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 18th 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 18th Century industrial model serve teachers and students in the 21st?
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.
I am one of the people on strike. I have commented on here before.
ReplyDeleteI have been saying for months that the UTLA president wanted a strike. He has not proposed a viable counter-offer in about 6 months. My guess is he wants a strike so he can run for higher office like CTA president or state senator. Now the Superintendent has been a jerk too like only showing up to 1 of the 3 negotiation meetings last week and giving the last offer by media. Both are like 2 alpha dogs who won't give in because they can't be seen as weak. My guess is if you locked both of them in a room with no access to media or phones and door won't be unlocked until a deal is reached, one would be reached by end of the day.
2 reasons why I am striking 1) I still have many years left in my career and still have to work with many of my colleagues. Only 1 teacher at my school isn't striking and he is done in June. 2) The strike of 1989 was brutal to some teachers that didn't strike. Tires slashed; cars attacked. I don't want that to happen to me.
Do I believe in many of the causes that we were fighting for? Yes like more nurses and lower class size. However, a strike should be a last resort option and the union didn't want to compromise on anything and hasn't presented a counter-offer in months.
It isn't about money (district wants 6% raise; union wants 6.5%), but the superintendent is very pro-charter. I know people that send their kids to charters because their home school is so bad. If the union would help get rid of "bad" teachers and work with the district, parents got more involved, and the district stopped wasting so much money on useless things like district admins who do very little and stopped social promotion, then the local schools would be better and have the money.
One last thing: Democrats have had the CA executive and legislative branches for the last 8 years, why hasn't more money been spent on schools if they were so concerned about giving more money on education?
On the bright side, L.A. traffic is lovely (except for the problems caused by the rain.)
ReplyDeleteTeacher on Strike: you're concerned that unionistas will act like thugs if you don't join them? I'm shocked, *shocked* I tell you.
ReplyDeleteI understand your point about 2 alpha dogs fighting. As this doesn't affect me directly, I'll just sit back and enjoy popcorn.
I hope you're enjoying your time off.