politics of the matter or not.

I don't know if school is in session in WA yet but if so, it will create a disruption and people will be screaming for it to stop at any cost. Lets just see. :popcorn: That's my prediction.

Gotta fight fire with fire. Singing songs and holding "knit-ins" isn't going to get the job done.

[iemitsu]

20. i was somewhere in this crowd.

the pictures are wonderful and capture the spirit of the picket line.
the support we received from passing motorists was remarkable and consistent all day.
students and parents brought food and joined the strikers.
of course, we would all rather be in the classroom but we are resolved to stop the erosion of our contract rights.
the union invited the district back to the bargaining table but the administration chose instead to sue the teachers and get an injunction to force them back to work.

the strike vote breakdown:
1869 certificated staff eligible to vote
1777 voted
1623 voted yes (to strike)
151 voted no
this should indicate how unified the membership is in this endeavor.

[Better Believe It]

25. Thanks for the post.

[msanthrope]

27. The TRO hearing is today. If the court grants it, are you going back to work?

Having read the complaint, I'm interested in your opinion of the District's contention that the strike is illegal under Washington law.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/09/13/1822452/tacoma-district-file-injunction.html

[Generic Other]

35. Teachers don't have a contract

Is collective bargaining illegal? Are they required to work without a contract? Why won't the district sit down at the table? What is the real issue? Out of area carpetbagger superintendents coming to town and destroying our schools. Hand picked Gates Foundation shills.

Does Tacoma have jail space for 1700 union members? Teachers will fill the jails. The people of this community will not stand for it. Yesterday, parents across the district brought food for the strikers. They are on the teachers' side. We are a union town. Our teachers are all married to union people.

We represent the 11% college educated workers in this city. Without our incomes, the 45% poverty rate would be much much higher. Our students need us. Our community needs us.

This is what I hear from them all the time. Only the administration thinks they don't need to support their teachers.

[msanthrope]

41. You haven't answered my question, which was a simple one.

If you are ordered by the court are you going back to work?

[IndyPragmatist]

28. Teachers unions arent about solidarity

They are about seniority. They willfully toss young teachers under the bus instead of doing whats best for the entire union. There is no solidarity in a teachers union, aside from the solidarity of the senior members against the junior members.

We need to start adapting a German model of solidarity within our unions. Every union member is equal. In some instances, cuts are unavoidable. In Germany, the unions would prefer universal wage cuts to ensure that everyone keeps their job, whereas in America, unions would prefer the least experienced members be shown the door to keep wages at the same level.

When teachers unions start practicing what they preach, I will support them. They have adopted many of the policies that unions were created to fight.

[MilesColtrane]

29. Welcome to Ignoreville

Population: You!

:hi:

[IndyPragmatist]

30. Well I'm glad you prefer to just continue on blindly while young teachers are exploited

They pay the same dues as everyone else and deserve the same representation, but they don't get it.

Unions were created to bring together all workers against exploitation. Pretty much the entire side of my mother's family is in public education and they agree with me on this. Our teachers unions are unfair. The reason that we have so much trouble attracting capable young people into teaching is because of the poor pay at the beginning of the career. After 25 years, you are making a pretty nice amount, but not from the start. The best and brightest (which are now strapped with tens of thousands of dollars in student loans) do not want to begin their career with such low pay. They know that they can be compensated much better by going other routes which will allow them to more easily pay off their loans (making it easier to save for retirement, buy a home, and benefit the economy as a whole instead of just Salle Mae or private lenders).

It amazes me how this type of system is accepted by those who claim they are in favor of solidarity. This is not solidarity at all.

[Generic Other]

33. Such rank bullshit

All the older teachers worked their way up. They all started at the bottom. The way you talk, you'd expect to be the CEO of Walmart your first day there.

Enjoy your scabbing on this thread. I am going to walk a picket line with both the young and old teachers--none of whom are letting this kind of crap divide us.

[iemitsu]

37. who is blinded?

you suggest adopting a german model for hiring and firing yet don't actually think out what that means.
for that to work we would also have to adopt other german social and political models that work to make their practice feasible.
we don't have a system that pays the unemployed a living wage forever if necessary.
we don't have free university education.
our medical bills are unaffordable without a job.
you need to think through your proposals before claiming they are better.

