Posts Tagged ‘teachers union’

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News Roundup: Politicians On Labor’s Payroll

Monday, January 21st, 2013

Rhode Island Legislators Literally On The Union Payroll

Although plenty of politicians are effectively on labor’s payroll thanks to the massive amount of money that unions funnel into political campaigns, two Rhode Island state senators have taken things to a whole new level. Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio and Senator Frank Ciccone both pulled in six figures from the Laborer’s union, with Ruggerio taking home almost $233,000 and Ciccone’s salary and benefits totaling roughly $197,000. As New Jersey union members know, it helps to have organized labor controlling the state house.

Wisconsin’s Collective Bargaining Law Survives Seventh Circuit

A three-judge panel sitting in Chicago has ruled that Scott Walker’s collective bargaining reform in Wisconsin, Act 10, is constitutional. The Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) had sued the state to stop enforcement of the law that limits public sector employee collective bargaining. WEAC argued that the exemption for public safety unions was unconstitutional. If the WEAC’s appeal is not heard by the entire panel, then the current injunction will be lifted and Wisconsin’s labor reforms can finally take full effect.

NLRB Asked To Intervene In NYC Bus Strike

NY1 is reporting that New York City bus company owners have filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to stop its drivers and matrons from continuing the strike that began on Wednesday. Until then, the companies were responsible for getting 152,000 kids to school—at the cost of almost $7,000 per student. The city’s Department of Education wants to open up competitive bids for the routes to save taxpayer money, but the union is insisting that the city impose job protections that New York courts have declared illegal. John Podhoretz of the New York Post says that we shouldn’t be surprised by this strike and that unions will only intensify their strikes over the next decade as old deals collapse under their own financial burden.

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Posted in Center for Union Facts, News, Political Money, Teachers Unions |

News Roundup: Hayes Moves On

Tuesday, January 8th, 2013

Former NLRB Member Joins Ogletree Deakins 

Former National Labor Relations Board member Brian Hayes, whose term with the Board ended last month, is now a shareholder of Ogletree Deakins, a law firm that often represents management in labor disputes. Hayes has been named co-chair of the Traditional Labor Relations Practice Group.

Hayes said about the move: “This is a very dynamic time in the traditional labor law arena. The NLRB’s rulings have created many challenges for employers in recent years. While I will miss my days as a policymaker, I look forward to returning to the practice of law and helping employers manage these risks—and those that are likely to come from the NLRB in the future.” He would know something about the risks the NLRB poses to employers: he had a front row seat in one of the Board’s most anti-business years.

 

Union Trustee Sentenced For Stealing From Pension Fund

Ava L. Ramey, a trustee for the United Government Security Officers of America Local 21 in Bowie, Maryland, was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of supervised release for embezzling at least $379,000 in union funds. Ramey accomplished this feat by writing checks to herself and family members and using her union credit and debit cards for her personal use. She has been ordered to pay restitution for the amount she stole.

One other interesting note: Ramey was caught under the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, which was originally established by President Obama “to hold accountable those who helped bring about the last financial crisis as well as those who would attempt to take advantage of the efforts at economic recovery.”

 

Media Matters Criticizes WSJ Editors Over NLRB Criticism

Media Matters, a progressive “watchdog” group run by David Brock, takes exception with the recent Wall Street Journal editorial that was critical of the National Labor Relations Board’s stance on what constitutes “concerted activity.” Media Matters claims that the Journal “misleads” in regards to social media policy. It explains: “In fact, both the NLRB’s Office of the General Counsel (OGC) and the Board itself have explicitly stated that employers may set certain limits on their employees’ social media activities as long as they do not prohibit activities protected under the National Labor Relations Act.” [emphasis added]. But that’s exactly what the WSJ editors’ point: The Board is finding much more to be in violation of the NLRA than is appropriate.

Their nonsensical argument aside, Media Matters has good reason to be upset with anyone who might speak ill of organized labor and its allies in the NLRB. In 2012 alone, Media Matters received $100,000 from the National Education Association and $5,000 from AFSCME.

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Posted in Center for Union Facts, Crime & Corruption, NLRB |

Michigan Teachers Unions Abandon Students to Protest Right-to-Work

Friday, December 14th, 2012

It’s no surprise that Michigan’s unions came out in force to protest Michigan’s right-to-work law over the past two weeks. One group of protesters, however, deserves a gold star: the teachers who “called in sick” so that they could join the loud and violent throngs marching through Lansing.

