Hi Wayne. Good to hear from you. I don’t think the unions have “destroyed the education system,” but I do think they resist reforms and other common sense measures that might improve outcomes. And they protect bad teachers but that’s what all unions do. Hope all is well down south. -TC
For the record, the school where I teach was open by late August of 2020, and teachers were in their classrooms every day (like many others in Connecticut, a blue state). The local teachers' union did not protest. I think we must be careful in painting teachers and unions in Connecticut with the same broad brush as we paint teachers and unions in other states. To be honest, I've never been a big union guy, but I also understand the need for unions in education. As for Connecticut, the CEA has much less influence than many naysayers claim. Not to mention, teachers in Connecticut cannot strike; it's against the law due to the arbitration process in place. So, I would just say beware "hasty generalizations" when discussing "teachers in America."
Thanks for the comment Barth. I'm glad HK opened for the fall of 2020. But the reporting indicates a strong correlation between blue states with strong teacher unions and later reopenings. Teachers in Mass are also forbidden from striking but sometimes do anyway. Teachers in NYS may strike but expose themselves to per-day fines if they do because of the Taylor Law (those are the two other states I'm familiar with and neither has binding arbitration). There are exceptions, but in general, I think it's fair to say that the bluer the state, the stronger the public-sector unions, mostly because Democratic lawmakers and governors are friendlier to labor -- the notable exception being hypocritical Republicans who hate unions but make an exception for police and fire (two important GOP constituencies). Disclosure: my wife was a public school teacher in NYS for 30 years and a longtime member of NYSUT.
Teachers unions are way too strong and destroyed our Education system. Higher salaries, less working hours, poor test results and unbeatable retirement programs.
Hi Wayne. Good to hear from you. I don’t think the unions have “destroyed the education system,” but I do think they resist reforms and other common sense measures that might improve outcomes. And they protect bad teachers but that’s what all unions do. Hope all is well down south. -TC
For the record, the school where I teach was open by late August of 2020, and teachers were in their classrooms every day (like many others in Connecticut, a blue state). The local teachers' union did not protest. I think we must be careful in painting teachers and unions in Connecticut with the same broad brush as we paint teachers and unions in other states. To be honest, I've never been a big union guy, but I also understand the need for unions in education. As for Connecticut, the CEA has much less influence than many naysayers claim. Not to mention, teachers in Connecticut cannot strike; it's against the law due to the arbitration process in place. So, I would just say beware "hasty generalizations" when discussing "teachers in America."
Thanks for the comment Barth. I'm glad HK opened for the fall of 2020. But the reporting indicates a strong correlation between blue states with strong teacher unions and later reopenings. Teachers in Mass are also forbidden from striking but sometimes do anyway. Teachers in NYS may strike but expose themselves to per-day fines if they do because of the Taylor Law (those are the two other states I'm familiar with and neither has binding arbitration). There are exceptions, but in general, I think it's fair to say that the bluer the state, the stronger the public-sector unions, mostly because Democratic lawmakers and governors are friendlier to labor -- the notable exception being hypocritical Republicans who hate unions but make an exception for police and fire (two important GOP constituencies). Disclosure: my wife was a public school teacher in NYS for 30 years and a longtime member of NYSUT.
Teachers unions are way too strong and destroyed our Education system. Higher salaries, less working hours, poor test results and unbeatable retirement programs.