The “union”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am teacher and I am so confused about this collective that I am supposed to be a part of. Is it a union or not? What makes an association a true union?
Right now all I know is that some woman I don’t know and who seems a bit ”batscheize” gets to speak “for teachers” at SB meetings. Why does she get to speak? Because nowhere on her Christmas list of demands are the things I would ask for - smaller class sizes, real textbooks, better working conditions (cleaner, ventilated), and unfrozen step increases.

I have a strong feeling this FEA lady gets to speak because she DOES ask for stupid, unreasonable stuff no one wants and she gives Braband an easy target. I don’t know.

I’d like to go back to school and teach. What is the hold up? The concurrent equipment they need so they can accommodate everyone and make everyone equally detest school? The “required distancing” we know they can’t do because, c’mon, my school is overflowing. The vaccines that are stalled?

Apparently, WaPo and the community seem to think teachers are on some sort of “strike” - a strike of LOAs and ADAs. Well, why did leadership grant so many of them if this was going to be such a problem?

Yeah, so I will just go back to teaching through the computer while you all figure this out. I am doing the best I can.

OP, we worked at the state level and locally for smaller class sizes and real textbooks and better ventilation and it was the teacher's unions and the current school board that fought against these or at least wouldn't support them in full. And the republicans wouldn't support extra money although agreed in principle. They wanted other things cut first. Each side likes to use these things as tools/weapons to get their pet projects approved.

Why would “the union” work against you? Who are these people and why do they get to represent “teachers?” What gives them that authority?
We absolutely need smaller class sizes. That would be issue number one on my wish list.

Lol. That would require the union to actually care about instruction. They only care about making it hard to fire bad teachers (I mean, seriously, why is tenure a thing for school age teachers!); obtaining as many “training days” as possible (because you know, teachers are hourly workers - NOT); ensuring high pay (yes they are very well paid here); and generous benefits (hello: pension!).

I say this as someone who is not a member of a union...
1. No tenure in VA. You are on "continuing contract" after three years, but you can be placed on evaluation at any point. Otherwise you do a formal evaluation process every three years.
2. Teachers pretty universally hate these "training days." They are never actually relevant to our jobs.
3. Ha. Our pay keeps getting frozen and health care costs just go up.
4. This generous pension you speak of is no longer in existence for new-ish hires to FCPS. It is now a defined benefit plan like most employers have these days.

Yep. It sucks. We have no real union, and yet we get shit on for what we don’t have. I think i may move to another county.

Or, you could stay here until May when the start collective bargaining on your behalf.

Is that really going to happen? I am just really disillusioned. I feel like I really sold myself short working here, and that is not a good feeling. Plus, I can never get in touch with HR. I guess they are busy processing all those LOAs and ADAs because they haven’t managed to cancel the life insurance policy I asked them to stop FOUR DIFFERENT TIMES SINCE LAST FEBRUARY and for which I now pay 50 bucks a month for. I hate them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are not unions in Virginia as it is a Right to Work state. In other areas of the country, the teachers unions negotiate the contract for teachers in that jurisdiction. In FCPS, the County dictates the contract and each teacher signs a contract with the county. In FCPS, benefits like pensions and healthcare are also provided through the county and state and not the union.

The "unions" act as associations in Virginia, but they have no real say in the contract and benefits the county offers the teachers.

You are confusing a "union", which is an organization of workers dedicated to advancing workers' interests, with an "exclusive bargaining entity", which is a legal status a union assumes when an employer choses to or is compelled to bargain with them.

In VA, for now, teachers' unions are not exclusive bargaining entities (laws will be changing in May but it won't be automatic). They are still capable of exerting considerable influence, however. They collect dues, provide benefits to members, donate to campaigns, make endorsements, organize their members to turn out to vote, and if managed well can have a lot of clout in local politics.

It's strange to me. There's a group out there that calls itself a union, that is clearly mobilizing its members against a policy and claiming to speak for them. Yet some people get all bent out of shape when anyone tries to blame the union for the inability to implement a policy that they vocally, actively oppose.

They have VERY little power compared to actual teacher unions in other states. It's funny to hear people complain about teacher "unions" here because they clearly have no experience with real teacher unions.

For the 1000th time. They will be a fully fledged Union in May.

Collective bargaining, backing from NEA national, etc.

Kim Adams speaks for the teachers of Fairfax County.