Most reports indicate that the number of striking teachers ran to several hundred. Yet while the exact figure isn’t  known, one number is not in dispute:  26,000 Michigan students had classes canceled because of the high absenteeism. In the metro Detroit area, three entire school districts closed on Tuesday due to a lack of teachers. The President of the Detroit Federation of Teachers also estimated that “several hundred” of his fellow Detroit Public Schools teachers joined him outside the capital.

The teachers abandoned their chalkboards for the streets at the urging of the Michigan Education Association (MEA). The absentees must not have finished reading the memo, however, as it only requested them to take off “after work.” Either way, the MEA—the largest labor union in the state—has good reason to fear right-to-work: it’s bad news for an organization that spent $134 million last year but only took in $122 million. If there are any teachers who never liked that they were forced to pay dues just to keep their jobs, these revenues will surely decline.

Perhaps the MEA should be more worried about the fate of the students its members are supposed to teach. In Detroit, only 7 percent of the 8th grade students passed their readings tests, and only 4 percent registered proficient in math. Meanwhile, the state recently received a “D” grade for its K-12 student achievement.

Thanks to their antics in Lansing this week, Michigan’s teachers have lost another bargaining chip with their students. The next time they chastise a student for skipping class, the student need only point out that the teachers did the exact same thing this past Tuesday.

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Posted in Center for Union Facts, Teachers Unions |

Are Teachers Unions Finally Starting to Learn?

Wednesday, December 5th, 2012

While the rest of the labor movement forges ahead with its destructive agenda, teachers unions are starting to look like rational actors. Los Angeles teachers are on the brink of joining Newark educators by bucking national trends and will allow student performance-based evaluations. The American Federation of Teachers is proposing a “bar exam” for teachers and higher standards for education training. And Wisconsin teachers unions are recognizing that with smaller numbers, merging might be a better option.

Of course, our memory isn’t that short: the actions of the Douglas County, CO teachers union and the strike-happy Chicago Teachers Union are still prime examples of labor unions’ natural inclination of obstinance. But there appears to be some hope in a few select districts.

Considering the history of the Newark teachers union, its recent announcement that it would agree to merit pay came as a shock. Part of the evaluation will be based on peer review, which made the proposal more palatable to the 61% of teachers who approved the change. Newark teachers can now earn up to $12,000 per year in bonuses, including up to $5,000 for good results.

And now Los Angeles teachers will be given the opportunity to agree to system that uses student test scores as part of teacher evaluation. Although both sides have yet to pin a number on how heavily scores will weigh, they have agreed that it will be under 50%. There is still a risk that the union members will not approve the deal, however.

But in both cases, teachers unions really did not have much of a choice: new federal regulations have forced the hand of states to start adopting laws that consider student performance.  In addition, as Laura McKenna explains in The Atlantic:

According to Jeff Henig, a professor of political science and education at Columbia’s Teachers College, the merit pay program in Newark is a sign of the political weakness of teachers’ unions. The AFT, which is more nimble and politically savvy than the NEA, has recognized that they must show that unions are not in the business of supporting bad teachers or opposing innovation. [Professor Harry] Brighouse also noted that the AFT, more than the NEA, is responding to the increasing pressure to do things differently.

Henig said, “local teachers unions with the blessing of the AFT are softening their rigid objection to some kinds of merit pay and some incorporation of student outcomes rather than risk that this will happen without them at the table.”

Teachers unions are recognizing that it would be better to agree to these changes on their own terms. It remains to be seen if this cooperation will distort the intended results.

And in another testament to the AFT’s willingness to show a propensity for reform, the union has announced a proposal raise the standards for those who are educating American children. As the Washington Post explains:

Under the AFT plan, prospective teachers who have undergone training at an education school would have to demonstrate knowledge of their subject areas, an understanding of the social and emotional elements of learning, and spend a year in “clinical practice” as a student teacher before passing a rigorous exam.

The plan also calls for universities to grow more selective in accepting students into teacher preparation programs, requiring a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average to enroll and to graduate, among other things. There are about 1,400 teacher preparation programs in the country, with a wide range of quality, experts say.

But there may also be another motivation at work. It’s no secret that public sector unions hate competition, and teachers unions are no exception:

At the same time, alternative teacher preparation programs have sprouted up, offering a streamlined path to certification and the classroom. Teach for America, for example, gives college graduates five weeks of training before sending them into some of the most troubled schools in the country.

A bar exam would “just level the playing field,” [AFT President Randi] Weingarten said. “Maybe all the alternative certified teachers will pass with flying colors. But if only 10 percent of TFA passed it and 90 percent of the students from Teachers College passed it, that would say something.”

Despite Weingarten’s distaste for Teach for America, the plan suggests that the AFT is willing to actually  improve education, not just teacher benefits.

