Kyle Davis
Teachers Unions
We are all familiar with the terms that have been applied to previous generations: “The
Greatest Generation,” “The Baby Boom Generation,” “Generation X” and so on. The current
generation has been labeled a few things, but the “Digital Generation” seems to be the most
popular. In the eyes of this author however, the correct name for this generation, as applied to
those working in this day in age, would be the “Gimmie Gimmie, Me First Generation.” With
spending on social programs and low income assistance at an all time high,1 and the promises of
politicians to provide the public with “more if this and more of that,” the feeling that we are all
entitled to things has become widespread. It’s difficult for me to understand this mentality,
because as a student of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, it seems that the
only things which we are actually entitled to are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
How things have gotten to this point is a difficult thing to trace. Throughout history, there
are clear violations of human rights at the hands of those in power; either by the government, or
by the wealthier, business class. At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, factory workers
were treated as nothing more than slightly more intelligent forms of cattle. Workers were herded
like sheep, taught to react to bells and whistles, and worked incessantly for long hours for
minimal pay. Things began to change with the introduction of labor unions. In 1866, the
American Federation of Labor (AFL) was formed under the doctrine of “pure and simple”
unionism. The “pure” aspect referred to membership: strictly limited to workers, organized by
occupation, and with no participation by the middle class reformers. “Simple” referred to its
goals: focus on only what immediately benefits the workers, such as wages, hours and working
1
Alan Weil, “Social Program Spending and State Fiscal Crises,” Urban Institute Research and Record,
http://www.urban.org/publications/310888.html (accessed November 02, 2010).
conditions.2 Considering the fact that the majority of factory workers were overworked,
underpaid and worked in dangerous settings, the ability to collectively bargain with the hopes of
bettering those circumstances really didn’t seem like an unreasonable goal then, just as it doesn’t
seem to be now. Trade and Labor unions helped to alleviate many of the dangerous and unfair
practices that workers were forced to endure.
There are far more unions today than there ever have been, and for the first time in
history the majority of union members work for the government.3 Looking back at the history of
the labor movement, one might wonder what the purpose of such unions are today, especially in
the public sector. After all, gone are the days where people are working for minimal pay in
hazardous locations. Today, the ability to collectively bargain is just as, if not more important
than it was during the genesis of the movement. Only today, those suffering at the hands of the
unions are not strictly factory owners and corrupt capitalists. Today, our children are suffering.
The vision for the nation’s largest union of educators, the National Education Association
(NEA) is “a great public school for every student.” To go about achieving this, their mission “is
to advocate for education professionals and to unite our members and the nation to fulfill the
promise of public education to prepare every student to succeed in a diverse and interdependent
world.”4 Without question, to achieve the vision of great public schools, great teachers must
factor into the equation. What is disheartening however is the fact that the adjective used the
least to describe our current public school system is the word “great.” There is little debate over
the premise that our public schools need reform, but the debate over just how to do so has gotten
2
James A. Henretta, David Brody and Lynn Dumenil, Since 1865, 6th ed., vol. 2 of America's History (Boston:
Bedford St. Martins, 2008), 540-43.
3
Steven Greenhouse, “Most U.s. Union Members Are Working For the Government, New Data Shows,” New York
Times, January 22, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/23/business/23labor.html (accessed November 9,
2010).
4
“Vision, Mission and Values,” NEA, http://www.nea.org/home/19583.htm (accessed November 9, 2010).
very heated, with the teachers unions standing front and center, or what some would call “in the
way.”
Given what the United States currently spends on education, the relatively low student
achievement compared to that of other countries leads many to call our system extremely
inefficient. According to a CBS News report, in all levels of education, the US spends $11,152
per student5, or $7,877 for primary and secondary students.6 With that amount of spending, one
would reasonably expect results, especially considering that the average tuition of a private
school in America amounts to $3,267 a year.7
Nobody seems to express doubt that there are problems inherent in our school system, but
a quick survey of union heads and members on the matter will inevitably display a rather easy
fix: spend more money, hire more teachers. Never mind the fact that in places like California,
total K-12 spending has increased by $10 billion over the five-year period ending June 30, 2009
which produced few, if any, results.8 Talk of real reform, of methods and practices that have
either proven themselves or seem to be offering great promise, is currently under way in many
areas of the country. Of course, teachers unions must be in these discussions, as they represent
the bulk of educators in the country. Why is it then, that when real reform is brought to the table,
the teachers unions seem to stick their heels in the dirt and resist tooth and nail?