Why is that? No one elected her besides her own little cabal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree it is shocking to see so many teachers not realize that we are 4 months way from Kim Adams / FEA being sanctioned to speak on their behalf.

I to am a union member (ALPA) and have been very active within the union only to bring a moderate voice to leadership (I hate the work). But if membership is not willing to fight to have the groups voice properly heard then you only get the radicals speaking on your behalf.

So again, you can say FEA / Kim Adams is some sort of crazy who does not represent you. But unless you get involved you are at her will.

Then why is she speaking for me now? I am thinking I would rather unionize so I can get fair representation. THIS is not fair representation and it is the SB and leadership who have allowed her to speak with an authority she does not have.

Seriously, it’s like they decided to give us the crap lawyer so we never win anything significant. She is the bozo they appointed to represent us because she is a bozo.

Okay, I don’t actually mean to hate on this human being so much in such a schoolyard bully kind of way, but she is really pissing me off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am teacher and I am so confused about this collective that I am supposed to be a part of. Is it a union or not? What makes an association a true union?
Right now all I know is that some woman I don’t know and who seems a bit ”batscheize” gets to speak “for teachers” at SB meetings. Why does she get to speak? Because nowhere on her Christmas list of demands are the things I would ask for - smaller class sizes, real textbooks, better working conditions (cleaner, ventilated), and unfrozen step increases.

I have a strong feeling this FEA lady gets to speak because she DOES ask for stupid, unreasonable stuff no one wants and she gives Braband an easy target. I don’t know.

I’d like to go back to school and teach. What is the hold up? The concurrent equipment they need so they can accommodate everyone and make everyone equally detest school? The “required distancing” we know they can’t do because, c’mon, my school is overflowing. The vaccines that are stalled?

Apparently, WaPo and the community seem to think teachers are on some sort of “strike” - a strike of LOAs and ADAs. Well, why did leadership grant so many of them if this was going to be such a problem?

Yeah, so I will just go back to teaching through the computer while you all figure this out. I am doing the best I can.

OP, we worked at the state level and locally for smaller class sizes and real textbooks and better ventilation and it was the teacher's unions and the current school board that fought against these or at least wouldn't support them in full. And the republicans wouldn't support extra money although agreed in principle. They wanted other things cut first. Each side likes to use these things as tools/weapons to get their pet projects approved.

Why would “the union” work against you? Who are these people and why do they get to represent “teachers?” What gives them that authority?
We absolutely need smaller class sizes. That would be issue number one on my wish list.

Lol. That would require the union to actually care about instruction. They only care about making it hard to fire bad teachers (I mean, seriously, why is tenure a thing for school age teachers!); obtaining as many “training days” as possible (because you know, teachers are hourly workers - NOT); ensuring high pay (yes they are very well paid here); and generous benefits (hello: pension!).

I say this as someone who is not a member of a union...
1. No tenure in VA. You are on "continuing contract" after three years, but you can be placed on evaluation at any point. Otherwise you do a formal evaluation process every three years.
2. Teachers pretty universally hate these "training days." They are never actually relevant to our jobs.
3. Ha. Our pay keeps getting frozen and health care costs just go up.
4. This generous pension you speak of is no longer in existence for new-ish hires to FCPS. It is now a defined benefit plan like most employers have these days.

You mean it is now a defined contribution plan (like a 401k) and NOT a defined benefit plan (a pension.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Remember that FEA and AFT are only advocating for teachers. They don't advocate for students. Seems as if the students are the ones without a voice.....

So, parents - BE VOCAL!!! Do not let these unions run the school system. They don't care about your kids.

Shut up, you rabble rouser. This is not the way to discuss things. Go find a soapbox and screech on it. You just make everything worse.

It’s how teachers killed hybrid. It’s what works.

Yep, that is what you believe because your tiny little brain is incapable of processing a cause effect chain that doesn’t have a cartoon character villain. It is called scapegoating. They did it to the Jews before WWII.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree it is shocking to see so many teachers not realize that we are 4 months way from Kim Adams / FEA being sanctioned to speak on their behalf.

I to am a union member (ALPA) and have been very active within the union only to bring a moderate voice to leadership (I hate the work). But if membership is not willing to fight to have the groups voice properly heard then you only get the radicals speaking on your behalf.

So again, you can say FEA / Kim Adams is some sort of crazy who does not represent you. But unless you get involved you are at her will.

