Monday, January 22, 2007

Make Him Well, Doc--So We Can Hang Him

The January 22nd Communique from EIA (see blogroll at left) has the wildly entertaining story about a Tennessee teacher who wants out of the union. OK, so the story isn't so entertaining, but the final paragraph merits a belly laugh:

Just When I Thought That I Was Out, They Pull Me Back In. Nashville teacher Kristy Carr decided she no longer wished to be a member of the Metropolitan Nashville Education Association (MNEA). She sent official notice of her resignation to MNEA and the school district, both received on or about October 25, 2006.

But on November 8, Carr received a letter signed by MNEA President Jamye Merritt, informing her that she could not resign until the period April 1-May 31, 2007, because that is the window established in the MNEA bylaws and, Merritt wrote, “As President of the Association, it is my responsibility to uphold the Bylaws.”

Carr sued, and considering the mammoth amount of legal precedent, is likely to prevail.

What is the union’s position? That Carr violated the bylaws? What is the punishment for that? Expulsion.

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5 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:01 PM

    How come most school districts can fire at will, but teachers can't resign at will? Also, why is it that coaches don't have to stay with their contracted school for the entire school year, but instead can seek the best paying job and move with little problem?

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  2. La Maestra6:24 AM

    "And then she sent me to my room, which is where I wanted to go in the first place."

    Points if you know where the line is from. :-)

    Seriously though, that whole thing is lame. While I believe in the overall concept of a union (my feelings on CTA are mixed, although I am a member and a site rep) I don't believe in a union/agency shop.

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  3. Darren6:36 AM

    EllenK, I think we both already know the answer.

    And no points for me, La Maestra!

    I used to be a site rep and was on a district-level strike team. I support local unions because I believe in collective bargaining. Anything above that, however, gets perverted, and CTA/NEA are prime examples.

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  4. mean aunt9:24 AM

    La M--I'm begging you--that quote is so familiar but I can't place it.


    arghhhhhhhhhh

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  5. mean aunt3:23 PM

    Wait--was it Bill Cosby?

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