Why aren't we using this opportunity to abolish all teachers' unions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The right would love to abolish unions. That way they can force individual workers to negotiate for decent way and safe working conditions. Barely anyone is willing to teach now. By the time the union-busters are done, public education will be via Zoom with private prison convict labor.

I’m a lifelong Democrat and think teachers’ unions have gotten 100% out of control.

+1. I’m a lifelong Dem unionized Fedand I agree. We could never, ever, ever have gotten away with the behavior teachers have displayed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of states with strong unions (NY, MA, CT) that are open for school. Unions are good for the middle class and states without unions have bad public schools.

Yes, yes, yes.

As a parent, I very much support strong teacher unions. I’m from an area with top schools and the teachers play a big part in that. Teachers having a voice is better for everyone.

VA is full of people who don’t value schools (when it comes to taxes & spending) and entitled “freedom” types who like to sh1t on others, like the OP.

+1. One of the reasons we moved here is because teachers are paid somewhat more and treated somewhat better than in other places. I’m originally from one of the right to work states without teachers unions...and our schools sucked so bad. I had whole years where I learned nothing and had to correct the teacher’s work (including in things like 4th grade math). The more power teachers have, the better teachers they will attract and the better the schools. Studies back this up.
Anyone blaming the mcps caution on the unions has no understanding of the limitations on public employee unions under Maryland labor law. MCEA can’t block McPs from opening. They are just a convenient scape goat. But mcps knows that they are screwed if individual teachers don’t feel safe working.
By the way, it’s not just schools having this problem. I was talking to a friend in a regular private employer that is mostly back in office and trying to fill a professional position. No one will take it. They’ve made 4 offers and everyone is turning them down in favor of a remote position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No public union should exist. The reasons for a private sector union don’t extend to the public sector.

Unionized Fed attorney here, and it can be a good thing. The union can’t negotiate salary. We can’t strike. Job actions and sick outs are off limits and, they aren’t the reason we have civil service protections. But they can negotiate on working conditions, which is huge. Pre-pandemic, they got us 60% telework. They negotiated a better flex band. We got more flexibility on accumulating and using credit hours. So, it’s very worth it. But, because we are feds an impasse could have been declared and our agency could have imposed terms.

I agree that in government full unionization is a bad idea. It undermines the idea of what government it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone please explain why we aren't taking this opportunity while teachers in multiple cities are threatening to strike and kids all over the country are basically learning nothing (unless they're learning independently or from their parents) to fire ALL of the teachers and hire the good ones back WITHOUT unions?

It seems like a great opportunity to overhaul public education in this country. We could then pay good teachers more (which is something that I know Michelle Rhee tried to do in DC many years ago, but the teachers union rejected it and refused to let their members even vote on it) which would increase the quality of teachers we get, and we could get rid of the crappy teachers for good.

It seems like a great opportunity to me.

Who is "we?" What gave you the mistaken impression that you have any power or authority over teachers, administrators, school districts or unions? Were you empowered by signing or circulating yet another meaningless online petition?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do they need unions? Because they have such crappy working conditions and pay. Fix that and maybe they won't need them.

Teachers have bad working conditions and pay? That’s a laugh. Maybe in some states, but in many other states they can earn tenure and get a nice 6-figure salary and pension.

You are dreaming. What is a “good” pension? At most they are getting $25K/yr. that is below poverty rate.

Plus social security? Sounds pretty good to me. My teacher friends from college all made more than I did straight out of school (I made about $35k in a city, they were making $50k-60k with much better benefits). By grinding and working many many more hours, I make more than they do now, but they’re still doing better than a lot of college educated women we went to school with.

Really? What did they major in? A Mrs? Except for social workers and non-profit employees, nobody with a 4 yr degree makes less than teachers.

[Anonymous]

If teacher's unions had their way, you would have smaller class sizes, more personal attention for your students, less emphasis on teaching to the test, and less overworked and stressed out teachers.

This entire forum has turned into a mouthpiece for anti-union groups to troll by constantly posting this nonsense as though it is coming from real NoVa parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do they need unions? Because they have such crappy working conditions and pay. Fix that and maybe they won't need them.

