LA Unified Strike

CTEN President Larry Sand, writing for the California Policy Center, says that collective bargaining hurts teachers and students:

Using a model from the Industrial Era, teachers in Los Angeles are striking.

I have written about the subject many times, but it is worth revisiting as Los Angeles teachers are striking over a one-size-fits-all collective bargaining contract that is harmful to all concerned.

Collective bargaining, a term first introduced into the lexicon by socialist Beatrice Webb in 1891, is a process of negotiations between employers and employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions. The term refers to the sort of collective negotiations and agreements that had existed since the rise of trade unions during the 18^th century, where workers were commonly represented by a union, and the agreements reached by this arrangement set wage scales, work rules, etc.

But does this 18^th Century industrial model serve teachers and students in the 21^st?

No, says researcher and education policy expert Greg Forster. He writes that collective bargaining is not a good fit for k-12 teachers. “Teachers are like doctors and lawyers. Standardizing the work they do into a one-size-fits-all mold creates major headaches for them.” Collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) demand standardization, “so processes and outputs can be specified in labor-management negotiations.” He maintains that unhindered by collective bargaining, private school teachers nationally are more likely to have control over selection of textbooks and other instructional materials by 53 to 32 percent; content, topics and skills to be taught (60 to 36 percent); performance standards for students (40 to 18) curriculum (47 to 22) and discipline policy (25 to 13).

The strike has been in effect for only 2 days now.  What's happened with the students?

How many students went to school on Day One of the strike?

Of the district’s half a million students, only a third showed up...

What’s the lesson plan for students while teachers are away?

There isn’t one set plan. And what counts for a lesson varies, too.

At one school Monday, with minimal staff on hand, the principal had students watch “Black Panther” while she came up with a plan.

This didn't come out of nowhere. You'd think there'd have been better planning than that.

How many people are affected by the strike?

Nearly half a million students and their families are affected.

An estimated 400 substitutes and 2,000 staffers from central and regional offices are filling in for 31,000 teachers, nurses, librarians and counselors.

The 1989 strike lasted 9 days.