Archive for February 2014

Mike Antonucci makes predictions about the Wisconsin teacher union merger in Intercepts. Yesterday I posted the breaking news that the Wisconsin Education Association Council and AFT-Wisconsin postponed their scheduled votes to merge the two unions into one – Wisconsin Together. The WEAC statement was deliberately vague, saying only that “member forums showed more information was sought…

Providing another example of the cost of public sector monopoly bargaining, Justin Hegy explains how contracts in Chicago protect public workers from paying fees and fines that all other citizens are subject to.   The story is in The Illinois Policy Institute.  How is it monopoly bargaining contracts influence actions taken outside of the workplace? Remember in 2011…

AFT president Randi Weingarten, in concert with local Newark, (New Jersey), Teachers Union, is fighting a proposal by that school district to use a little-known exception to tenure in that school district. The LaborPains.org Team has the story on Laborpains.org. Newark Public Schools face a serious problem: Enrollment in the struggling state-administered district is projected to plummet…

Mike Antonucci reviews the latest information on the National Education Association’s (NEA’s) involvement in Common Core standards.  NEA president Dennis Van Roekel is calling for changes in implementation of the standards despite the fact that NEA officials were key players in the establishment and proliferation of the Common Core standards. “I am sure it won’t come as…

Here’s another example of teacher union bosses protecting their own interests over that of the students and the public.  It seems teacher union bosses of Fallsburg, New York, now have authority over even the police.  Union officials in the town are blocking police attempts to find a drug user by refusing to allow the suspects to…

However, her stance on charter schools has New York City teacher union bosses aiming to destroy the progress she’s made, but she is a stalwart fighter for what she knows is right – for the kids.  Matthew Kaminski has her story in the Wall Street Journal. How did Ms. Moskowitz, a hero to thousands of New Yorkers of modest…

Kenosha School district officials will follow Act 10 guidelines.  Deneen Smith has the story in the Kenosha News. Despite a notice from the Kenosha Education Association, union dues will not be automatically deducted from teachers’ paychecks, according to Kenosha Unified School District administration. “Our position is that KUSD will not be deducting dues unless we…

Paul F. deLespinasse, professor emeritus of political science at Adrian College calls for the abolition of government employee bargaining.  His editorial appears in the Adrian Telegram, Adrian, Michigan, the most recent state to pass a Right to Work Law. Decades of experience suggest that public sector collective bargaining is a bad idea and that legislation authorizing it should…

CEAFU Key Leader Larry Sand comments on school vouchers for School Choice Week.  Larry Sand is President of the California Teachers Empowerment Network, serving California teachers who want an alternative to union membership. As we celebrate National School Choice Week, it’s worth noting that over 5 million students across the country are recipients of Pell Grants. Named…

The Baltimore Teachers Union has demanded exclusive access to school mailboxes, ensuring all communications have union officials’ sanction.  And teachers are not happy about it.  Teachers wanting free legal advice about this issue should contact CEAFU or the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation for free legal information,  or call (800)-336-3600.  Erica L. Green has the story in The Baltimore…