At a time when well-meaning teachers are working harder than ever, often dipping into their own pockets for school supplies, one would think that a $2.54 million grant for teacher bonuses would be more than welcome. Unfortunately, for the teachers in the 393-educator Oregon City School District, local union interests are saying, "Thanks, but no thanks" to a generous grant in partnership with the Oregon-based education reform charity, the Chalkboard Project, designed to reward teachers through a performance pay initiative.   Continue Reading...

In the wake of unilaterally negative press and legislative and legal battles across the country, the National Education Association is undoubtedly coping with new fiscal realities. According to its latest financial disclosures, the NEA has lost over 100,000 active members since the 2009-10 school year. While non-union groups, like AAE and its partners, are experiencing tremendous growth: nearly 30% during the same time frame.   Continue Reading...

Last week Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released a large scale bill to reauthorize the current federal education law, No Child Left Behind. Working with Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY) on a bipartisan effort to retool the controversial law, the initial proposal heavily mirrored the Obama administration's long-standing blueprint for reauthorization coupled with the NCLB waiver package released last month. However, after emergency lobbying efforts by the NEA and AFT, the bill has taken a drastic turn with regard to teacher accountability, disappointing Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and other education reform groups.   Continue Reading...

Among the many new spending initiatives in President Obama's jobs bill is the flagged 30 billion dollars meant to hire teachers, preserve current jobs, and improve school buildings across the country. While the Senate is expected to debate the controversial legislation this week, the White House is warning that without this federal funding, nearly 280,000 education jobs will be lost this year alone. With rhetoric reaching a boiling point in Washington, the Associated Press is now reporting that President Obama's estimates may be far off the apocalyptic estimates.   Continue Reading...

2011 is shaping up to be the year of education and labor reform nearly nationwide. In March, 48 states were considering labor reform bills on the heels of major Republican gains in state legislatures across the country. What started as legislative progress and meaningful education reform in states like Indiana, Florida, and Idaho, has yielded an unprecedented backlash from unions who are literally fighting for their very survival in long drawn out court battles that are leaving many commonsense policies in limbo.

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Yesterday evening, President Obama made a speech before a joint session of Congress to gain support for his new $447 billion jobs bill to be introduced sometime next week. Among the many new spending initiatives, the president spent significant time discussing education and increased investments in hiring new teachers and modernizing schools with improvements and technology.   Continue Reading...

This week we look back on another Labor Day gone, and the hope and promise of a new school year ahead. While most Americans see Labor Day as a long weekend marking the end of summer, it is critical to not only recognize the history and hardship of the workers of over century ago, but recognize the state of labor today.   Continue Reading...

Since the labor battle erupted in Wisconsin in February, the state has been considered ground zero for the sweeping education and labor reform legislation debated nationwide. With new revelations from political spending watchdog groups and the state's NEA affiliate themselves, the Wisconsin Education Association Council is once again making national headlines for its fall from a onetime lobbying powerhouse to incurring massive layoffs.   Continue Reading...

The Democratic National Committee's decision to hold their 2012 convention in Charlotte, North Carolina has stirred up criticism from dozens of trade unions over North Carolina's "anti-union" climate. As a right-to-work state, workers in North Carolina are not required to join a union as a condition of employment. As such, union power is severely curtailed when worker choice prevents amassing millions in revenue from forced dues. Compounded by the President's ailing popularity in the face of a severe economic crisis, the traditionally left-leaning labor unions are fleeing en masse over the decision to hold the convention in a state that isn't considered a union stronghold.   Continue Reading...

This weekend union leaders and liberal advocacy groups from across the country rallied in Washington, D.C. for the "Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action." With a smaller crowd than predicted, at just 3,000 people, teachers and anti-reform advocates rallied to protest everything from No Child Left Behind, to standardized tests, and everything in between somehow labeled as education reform.

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This weekend, union leaders and liberal advocacy groups from across the country will march in Washington, D.C. for what they call the "Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action."   Continue Reading...

Wisconsin has been education and labor reform "ground zero" since Governor Walker swept into office in January. Promising big changes, Governor Walker eventually passed a budget that ended forced-unionism, curbed union power, and ultimately led to a nationwide battle to balance state budgets and rein in union monopolies. Despite union-led efforts to recall elected officials over these changes, Governor Walker is now moving forward with an initiative to create a new state-wide accountability system to replace requirements under No Child Left Behind. Despite the bipartisan call for a plan, the state's teacher union has rejected an invitation by Governor Walker to collaborate on a plan, effectively refusing to represent the teacher voice in the state.   Continue Reading...

Utah's Ogden School District is a small district just north of Salt Lake City. A charming community with less than 1,000 teachers, Ogden is making news for its school board's decision to bypass local union negotiations in favor of sending individual contracts to teachers for the upcoming school year. While the move has obviously infuriated the local union, the move has been described as not only a trend in teacher negotiations, but the future of how policymakers and school districts will communicate with teachers, especially in areas with hostile and uncompromising unions.   Continue Reading...

Teach for America, a non-profit organization that recruits recent college graduates and professionals to teach in high-need schools for two years, was lambasted at the NEA's annual conference for what they call efforts by TFA to "union bust" in districts across the country.   Continue Reading...

As of June 29, forced unionism ended in Wisconsin, ending a bitter and controversial debate over Governor Scott Walker's budget repair bill. Among the many union-crippling provisions of the law, unions in the state are no longer allowed to collect mandatory dues from government employees. Instead, unions must now count on members to continue supporting the unions by authorizing voluntary bank drafts to cover dues. While the union comes to grips with how to handle an inevitable mass exodus from exorbitant fees and partisan politics, teachers are finally speaking out about what the end of compulsory unionism really means to them and their paychecks.   Continue Reading...

The fallout has begun following the National Education Association's annual conference over Independence Day weekend. While details regarding policies and resolutions continue to emerge, rank and file union members are beginning to realize the implications of the NEA's most high profile declaration, the endorsement of President Obama for the 2012 election.   Continue Reading...

While most Americans were enjoying a festive Independence Day weekend, the National Education Association was holding their annual conference in Chicago. Beaten down after a solid year of negative press, declining membership, and legislative and legal battles, the NEA convention took on a surprisingly different tone in 2011.   Continue Reading...

While non-education related and politically and or financially motivated partnerships are the norm with the National Education Association, last week's bizarre initiative was turning heads in the blogosphere. The NEA's Health Information Network (HIN) and the Create Coalition announced a partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in the newly dubbed "Be a Star," social justice and anti-bulling campaign.   Continue Reading...

Teacher unions are in a bit of a financial pinch these days. With declining membership, unilaterally negative press, and countless brewing legislative and legal battles, union leaders are struggling to live within their means. According to tax documents, despite taking in more than $1.5 billion in nationwide revenue in 2008-09, some states are literally upside-down. Faced with difficult decisions about keeping bloated staffs and fueling political agendas, state union chapters across the country are imposing dues hikes and various one-time legislative "assessments" to keep afloat.   Continue Reading...

What do AT&T and several liberal advocacy groups have in common? According to recent news, organizations including the NAACP, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the National Education Association have all issued public statements of support in a new multi-billion dollar merger between telecom heavyweights AT&T and T Mobile.   Continue Reading...