On the need for unions and seniority

Kelly Amis:

"I'm pro-union (for jobs in which people are nearly powerless and easily replaced, like farm or factory workers, I'm just not sure it is helping teaching as a profession)." Regarding unions, I think it's not only a matter of skill and replaceability, but also power imbalances. Teachers I know and hear from in non-unionized states describe the arbitrary and punitive use of power to silence troublemakers and embolden poor, unethical, even illegal practices in administration and school governance. There's also considerable political pressure and involvement in education that necessitates the strength in numbers that comes with unions. Think of the science teachers who dare to teach about evolution as a fact, health teachers who mention birth-control, LGBTQ teachers harrassed or silenced, or teachers who dare to suggest that a student with two moms comes from a family every bit as normal as others, journalism teachers pressured to restrict their students' First Amendment rights, librarians who allow students to check out controversial books, English teachers who use controversial books or creative writing assignments, social studies teachers who teach students about the Islamic Golden Age... Think about the teachers who give the starting point guard an F that will remove him from the playoffs, teachers who bust the school board member's child for plagiarism, teachers who say something unpopular in the public sphere, signing anti-war petitions or letters to the editor, etc.

These are not hypothetical issues - they happen all the time. Daily. A vinidictive (or intimidated) administrator has so much power over a teacher - even with union support. A principal can ruin a teacher's year, ruin a career, run their their health and morale into the ground. Removing the union actually makes it harder for most of us to do good work in difficult circumstances, harder to speak up on behalf of students and families. I think the overall educational outcomes in union vs. non-union states and countries undercut your suggestion that unions do not help education. True, I've also heard stories about local associations and union reps who are bad for schools and kids. It happens. But I don't see those exceptions as an argument against unions - it's an argument for better governance, management, and ethical decision-making by those individuals.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at May 7, 2013 12:21 AM
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