5
Christine Lagorio, “U.s. Education Slips in Rankings,” CBS News,
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/13/national/main838207_page2.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody
(accessed November 19, 2010).
6
James A. Johnson et al., Foundations of American Education: Perspectives on Education in a Changing World (15th
Edition) (MyEducationLab Series), 15 ed. (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2010), 252.
7
David Salisbury, “Private Schools Cost Less Than You May Think,” CATO,
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=3231 (accessed November 9, 2010).
8
“Study: Classroom Spending Dips as Funding Rises,” My Fox LA,
http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/education/school-funding-up-classroom-spending-down-20100721 (accessed
November 19, 2010).
Take for example Central Falls, Rhode Island. In an effort to turn around a consistently
failing school district, where less than half of the high school students graduate and only 7% are
proficient in math, Superintendent Frances Gallo submitted a list of six conditions that she
deemed crucial to improving the school. These included adding 25 extra minutes to the school
day, providing tutoring on a rotating schedule before and after school, eating lunch with students
once a week, submitting to more rigorous teacher evaluations, attending weekly after school
planning sessions with other teachers and participating in two weeks of training over the
summer. Gallo offered to pay teachers an additional $30 an hour for some of the additional
duties, expected the teachers to kick in a bit of their own time for some, and to just add the rest to
their list of expected duties. The Central Falls Teachers Union was handed these conditions, and
rather than negotiating or agreeing to some and willing to work on others, instead demanded an
additional $90 an hour for all of the proposed conditions. This is also in the face of a strong
local economic downturn, where other areas of the economy are either asked, or just plain forced
to chip in and help during uncertain and troubling times.9
We can also point to the state of New Jersey. Current governor Chris Christie has been
butting heads with the state teachers unions for some time now, and has since become a
champion of the anti-teachers union movement. His state was forced to cut $820 million in aid
due to a $1.057 billion cut in federal aid for education that it received. This reduction in funding
was fully expected by both the state and the teachers unions, as the federal aid was a part of
stimulus program that was considered a onetime appropriation. As such, in attempting to close
the state’s $10.7 billion budget gap, Gov. Christie suggested that the teachers in the state agree to
9
Jennifer D. Jordan, “Central Falls to Fire Every High School Teacher,” The Providence Journal,
http://www.projo.com/education/content/central_falls_teachers.1_02-13-10_A8HEI7Q_v61.3a65218.html
(accessed November 19, 2010).
a one year pay freeze (meaning no raise for one year), while asking them to contribute 1.5% of
their annual salary to their health benefit costs (the majority of teachers in the state have 100% of
their costs covered by the state). Should the unions agree to this, massive layoffs could be
avoided. Instead of these state employees agreeing to sacrifice a little bit on behalf of their
broken state and of the students, they refused to accept the terms laid out by the governor. The
unions replied that it was just too much for their members to endure, and suggested that the state
raise taxes in order to continue on with the benefits they have been accustomed to. This in spite
of many teacher groups in the state coming out to support the governor’s proposals, only to be
told by the union that they had no right to do so. 10
If teachers unions like the one in New Jersey really are fighting for the interest of their
members, while at the same time trying to better public schools (which they would be doing by
doing anything possible to avoid layoffs), a simple solution would be to waive their dues for one
year. This would equal approximately their 1.5% contributions to their health care that the state
was asking for. This action would ensure that their members would feel no net loss from years
prior. However, this idea has been brushed to the side by the unions. If this is the case, one must
ask just what the motives for these teachers unions are.
While the teachers unions are clamoring for more funding for more teachers (which
equals more money in the form of dues for them), and shutting off discussion of much needed
reforms, both educational and financial, the students in the classroom continue to suffer. The
state of our education system is dismal, and it remains stagnant in such a state due to reforms
being brushed aside by money hungry teachers unions.
10
“Gov. Chris Christie Delivers Budget Speech to N.j. Legislature,” NJ.Com,
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/gov_chris_christie_budget_stat.html (accessed November 19, 2010).