Reply to Public sector unions and their political influence

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My personal opinion is that the police union exists to fight for the interests of its members (i.e. cops), not the interests of the people served by the sector (i.e. everyday citizens). The same is true of the WTU, which flights for the interests of its members (i.e. teachers) and not the people served by the sector (i.e. students). This was clearest during the absurd and seriously damaging school closures. And the WTU's political muscle is formidable. There's another thread highlighting the money flowing into local races through DFER and others, which raises good points. But what can parents who oppose the WTU's policies do to influence this election?[/quote]

Only hole in your logic is police don't serve citizens. The police are not legally obligated to help you if you're in danger..... [/quote]

er....not sure you want to make this analogy, given last year.[/quote]

That's not an analogy, it's a legal fact and there have been several court cases that reinforces this....[/quote]

Pretty sure PP was suggesting that teachers didn't seem to be legally obligated to teach last year.[/quote]

I think the relevant point is: as a citizen, we generally don’t have an individual right to any specific thing from public services like the police and schools. There are some exceptions, like special education, but even there, citizens cannot dictate exactly what their child gets. Instead, we have a broader right to be able to influence public services through the political process - talking to our representatives, elections, etc. Public sector unions with a right to bargain and make political endorsements  put a huge barrier to our ability to influence public services through politics[/quote]

So teachers shouldn't have the right to organize for their working conditions?

It's a 3-way negotiation here.  You can't ignore teachers.  And why would you want to anyway?  Teacher-run environments are the best.  Do you remember early charter school days when there were more charters that were focused on freeing schools from bureaucracy (not the corporate charters most have become now).[/quote]

Teachers shouldn’t have the right to hold public services hostage as a bargaining tactic, no. Just like the power company can’t cut off power as a labor tactic. Most charters don’t have unions - and that’s one of the elements of their success. [/quote]

When you have teachers at the brink of desperation, as DCPSs are right now, and a Mayor who openly hates them, you can expect fireworks. I don't want to strike, but were in year 3 without a contract and she is withholding back pay and appropriate raises so at some point push comes to shove.

I'm not sure how you measure charter "success" but would love for you to elaborate on that[/quote]

Pretty sure the mayor hates the UNION, not "teachers".  [/quote]

That doesn’t get me any closer to a contract. [/quote]

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