Posted by
Waski_the_Squirrel on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 5:19:58 PM
The labor unions (the NEA and the AFT) have a stranglehold on contract negotiations in most schools in our country. The negotiations are what is called "collective bargaining." This term should raise a red flag for every believer in the American way. "Collective" is a communist term: the group. The labor unions fight for the group, not the individual.
In some states, the union has actual held students hostage for group benefits. They do this by striking or refusing to work outside the contract day, or not writing recommendations. In some states, where union membership is forced, the union has actually punished teachers who operate outside the collective by crossing the picket line. With this power over individual members and over students, boards and parents cave in to collective demands.
North Dakota has some features of this system. However, North Dakota is a "right to work" state. I'm able to work without being forced to join the collective. Indeed, I have remained independent except for my first year when I was young and gullible. Teachers have tried to shame me into joining or scare me into joining. They shame me by saying that I get the benefits of the negotiated contract without putting anything in. They scare me by saying I have no protection from lawsuits or administrative harassment.
I respond by questioning how the collective benefits me (or, indeed, education). I have insurance both through my school and through the
American Association of Educators . I have legal rights: the same ones union members have. I have been harassed by administrators. I figure that if it's bad enough, I can just take my Physics degree, my 4 science certifications, and my math certification, and find a school that appreciates me.
They cannot shame me because I reject the entire concept of a collective contract. Should I get the same pay as the woman down the hall who cannot control her classroom? Should I get the same pay as the elementary teacher?
I won't fall into the trap of saying one of us has a harder job. I would be lost with little kids. However, I will say there have been times when I was the only candidate for the job, and every year schools go begging for science and math teachers. Elementary teachers are much easier to find. Shouldn't I be paid for bringing my skills since they are a lot less common?
What about the first grade teacher who pushes all of her students to read far above grade level? Shouldn't she be paid more? Instead, the other teachers harass her for making them look bad. What about the nice old man across the hall who takes new teachers under his wing and helps them learn to control a classroom and teach?
I could go on and on with examples of the inequity of a system that pays the collective, not the individual. The only financial rewards I get are for longevity and for education.
Tomorrow I will look at how the union has helped ruin the environment in a school at which I'm no longer employed. I will also delve a little into the quirks of North Dakota's contract negotiations process. On Friday I want to take a break and explore something good in education.