[Generic Other]

31. Most places have a last hired, first laid off policy

It protects teachers with experience, who have good wages and who challenge authority. Of course management would like to replace experienced teachers for green TFA scabs. Two-fer the price of one in salary. You get what you pay for though. Most teachers don't stick it out for more than three years.

The experienced ones of course should have no job security and no rights according to you.

Thanks for nothing.

Are you in a union? Of course not.

[IndyPragmatist]

34. I prefer the German model of public unions where wage cuts are preferred to layoffs

Things almost always come back around. Whether its political or economic conditions, the funding will return. When it does, it's much easier to return wages back to normal than it is to rehire laid of teachers.

Additionally, by laying off workers as opposed to reducing wages, the costs of unemployment benefits go up. If the teacher is rehired, they lose the years of experience they would have gained by wage cuts, which reduces the amount of money they earn. I would much rather see teachers wages be much more consistent (say around $50k) instead of having new teachers hired at $30k and teachers with 30 years of experience making $75k (this is a fact, my mother retired 1 year ago making $74,500 as a 5th grade English teacher).

[Generic Other]

36. Personally I hate seeing any worker laid off

And when teachers are riffed, no one is dancing in the streets. Everyone suffers--teachers, students and parents.

The only problem with the German model is that it allows administrators to exploit and abuse teachers. In this state, teachers have fought long and hard to have a say in governance in their own classrooms and jobs.

Like I said, I am off to the picket line.

So have at us. You got the whole day to shit on our action.

[IndyPragmatist]

38. I'm not "shitting" on your actions, I don't know enough about that specific situation in all honesty

However, I do know the structure of the vast majority of teachers unions in our country and I don't like the structure.

If you are going to create a union, you need to stick with the principals of the union and stress solidarity and equality. I routinely read stories about teacher layoffs where its the youngest that get the shaft.

If you get a chance, read this article about youth unemployment in Spain.
http://www.economist.com/node/21528614
It talks about all the unintended consequences of the recession and policies that stress seniority. It shows how when a recession hits the youth hard, the effects are felt for the rest of their lives. Young teachers should never be the first on the chopping block. The current form of our unions claim that experience is the most important factor. That logic isn't always accurate. Sometimes you have to look at potential. Some could argue that it's more fair to force experienced teachers into early retirement while allowing younger ones to keep their job (because retirement programs arent available to them). The best example of this is in profession sports. The best players generally make the most money, but it isnt as simple as just skill. Potential is valued heavily because you know that if you sign a 22-year old Quarterback, you will get many more years out of him than if you would sign a 35 year old QB.

I would just rather see unions stick to the principals of union membership: all workers are equal and all workers stand together. Now, it seems like experienced teachers are MORE equal than others, and they will stand together, until cuts come, when they push the younger members to the curb.

[roody]

43. So I should give up my job which pays me adequately so

that a beginning teacher can have one? I should have my home foreclosed on me and live on the street and have no health care so that a new graduate can have my job? I am glad my union represents me!!!

[IndyPragmatist]

45. That isn't anywhere near what I said

Nobody should give up a job, that is the point of unions. That is solidarity. The goal is to keep everyone in the union employed, and if cuts are completely unavoidable, wage decreases are much preferred to job cuts.

This is the German model. It has saved them a great deal of money on unemployment and kept people working and spending money (whereas people drawing unemployment are much more prone to save as much as possible).

[roody]

46. Place the blame where it belongs. How many 6-figure salaries

are paid by school bureaucracies? How about administrators and consultants? They are the ones hogging the money. Also the test publishing companies are taking the money.

[roody]

40. Seniority is an important part of solidarity.

You did not answer the question: Are you in a union?

[IndyPragmatist]

42. No I am not, most of my family is however

My mother was a teacher, my aunt was a principal, and my grandmother was a teacher. My best friend is a teacher as well. I support unions, and teachers unions, but I think they have strayed from the original goal.

[Waiting For Everyman]

32. K&R teachers!

[w8liftinglady]

39. solidarity from the partner of an AFT member in a "right-to-work" state

Go, Teachers!

[Harmony Blue]

44. Solidarity!

Kick and rec! :dem: