The “union”

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

VEA is a Union.

"We’re a Union of more than 40,000 teachers and school support professionals working for the betterment of public education in the Commonwealth."

https://www.veanea.org/about/who-we-are/

The VEA Union (their capitalization and their word, not mine) consists of 133 local ones.

https://www.veanea.org/associations/?_name=A

[Anonymous]

Many parents know there are lots of teachers like you out there. I am very grateful that I have 2 DCs who have 2 ES teachers who are teaching (and working all hours).

My guess is that the FEA woman gets to speak at every meeting because her politics align with those of the far-left SB, but that's just a guess. Everyone gets to talk and feel good about themselves while doing nothing. As long as they continue to do nothing, they can hate on the system and feel good about continuing to do nothing, because it's a bad system. Lovely, isn't it? Meanwhile those on the right can feel good about pulling out to private and advocating for school choice, because it's a bad system. And the silent minority of everyone else can suffer.

The only solution is for the silent majority to speak out en masse, but to whom I don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many parents know there are lots of teachers like you out there. I am very grateful that I have 2 DCs who have 2 ES teachers who are teaching (and working all hours).

My guess is that the FEA woman gets to speak at every meeting because her politics align with those of the far-left SB, but that's just a guess. Everyone gets to talk and feel good about themselves while doing nothing. As long as they continue to do nothing, they can hate on the system and feel good about continuing to do nothing, because it's a bad system. Lovely, isn't it? Meanwhile those on the right can feel good about pulling out to private and advocating for school choice, because it's a bad system. And the silent minority of everyone else can suffer.

The only solution is for the silent majority to speak out en masse, but to whom I don't know.

Agree. We have teachers in ACPS who want to go back and are angry that ACPS is allowing child care programs in the schools and in classrooms. But the teachers can't be with their kids in their classrooms. But when they speak out, they get privately bullied by the teachers who don't want to go back. It's very ugly.

[Anonymous]

Sorry to say, but many will hold this against all teachers forever. That's how representative bodies like unions work and people can't tell who supports whom. If you disagree with Adams et al, you need to make it your mission to oppose them and speak up and stand with the majority of parents.

[Anonymous]

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/

[Anonymous]

The school board and Admin all refer to the educational associations as unions because that's what they are, even more so starting in May when collective bargaining is allowed. Whether you like it or not, they purport to represent you. Please stand up to them! They are already starting on the nonsense that all kids needs to be vaccinated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The school board and Admin all refer to the educational associations as unions because that's what they are, even more so starting in May when collective bargaining is allowed. Whether you like it or not, they purport to represent you. Please stand up to them! They are already starting on the nonsense that all kids needs to be vaccinated.

That is utter BS. It makes me so angry. My kids and I are getting depressed! I can’t do this long term.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

No they don’t. Why would you say this?

[Anonymous]

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.