Then why is she speaking for me now? I am thinking I would rather unionize so I can get fair representation. THIS is not fair representation and it is the SB and leadership who have allowed her to speak with an authority she does not have.

Seriously, it’s like they decided to give us the crap lawyer so we never win anything significant. She is the bozo they appointed to represent us because she is a bozo.

Okay, I don’t actually mean to hate on this human being so much in such a schoolyard bully kind of way, but she is really pissing me off.

Collective bargaining will begin to be phased in in May.

Passing the school board is a done deal.

Teachers will then get to vote on what association will assume collective bargaining for the group.

FEA is backed by NEA, now the assumption is that they will be the association that is voted in. However I like so many others would LOVE to see the teachers prevent that from happening.

However that takes coordination and organization. Hopefully some people step up and take the lead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh, also, if you DO want to be in person, there are some bills you can support at the state level. These are all in various phases in the VA state senate right now.

Delegate/Senator lookup to find out which senator to email: https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/
State senate bill 1303, next on the Education Committee docket on Thursday: https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?211+sum+SB1303
Chap Petersen's Budget Amendment (145#3s to SB1100): https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/amendment/2021/1/SB1100/Introduced/MR/145/3s/

Is that the the “Go to school or you don’t get funding” kind of legislation? That never works out well for teachers and students IMO, so no thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, also, if you DO want to be in person, there are some bills you can support at the state level. These are all in various phases in the VA state senate right now.

Delegate/Senator lookup to find out which senator to email: https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/
State senate bill 1303, next on the Education Committee docket on Thursday: https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?211+sum+SB1303
Chap Petersen's Budget Amendment (145#3s to SB1100): https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/amendment/2021/1/SB1100/Introduced/MR/145/3s/

Is that the the “Go to school or you don’t get funding” kind of legislation? That never works out well for teachers and students IMO, so no thanks.

I mean, yes, I want to go to school but I just don’t think those kind of “or else” laws are helpful. They just make things worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree it is shocking to see so many teachers not realize that we are 4 months way from Kim Adams / FEA being sanctioned to speak on their behalf.

I to am a union member (ALPA) and have been very active within the union only to bring a moderate voice to leadership (I hate the work). But if membership is not willing to fight to have the groups voice properly heard then you only get the radicals speaking on your behalf.

So again, you can say FEA / Kim Adams is some sort of crazy who does not represent you. But unless you get involved you are at her will.

Then why is she speaking for me now? I am thinking I would rather unionize so I can get fair representation. THIS is not fair representation and it is the SB and leadership who have allowed her to speak with an authority she does not have.

Seriously, it’s like they decided to give us the crap lawyer so we never win anything significant. She is the bozo they appointed to represent us because she is a bozo.

Okay, I don’t actually mean to hate on this human being so much in such a schoolyard bully kind of way, but she is really pissing me off.

Collective bargaining will begin to be phased in in May.

Passing the school board is a done deal.

Teachers will then get to vote on what association will assume collective bargaining for the group.

FEA is backed by NEA, now the assumption is that they will be the association that is voted in. However I like so many others would LOVE to see the teachers prevent that from happening.

However that takes coordination and organization. Hopefully some people step up and take the lead.

Is Kim Adams part and parcel of voting for the FEA? If so, yeah, I won’t go there. Well, her opposition should point out she got the vaccine before teachers when she wasn’t a teacher, and then made a stupid ass demand that nobody wanted made in the first place. Kid’s vaccines. Please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are not unions in Virginia as it is a Right to Work state. In other areas of the country, the teachers unions negotiate the contract for teachers in that jurisdiction. In FCPS, the County dictates the contract and each teacher signs a contract with the county. In FCPS, benefits like pensions and healthcare are also provided through the county and state and not the union.

The "unions" act as associations in Virginia, but they have no real say in the contract and benefits the county offers the teachers.

Catch up. The legislature voted to allow teachers to unionize and have collective bargaining starting this spring.

They voted to allow it - that doesn't mean it is happening. It almost certainly will, but as of right now nothing has changed. The teachers need to select a union, for one thing, and then that union has to be certified to represent them. I'm not even sure any step in that process has happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, also, if you DO want to be in person, there are some bills you can support at the state level. These are all in various phases in the VA state senate right now.

