Friday, October 8, 2010

The Union Scapegoat

When I was in third grade, one of my favorite songs to sing during music was Merle Travis’s 1940’s “Sixteen Tons”. 

You load sixteen tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
Saint Peter, don't you call me, 'cause I can't go;
I owe my soul to the company store.

The suffering of these coal miners under the oppression of debt bondage would not be relieved until the formation of unions.  Throughout history, the organization of labor has improved worker health, safety, and equity.  As I sit here on a Friday at the end of a long homecoming week at school, I am also reminded of the bumper sticker that reads “Unions: the folks that brought you the weekend”.

While the weekend may still be popular, unions are under attack, and no union is under attack more at this time than teacher unions.  The majority of the shortfalls of American education are being placed squarely on teacher unions and the misconception that these unions are blocking reform and keeping incompetent teachers from being fired.

Unions are not the villains.  There is a reason that teacher unions exist.  There are innumerable examples of renegade administrators firing teachers and making unfair demands. Even teachers who flock to charter schools and away from the prevailing public education model are finding a need to unionize to combat unfair labor practices.  In fact, there are cases of charter school teachers being fired for organizing.

I have a love-hate relationship with my union.  I once taught an AP Physics section during a prep period and received additional pay.  The union put a stop to it because it threatened prep time.  I thought it should be my decision to make, but precedent is a slippery slope.  In another case, I was being threatened by an administrator with false parent complaints.  There were really no concerns and the administrator was clearly trying to exercise manipulation and control over me.  All I had to do was start the grievance process with my union and the administrator backed off.  Though I am not an involved member, I have never taken my union for granted after that incident.

The largest fallacy about teacher unions is that of tenure.  Unions protect their members, that is their function, but administrators do the hiring.  There is no system in the country where teachers are automatically tenured.  There is a probationary period of one or two years, and if administrators were doing their jobs, weak teachers could easily be identified and moved on or supported with appropriate professional development. This is a managerial issue, not a union issue.

The strength of unions is not in keeping bad teachers in, it is in keeping bad administrators from recklessly wielding their power.  I have never heard of a union doing anything other than protecting its members in their health, safety, and equity.  We might not load sixteen tons of coal and break our backs and owe our souls to the company store, but we teachers do have a unique set of demands on us, and I don’t mind having a union that has got my back.

In the end, it is obvious teacher unions aren't doing that great of a job - I can’t even afford to buy a house within the district where I teach! Enjoy your union created weekend and don’t forget to reclaim public education!

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