Gary Beckner op-ed on Union Battle |
posted by: Alix | February 24, 2011, 04:24 PM |
AAE Executive Director Gary Beckner op-ed as featured on the Washington Times website: There's no doubt that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and his proposals have initiated a long-overdue dialogue about state budget crises and the role public-sector unions play. The upheaval in Wisconsin appears to be the beginning of a domino effect for about a half-dozen states looking to rein in spending and give public school teachers a greater choice about whether or not to join a union. Comment below. Comments (5)
Teacher
written by Kris in Wisconsin, May 14, 2011
My union sees the larger picture. Without a group of us working together, there will be more and more cuts to education, incrementally wearing down the strength of Wisconsin schools. They were right to concentrate on the significant battle. Unionized schools do better then non-unionized schools according to Harvard research. You raise the issue of fairness: is it fair, too, for teachers to enjoy the benefits of union negotiations and not pay for the cost of those negotiators?
Unions do support educators
written by Jason Wisconsin, May 13, 2011
The AAE is simply spreading the same pile of garbage that Governor Walker is using here in WI. Unions are not a bunch of thugs. They are dedicated to improving education by giving educators a voice in the process. Who has a better understanding of what is best for kids, educators working with kids daily, or board members, community activists, and administrators who may not have been in a classroom with kids for years? The Union improves education by giving educators collective strength to make their voice heard. Studies show that quality education correlates with strong unions. Let's call it like it is...the AAE is doing precisely what it accuses WEAC of...taking advantage of a situation and siding with a radical Governor to try and capitalize by stealing members away from the union to pay AAE dues and help themselves. Go Unions!
my wife's a union teacher
written by chris, cleveland, oh, February 26, 2011
i love the fact my wife has a good job she loves and makes a good living wage as a teacher in a struggling school system, but hate the fact that her union doesn't really show the care for her and other teachers that a union really should. i am not totally anti-union, but agree there is much more benefits in the right to work states then there is in the forced unionism states. i fully support the senate bill here in ohio to restrict collective bargaining and bring in merit pay because the good teachers, like her, deserve they pay they receive, but we all need to realize that forced unionism is wrong. i thought that the liberal mindset was pro-choice? is forced unionism pro-choice? doesn't really sound like it is and especiallly when it comes to their own pocketbooks! i'm not sure if you have an affiliate in ohio, but it would certainly be something i'd readily support to have and i hope she would too!
teacher written by Ronnie, Arkansas, February 25, 2011
I am from the right to work state of Arkansas and chose to join a state affiliate of AAE many years ago. I have seen over the years that school boards and administrators are more than willing to sit down and discuss issues with teachers who care about helping education not some heavy weight union rep who gets paid the big bucks to try to protect the status quo at all costs. School districts want innovative ideas and solutions to their problems which many times requires compromises for everyone. I feel that good ideas and solutions come from teaching professionals and not from unions. It is my hope that all teachers can one day decide not to join a union if they so choose and will be able to speak for themselves instead of be forced to pay a union to speak for them even though the teacher may not agree with the union.
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Kris, you assume that all believe the union-negotiated contract provides "benefits" to all. Is it possible there are teachers, particularly those with advanced degrees or who are newer to they system who actually lose more via the negotiated contract than their colleagues? I believe in fairness and it is only fair that those who want to pay for the union be free to do so, and those who don't be free not to. The union is less responsive to membership if they're guaranteed to be paid by all teachers, whether they're supportive or not.
Jason, you make a number of allegations regarding AAE support for Governor Walker. How is AAE "stealing" members away from the union? AAE is a voluntary organization that teachers like myself can join or leave at our leisure. Your union forces teachers to pay, whether they want to support the union or not. That is un-American. And you assume the union, because it is made up of teachers, is the voice of the teachers and advocates on behalf of the students. Does it help the students that the teachers union negotiates to make ITSELF the health insurance provider for the teachers, rather than the state insurance plan? That costs the state money, which goes into the pockets of the Wisconsin Teachers Union. Tell me how that helps students...