To prove a union contract is no barrier to school success, the United Federation of Teachers opened its own UFT Charter School in Brooklyn in 2005, notes Gotham Schools. After seven years of turmoil, the union-run K-9 school may be closed for low performance.See, they foolishly thought that the problem is administration and that the answer is union. What some might now have figured out is that a union environment can only be maintained as long as there's an us vs. them situation. When "us" (the union) becomes "them" (management/administration) the whole idea breaks apart because of the fundamental requirement of unions, which is conflict.
Perhaps they are now sadder, but wiser, knowing this.
On a tangential note, this can't bode well for the anti-voucher movement, can it?
There's an inherent "us versus them" aspect to labor unions in that they're parasites.
ReplyDeleteAs to the reasons this particular school failed it looks like a failure of the school operator, i.e. the union to provide good leadership for the school in the form of a capable, vigorous and forceful principal.
Understandable since one of he jobs of a good principle is to pack off bad teachers. To the union a teacher who's paying dues is a good teacher end of story. Not a lot of room in that situation for a principal who puts the interests of the students first.