Teachers have bad working conditions and pay? That’s a laugh. Maybe in some states, but in many other states they can earn tenure and get a nice 6-figure salary and pension.

Maybe in some states? Would that be non-union states?

Tenure and 6-figure salaries? Would that be in union states?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If teacher's unions had their way, you would have smaller class sizes, more personal attention for your students, less emphasis on teaching to the test, and less overworked and stressed out teachers.

This entire forum has turned into a mouthpiece for anti-union groups to troll by constantly posting this nonsense as though it is coming from real NoVa parents.

Actually, this thread seems to be pretty supportive of teacher unions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone please explain why we aren't taking this opportunity while teachers in multiple cities are threatening to strike and kids all over the country are basically learning nothing (unless they're learning independently or from their parents) to fire ALL of the teachers and hire the good ones back WITHOUT unions?

It seems like a great opportunity to overhaul public education in this country. We could then pay good teachers more (which is something that I know Michelle Rhee tried to do in DC many years ago, but the teachers union rejected it and refused to let their members even vote on it) which would increase the quality of teachers we get, and we could get rid of the crappy teachers for good.

It seems like a great opportunity to me.

Ha ha.

Abolishing teachers’ unions is a conservative wet dream. And I say dream, because Betsy DeVos is gone and the rest of the country now knows exactly what Republican billionaires are up to.

Ps abolishing police unions is way more likely than teacher unions. Military doesn’t unionize. Police shouldn’t either.

[Anonymous]

Amen!!!! How do we do this????

The students need the union -! Not the teachers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone please explain why we aren't taking this opportunity while teachers in multiple cities are threatening to strike and kids all over the country are basically learning nothing (unless they're learning independently or from their parents) to fire ALL of the teachers and hire the good ones back WITHOUT unions?

It seems like a great opportunity to overhaul public education in this country. We could then pay good teachers more (which is something that I know Michelle Rhee tried to do in DC many years ago, but the teachers union rejected it and refused to let their members even vote on it) which would increase the quality of teachers we get, and we could get rid of the crappy teachers for good.

It seems like a great opportunity to me.

Ha ha.

Abolishing teachers’ unions is a conservative wet dream. And I say dream, because Betsy DeVos is gone and the rest of the country now knows exactly what Republican billionaires are up to.

Ps abolishing police unions is way more likely than teacher unions. Military doesn’t unionize. Police shouldn’t either.

I agree with abolishing ALL public employee unions. Police and teacher unions must go. I don't want to go into the lengthy legal reasons but there is a conflict of interest.

But how do we get rid of react unions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If teacher's unions had their way, you would have smaller class sizes, more personal attention for your students, less emphasis on teaching to the test, and less overworked and stressed out teachers.

This entire forum has turned into a mouthpiece for anti-union groups to troll by constantly posting this nonsense as though it is coming from real NoVa parents.

Exactly. Influential teacher unions are good for everyone. They have power to shape education policy for the better.

Look at the states with strong unions. They have the strongest school systems.

[Anonymous]

There's this law called the National Labor Relations Act, for one thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone please explain why we aren't taking this opportunity while teachers in multiple cities are threatening to strike and kids all over the country are basically learning nothing (unless they're learning independently or from their parents) to fire ALL of the teachers and hire the good ones back WITHOUT unions?

It seems like a great opportunity to overhaul public education in this country. We could then pay good teachers more (which is something that I know Michelle Rhee tried to do in DC many years ago, but the teachers union rejected it and refused to let their members even vote on it) which would increase the quality of teachers we get, and we could get rid of the crappy teachers for good.

It seems like a great opportunity to me.

Correction.
Kids who pay attention to the class and actually do the work are learning.
I just gave a math assessment to my students and all the kids who engage in class were all on grade level.
The ones I don’t hear a peep from and don’t do their work were behind

Parents, if you want to make sure your kids are learning, frequently check their grades on ParentVUE to see if they’re turning in assignments.
It’s not that hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do they need unions? Because they have such crappy working conditions and pay. Fix that and maybe they won't need them.

+10000
The general public has NO CLUE what a sh***y job teaching actually is.