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.

No. You have DCUM who is watching closely, because we know FEA will be formally representing you by the end of the school year and negotiating return to school. It’s why they cover Kimberly Adams. She really scares parents looking forward to fall 2021. Thank God my last kid is graduating. I’m so sorry for parents stuck here next fall.

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.

Just look at the makeup of the school board and board of supervisors, they all campaigned on it.

Also the NOVA reps in the state house cheered it's passing last year.

FEA has NEAs backing, so they are going to elbow out the other associations.

This is why I get made when people say Kim Adams and FEA only speak for 3% of teachers, or they aren't a real union. She is going to be reping you all in collective bargaining before the end of the year. She has eyes for a national role and there is no better way to get there then press coverage and work stoppages.

Buckle up, this is just the beginning.

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!).

+1. The NEA is about money. It’s why I thankful I’m AFGE. No one is going to impact Fed salaries much, but they have done a lot to ensure promotions based on objective factors and the got us 60% telework before the pandemic.

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.

NEA backs FEA. NEA has the money and the organization and bought the school board seats. It will be NEA.

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.

The NEA is the big teachers union. The FEA is their local chapter. The NEA bought this horribly inept school board. And come May, the SB will return the favor and allow collective bargaining. At which point, teachers, who desperately wanted this last year, will vote to accept FEA to bargain on their behalf.

As a unionized professsional Fed, I’m shocked teachers are so ignorant about something that touches everything from merit pay to class size.

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.

While I know it is nearly impossible to get a speaking slot at an SB meeting if you are not a union rep (parents have experienced this repeatedly), have you written your SB reps to remind them that the teachers associations only speak for a slim number of school employees?

As of spring, they will start to legally speak for you.

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.

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

Good lord. That’s what unionization is. FEA is the NEA local and can get collective bargaining in May. At which point, the ill o ally represent your interests in things like salary negotiations. The public believes they speak for you now. In a few months, they will formally represent you in bargaining for the terms of your employment.

Teachers have pushed for years for this. It’s what you wanted. You go it.

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.

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.

Anonymous wrote:I taught for a number of years in two different school systems. I've posted something like the following before:


We did not have the "union' but a 'professional organization" that acted as a union.
They get you to join by telling you that you need the liability insurance. Scare you into thinking you can be sued.

The only people who truly benefit from the organizations are the people running them. They are frequently people who really don't want to be in the classroom. Do you really think Randi Weingarten cares about the classroom?

I doubt that Kimberly Adams is currently working in the system. Does anyone know? Don't they take off to work for the organization?

Where I taught, there had been a strike a couple of years before I started teaching there. Do you know who benefited from the strike? The leaders of the strike? They all ended up with supervisory jobs outside the classroom. Kind of ironic, isn't it? They were fired and then hired back a couple of years later as "language specialists," etc. in the central office--think Gatehouse. It was a deal that was worked out behind closed doors. Shocked the teachers who were still in the classroom. These strike leaders were "punished" when the strike ended, but ended up moving up.

In the other system where I taught, the building reps were always the worst teachers who kept telling us to "work to the contract." That meant go home everyday as soon as the contract allowed. (I think it was 20-30 minutes after the kids left.) Most of the teachers (we had a strong staff) just laughed at them and did our work.

In that same system, there was a teacher who was moved to our school on probation from another school. Nice gal, but not cut out to be a teacher. Highly nervous and could not control a classroom. The year she spent in our school was awful. Parents were asking to pull their kids out of her class. I'm not sure how helpful the principal was to her, but I do know that other teachers tried to help and she turned them down. She should have been fired outright from the other school, but, because of the union, she was given a chance to ruin a school year for another group of kids.
That said, I am sure there are principals from whom good teachers do need protection. I do know of a principal who made inappropriate advances to young teachers (a friend worked for him.) It took years to get him fired. Maybe the administrator's union protected him. Not sure. But, I don't think the teachers' union did much for my friend.

To the bolded, she's not. Which makes it especially amazing that she posted a picture of herself getting the COVID vaccine 2 days before teachers could get it.

Anonymous wrote: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.

This is true. It not like I can ask each of my teachers kids whether they support the FEA position. The role of a union is to advocate the position of a group of employees. I hear a teachers union advocate, it’s the de facto position of teachers. If you don’t like it, get rid of the union or elect someone more moderate.

I taught for a number of years in two different school systems. I've posted something like the following before:


We did not have the "union' but a 'professional organization" that acted as a union.
They get you to join by telling you that you need the liability insurance. Scare you into thinking you can be sued.

The only people who truly benefit from the organizations are the people running them. They are frequently people who really don't want to be in the classroom. Do you really think Randi Weingarten cares about the classroom?

I doubt that Kimberly Adams is currently working in the system. Does anyone know? Don't they take off to work for the organization?

Where I taught, there had been a strike a couple of years before I started teaching there. Do you know who benefited from the strike? The leaders of the strike? They all ended up with supervisory jobs outside the classroom. Kind of ironic, isn't it? They were fired and then hired back a couple of years later as "language specialists," etc. in the central office--think Gatehouse. It was a deal that was worked out behind closed doors. Shocked the teachers who were still in the classroom. These strike leaders were "punished" when the strike ended, but ended up moving up.

In the other system where I taught, the building reps were always the worst teachers who kept telling us to "work to the contract." That meant go home everyday as soon as the contract allowed. (I think it was 20-30 minutes after the kids left.) Most of the teachers (we had a strong staff) just laughed at them and did our work.

In that same system, there was a teacher who was moved to our school on probation from another school. Nice gal, but not cut out to be a teacher. Highly nervous and could not control a classroom. The year she spent in our school was awful. Parents were asking to pull their kids out of her class. I'm not sure how helpful the principal was to her, but I do know that other teachers tried to help and she turned them down. She should have been fired outright from the other school, but, because of the union, she was given a chance to ruin a school year for another group of kids.
That said, I am sure there are principals from whom good teachers do need protection. I do know of a principal who made inappropriate advances to young teachers (a friend worked for him.) It took years to get him fired. Maybe the administrator's union protected him. Not sure. But, I don't think the teachers' union did much for my friend.

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!).

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.

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.