Finally, in Wisconsin, the reforms of Act 10 have altered the relationship of teachers, labor, and public schools. The result has been a mass exodus from the Wisconsin Education Association Council and the American Federation of Teachers-Wisconsin. As a result, the unions are considering a merger. According to the Associated Press:

WEAC says the most important reason to merge the groups is to strengthen and unify advocates of public education. Kenosha teacher Michael Orth tells the State Journal “it’s about building local union power.”

But collective power is not the answer. As stories continue to pile up from Newark, Los Angeles, and even in the AFT offices in Washington, DC, not all teachers are the same. Collective bargaining sells good teachers short and pushes bad teachers ahead. And that takes away from educating students.

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Posted in Center for Union Facts, NEA, Newark, Teachers Unions |

Do You Stand With Dougco Kids?

Thursday, October 4th, 2012

When a Washington D.C. union boss comes to town, take notice. If that boss promises to come back again, take cover.

“This is not my first trip to Colorado, and it won’t be my last,” said Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

Coloradoans—you’ve been warned.

Weingarten, the former head of the AFT’s New York City local, isn’t just visiting the Rockies for vacation. New York magazine said that as Gotham’s teachers union president, “Weingarten ha[d] the power to stop education reform in its tracks, or at least slow it to a virtual halt.” And now Weingarten is ready to throw AFT’s weight around in Douglas County, Colorado and block innovative education reform.

The folks in Douglas County, home to one of the top public school systems in the country, are in for a nasty union-money-fueled battle in the weeks and months ahead. And that’s why we want you to join us and Stand With Dougco Kids and support them in improving their education, not dragging it backwards.

Teachers Union Exposed, a project of Center for Union Facts, just released a commercial that alerts county residents to the attempts by the Douglas County Federation of Teachers (DCFT)—an AFT-affiliated union—to block innovative reforms.

AFT’s Weingarten is one of a kind—or at least that’s what she says. She told the New York Sun in 2008, not long before she left for D.C., “Anybody who thinks that they can just walk into New York City and become the next Randi Weingarten is smoking something.” Likewise, if a high paid union boss ($407,323 to be exact) who backed the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) strike thinks she can just walk into Douglas County and become a credible voice on the school district, she should take note of some of her own wisdom.

That’s right: DCFT and the CTU are all under Weingarten’s AFT umbrella. The CTU is the union that blocked the school house doors when it took a “strike of choice” against Chicago students for seven days.

And now Weingarten is attacking school district leaders in Dougco, as she told Ed News Colorado:

“[A]cross the border [from Denver] is Douglas County, where the school board is only interested in its own power. Douglas County schools used to be on the cutting edge in Colorado. But rather than respect the staff, for political and malevolent reasons the board has undermined the public education system that once was known as the jewel of Colorado.”

[…]

“I’m here to say to Douglas County, ‘What the heck are you doing? And why are you doing this?’ They are attempting to destroy the public education system. It is absolute political machination.”

Dougco School Board President John Carson isn’t shy in exposing  Weingarten’s agenda:

“The Douglas County Federation of Teachers really has its strings pulled by the national union in Washington, D.C., and that’s demonstrated by the fact that that’s where they send the majority of their union dues, to the national union for politics,” Carson said. “The Douglas County Federation of Teachers is really more interested in national politics and is not interested in the educational interests of kids in Douglas County.”

For Weingarten, it has always been about teachers union power. Weingarten even pushed for a 22 percent raise for New York City teachers in November 2001, as the city was still reeling from the 9/11 attacks.

And if Weingarten wants to talk about who is being political, we’ll have that conversation. In its recently-released disclosures, the AFT headquarters in D.C. said it spent over $21 million on political activities and lobbying in the past fiscal year. That’s down from the $31 million it spent the year prior.

If Weingarten and the AFT think Chicago-style politics will work in Dougco, they’re wrong. We hope that you will Stand with Dougco Kids today.

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Posted in Center for Union Facts, Teachers Unions |

USA Today Runs Teachers Union Exposed’s “Killer Ad”

Monday, September 17th, 2012

Now we know which media outlets value an open debate on education reform.

The Chicago Tribune fell short last week when it refused to run our ad showing that teachers unions, such as the striking Chicago Teachers Union, are the ones blocking the school house door. In stark contrast, USA Today ran the ad today on page 10A–the same day that they are celebrating their 30th anniversary and launching a major redesign (it looks good!). Kudos to the editors for honoring the tradition of New York Times Co. v. Sullivan.

