Archive for June 2017
Teacher Union Power – Big Apple Style
The United Federation of Teachers has bullied their way to the top of the political mountain in the Big Apple. Aaron Short has the story in the New York Post. There is one clear winner as school spending costs rise each year: the United Federation of Teachers. No group in the city has amassed more political clout…
Read MoreTeacher Union Power Connecticut Style
Chris Powell in the Journal Inquirer, reminds us of how much power teacher union officials wield in Connecticut through their political activity. Little government spending on education in Connecticut ends up with billionaires. Since most spending in education goes for personnel, most spending ends up with teachers who are members of the unions that constitute the…
Read MoreTeacher Union Official Acts Up In Public
Broward teacher union president Anna Fusco believes the only rules she must follow are those she has negotiated into the contract. Caitlin Randle has the story in the Sun Sentinel Online. Pembroke Pines and the teachers at its A-rated, city-run charter schools were back to the bargaining table Wednesday after a heated exchange earlier this month. The…
Read MoreTeachers Don’t Want Forced Unionism
Commenting further on the possible outcome of the Janus case, Mike Anontucci’s latest Intercepts reinforces what CEAFU members believe: teachers do not want forced unionism. There are currently 22 forced unionism states. If you’d like to know how the National Education Association as a whole will be affected by an adverse U.S. Supreme Court decision in the agency fee…
Read MoreMonopoly Bargaining Worsens Teacher “Shortage”, Shortchanges Teachers
CEAFU members have long known that monopoly bargaining shortchanges teachers. Now teacher union officials’ very own monopoly bargaining contract rules are contributing to the so-called teacher shortage in Detroit and other Michigan school district. Mike Wilkinson has the story in Crain’s Detroit online. In Detroit, as many as 260 classroom teacher positions are unfilled in the state’s…
Read MorePA Teachers Fined for Strike Days
The Dallas, Pennsylvania district school board has voted to fine all teachers for a 7-day strike that took place in the Fall. It’s a shame if not all of those teachers did not strike, or did not wish to but were compelled to in order to keep the teacher union bosses happy. Michael P. Buffer has…
Read MoreTeacher Unions’ Charter Power Play
It may come as a surprise to some living in Massachusetts that teacher union officials there do NOT run state education department. It only seems that way. Mike Antonucci has the story in Intercepts. Members of the Haverhill Education Association in Massachusetts voted not to approve the renewal of the Silver Hill Horace Mann Charter School’s charter, even…
Read MoreJanus vs. AFT
Here’s a look at the AFT’s take for the Janus case. Filed with the Supreme Court last week, the Janus v. AFSCME could end forced dues for all teachers and other government employees. The decision will not affect government employee unions’ existence, but rather make they work for their members. Their rhetoric includes words such as “crippling blow,” “dodged a bullet,”…
Read MoreMerit Pay Re-examined
Although the issue is a bipartisan one, and many teachers would like to earn more money for their skills, monopoly bargaining in 43 states keeps teachers from reaching their top earnings potential. Check out the editorial in the Wisconsin State Journal. Then-President Barack Obama came to Wright Middle School in Madison eight years ago calling for…
Read MoreTeacher Union Power – Kansas Style
Stephen Moore, in the Weekly Standard, explains why the Kansas legislature, under the thumb of Kansas teacher union officials, is about to raise taxes to an all-time high. “If They Only Had a Brain” But the Kansas House and Senate are poised to pass the largest tax increase in the state’s history. This would be…
Read More