Delegate/Senator lookup to find out which senator to email: https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/
State senate bill 1303, next on the Education Committee docket on Thursday: https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?211+sum+SB1303
Chap Petersen's Budget Amendment (145#3s to SB1100): https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/amendment/2021/1/SB1100/Introduced/MR/145/3s/

Is that the the “Go to school or you don’t get funding” kind of legislation? That never works out well for teachers and students IMO, so no thanks.

Only the budget amendment is. I don't think SB1303 has any teeth, actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's so frustrating, because there are no real unions allowed in VA. They have to call themselves associations even if they are unions in other states, because they are not allowed to bargain for teachers.

However, that doesn't stop them from trying to represent teachers - teachers who mostly aren't interested in them. So it's frustrating when, as a teacher, you see that FEA or one of the other three associations are getting air time at school board meetings when actual teachers have no significant voice or participation in those groups.

It's also frustrating that the school board members don't even seem to realize that those groups do not speak for us. They don't even have the legal right to speak for us.

And then to add to it, you get these dcum trolls with their union bashing insisting that everything bad that happens is because of some union, but they don't even know that there are several associations and that most teachers don't belong to any of them.

THIS. 1000 x this. This lady should not have a platform at all. I feel like I have no voice and at the same time someone who is claiming to speak for me is not saying anything that I want to say. I feel so powerless.

Exactly! I tried to tell a school board member once that these people do NOT speak for teachers. I mean, how could they? They don't speak to teachers themselves. or ask what we think or anything. But the SB for some reason believes it can't possibly communicate with actual teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are not unions in Virginia as it is a Right to Work state. In other areas of the country, the teachers unions negotiate the contract for teachers in that jurisdiction. In FCPS, the County dictates the contract and each teacher signs a contract with the county. In FCPS, benefits like pensions and healthcare are also provided through the county and state and not the union.

The "unions" act as associations in Virginia, but they have no real say in the contract and benefits the county offers the teachers.

Catch up. The legislature voted to allow teachers to unionize and have collective bargaining starting this spring.

They voted to allow it - that doesn't mean it is happening. It almost certainly will, but as of right now nothing has changed. The teachers need to select a union, for one thing, and then that union has to be certified to represent them. I'm not even sure any step in that process has happened.

Correct. I’ve mentioned this too. The unions are jockeying, but no other steps have happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The difference between a union and a professional association is that a union has formal bargaining rights, meaning that they have a formalized relationship with the employer whereby they are allowed to negotiate terms of employment (e.g., pay, benefits, working conditions) on behalf of employees.

And in the state of Virginia, public sector collective bargaining rights will go into affect this spring.

NEA has a TON of money backing FEA.

So if you are a teacher in Fairfax then they are your union and they speak for you.

What about APFE and FCFT?

Collective bargaining doesn’t take effect automatically.

The Fairfax County BOS has pretty clearly signaled that they are going to approve it and VEA has stated that asking for it is their biggest priority this year.

I don't know about the surrounding districts in VA because I don't live there and haven't looked, but it's a virtual lock for Fairfax Co.

It’s the school board, not the county BOS that would approve it for school employees. That’s just one step in the process. There also has to be a vote by employees and they could choose either the NEA, AFT locals or choose to have no union. It takes a while.

The crazy thing is, this forum has convinced me I would be better off being part of one. I am already being being castigated for being part of “evil teacher unions” so why the hell not? Maybe I will then make what I am worth. I am regretting turning down a higher salary at a private school for the so called benefits of this public school system where my salary seems to be decreasing. Plus, then I could actually ELECT the person who got to speak at board meetings and wouldn’t have some loon get to claim she represents me.

I say go for it! Look at what the union did in WV a few years ago and they are a Right To Work state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Remember that FEA and AFT are only advocating for teachers. They don't advocate for students. Seems as if the students are the ones without a voice.....

So, parents - BE VOCAL!!! Do not let these unions run the school system. They don't care about your kids.

Shut up, you rabble rouser. This is not the way to discuss things. Go find a soapbox and screech on it. You just make everything worse.

It’s how teachers killed hybrid. It’s what works.

Yep, that is what you believe because your tiny little brain is incapable of processing a cause effect chain that doesn’t have a cartoon character villain. It is called scapegoating. They did it to the Jews before WWII.

Yes. It’s exactly like that. Everyone who disagrees with you is a nazi.