Former Congressman Joe Scarborough, host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, said it was a “killer ad” and we appreciate the shout out. We can’t say the same for his co-host Mika Brzezinski–based on her reaction, she probably isn’t a fan.

Go to TeachersUnionExposed.com to learn more.

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Posted in Center for Union Facts, Featured, Teachers Unions |

Which Solutions Do Chicago Teachers Want To Be A Part Of?

Monday, September 17th, 2012

Give nothing, take more.

That’s the new motto coming from teachers union delegates after a surprising turn of events in Chicago’s first teachers strike in a generation. The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) extended its strike for at least another two days until the governing body, the House of Delegates, meets again on Tuesday—Day 7 of the strike.

On late Saturday, following a teachers rally, sources from the CTU House of Delegates meeting reported that CTU leadership was accused of negotiating a bad deal.

The source added that late into Saturday night, [CTU President Karen] Lewis’ caucus shouted obscenities at her and the other leaders. “You sold out” and “Rahm’s getting everything they wanted, what the hell did we get?” [t]he source quoted caucus members saying to her.

The source reported that Lewis, who was at this point is exhausted [sic], indicated she’s done negotiating and asked “Will my own caucus defy me?”

The CTU says that the delegates need more time to review the proposal. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is seeking an injunction to end the strike and force teachers back into the classroom. He’s referring to this latest action by CTU as “a delay of choice.”

Meanwhile, the national American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the CTU’s parent union, is allegedly fearing a backlash and wants a settlement soon. As the AFT and National Education Association (NEA) know, teachers unions already stand on shaky ground, even among their own members.

AFT and NEA learned that lesson in Wisconsin, as both of their affiliated state unions lost 35 percent and 22 percent of their members respectively after Governor Scott Walker instituted reforms to make union membership voluntary.

Unions aren’t getting the support they’re used to. Even the Washington Post editorial board has said that teachers unions need to stop passing the buck.

What matters is what educators do in the face of poverty. That’s why Mr. Emanuel was right to push for an evaluation system that differentiates among teachers and values those who are effective in getting children to learn.

No one thinks that teachers’ whole careers should be based on one standardized test. Evaluations must be fair, tests need to be improved and standards must be tightened. But unions need to stop blaming poverty and become part of the solution. If they don’t think they can, they should stop standing in the way of charter schools that give parents the option of teachers who believe their children can learn.

Instead of looking for solutions to fix failing schools, CTU is obsessed with blocking the school house door in order to support its own agenda.

There must be some CTU members who are not as radical as Lewis’ caucus, and would agree with the Washington Post and accept Emanuel’s reforms. But without any other options, those teachers who want to be part of the education solution, not lining Big Labor’s pockets, are stuck at home—neither working nor getting paid—for at least two more days. Don’t be surprised if those teachers spend the time perusing the classified ads in a Wisconsin newspaper.

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Posted in Center for Union Facts, Teachers Unions |

Tuscaloosa in Chicago

Thursday, September 13th, 2012

We’ve come a long way from New York Times Co. v. Sullivan.

The landmark 1964 Supreme Court case outlined the rules of the game for newspapers, stating what they could print without being guilty of libel and subject to damages.

We’re reminded of the case today after the Chicago Tribune refused to run one of our Teachers Union Exposed ads because it had “racial undertones.” The ad features the image of Alabama Governor George Wallace’s infamous stand at the schoolhouse door, in which he refused to allow black students to register for classes at a segregated university. In the ad we said that “Someone New Is Blocking The School House Door: Teachers Unions.” It’s our response to the Chicago Teachers Union strike, which is stopping students of all races from going to school.

Take a look at the ad and see what you think.

Ironically, in the New York Times case, the Supreme Court decided that the newspaper was protected from liability for an ad it ran that was critical of Alabama officials and their actions against the civil rights movement.

But as Executive Director Rick Berman told the Weekly Standard, the Tribune is missing the point if it thinks this ad is about race.

While the photo depicts a terrible racist incident in American history, the message of the ad has nothing to do with race–only with the efforts of teachers unions to block students from getting a good education. An effort which is currently very much on display in Chicago.

As the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) continues to move back its estimates as to when students can get back into the classroom, it’s getting shielded from criticism in the media.

But it’s not only the picket lines that stop Chicago students from receiving a good education. Teachers unions bargain away quality, oppose meaningful teacher evaluations, and are against charter schools—all efforts to help students succeed.

CTU is trying hard to get what’s best for them, stopping students at the door. If that makes CTU’s strikers look like Governor Wallace, that’s their problem to deal with, and we won’t let the Chicago Tribune stop us from exposing them.

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Posted in Center for Union Facts, Legal, Teachers Unions |

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