Posts tagged NFT
Op-Ed: The Chicago Teachers Union now runs the mayor’s office
April 13, 2023 // CTU leadership’s brand of union politics has little to do with students and teacher representation and more to do with an expansive political agenda that includes defunding the police, hiking taxes (on “the rich,” broadly), and pumping more city resources into the Chicago Public Schools system, where classroom spending is way up and student outcomes way down since the Caucus of Rank and File Educators rose to power. Since 2010, CTU has drawn the blueprint for how to seize control over America’s largest cities. The union runs the schools, holding as hostage Chicago kids and families whenever union bosses are unhappy with management. They also donate to the bulk of the Chicago City Council, having contributed financially to 34 of Chicago’s 50 current aldermen. But their reach expands beyond the city to politicians in the Illinois statehouse. In total, CTU since 2010 has spent at least $19 million on politics in Illinois, including over $2.5 million to Illinois Senate and House candidates.
OPINION: WHEN TEACHERS’ UNIONS BECOME MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE TEACHERS THEY REPRESENT
April 6, 2023 // Union leaders often use their influence to protect the interests of veteran teachers who’ve been reliably paying dues to the union for many years, while newer, less experienced teachers — whose loyalty can’t simply be assumed — are left to fend for themselves. This is particularly evident when it comes to issues such as salary negotiations, promotions and even job security. Union leaders are notoriously more focused on protecting the interests of their most senior members, even if it means throwing young teachers under the school bus. Moreover, organized labor pioneered the use of propaganda, and modern unions have raised the use of deceitful rhetoric to a high art form. Union leaders often use propaganda to rally their members around certain issues or to promote their own interests. They use persuasive language to create a sense of solidarity among union members, even if when it’s built on a foundation of lies and intimidation. One of the most insidious forms of union propaganda is the notion that teachers are always under attack from external forces, such as politicians or school administrators.