Posts tagged teachers union
Labor unions start to unify behind Kamala Harris. Here’s why.
July 25, 2024 // Randi Weingarten, head of the 1.7-million member American Federation of Teachers and a close ally of President Joe Biden, said she'd forgotten to bring something on stage with her at the union's national convention in Houston, Texas on Monday. "I don't have tissues -- I should, unfortunately," Weingarten said, before thanking Biden for his achievements. A day earlier, Weingarten had been among the first labor leaders to express support for the newly announced presidential candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris.
WISCONSIN: Unions respond to Act 10 decision
July 11, 2024 // The 2011 law created two categories of public workers — public safety employees, and general employees. The law prohibited unions representing general employees from collectively bargaining for any benefits outside of raises that would be capped to inflation. The judge ruled that the state Legislature did not have a "rational basis" for how it created those different categories, and the law is unconstitutional because of that.
President Biden cancels speech at teachers union convention in Philadelphia after union staff goes on strike
July 8, 2024 // Biden had planned to speak Sunday, but his campaign says the president is a “fierce supporter of unions and he won’t cross a picket line.”
Teaching doctors to unionize
June 27, 2024 // Once mostly self-employed or part of physician-owned groups, doctors are increasingly employees of hospitals or private equity firms. And, as employees, they have a right to organize, prompting unions of all stripes to make the case. Doctors who’ve joined say they’re persuaded by a desire to reclaim control over their lives, and to bargain for better pay and work conditions that they believe private equity and hospital ownership threaten.
This Week’s Teachers Union Report Card: NEA-Alaska Sues to Kill Correspondence Study Program
May 7, 2024 // Anchorage Superior Court judge Adolf Zeman ruled in April that the state-funded correspondence programs used by over 22,000 students are unconstitutional. Unless the Alaska legislature drafts a new correspondence study program law, students will lose access to the popular educational option. The union is celebrating shutting down opportunities for thousands of students. Union president Tom Klaameyer described the lawsuit’s outcome as “a big win.” When filing the complaint last year, the NEA-Alaska leader declared, “We want to make sure all of the public money that is rightfully allocated to the public school system stays within the public school system.”
Commentary: The Teachers’ Unions Are More Political than Ever
April 18, 2024 // Americans for Fair Treatment, a national nonprofit organization that educates public employees about their rights in a unionized workplace, recently released a report detailing the National Education Association’s (NEA) financial filings from Sept. 1, 2022, through Aug. 31, 2023. The NEA declared that its political spending totaled $50.1 million during the fiscal year, though the true number is much higher. During the most recent reporting period, the union disclosed that it spent “$126.3 million on ‘contributions, gifts, and grants,’ which is where most unions detail their charitable giving.” However, a closer look at the union’s “contributions, gifts, and grants” shows that the NEA is directing more money towards political causes than it reports.
OREGON: Salem-Keizer teachers union to take strike vote next week, could strike early April
March 13, 2024 // “If there is a teachers strike, unfortunately, our schools would have to close. We simply cannot keep them open without our licensed staff, and so this means a few things, it’s time for families to start preparing for that possibility. We will not be able to serve students in our buildings,” she said.
After decades of corruption Florida teachers seek new union with integrity
February 25, 2024 // “I noted that the increase in union dues and health care costs were not matched by commensurate salary improvements,” Beightol said. “I began investigating what was going on.” Around the same time, former UTD president Pat Tornillo was arrested for swindling the union out of millions of dollars. Beightol unsuccessfully ran for president of UTD twice, before being expelled for “anti-union” behavior.
Racially charged comment by teachers union leader fans flames of teacher pay controversy
February 8, 2024 // In the labor board records, Clark County Education Association Executive Director John Vellardita said the union opposed the one-time adjustment/lookback because, "It would only benefit white suburban teachers." That does not take into account the many minority veteran teachers working throughout the Clark County School District. The document further says CCEA, "Never walked back the racially inappropriate basis for opposing the one-time adjustment/lookback." CCSD sent us a statement Wednesday afternoon which says, "Nevada and federal law forbid race-based discrimination by local government employers or unions. We presume the CCEA board will have to explain to teachers and the community if they stand by Mr. Vellardita's statement.
OREGON: Portland teachers union reaches tentative deal
December 3, 2023 // The tentative agreement includes a 13.8% cost-of-living increase over three years, creates new class-size thresholds, increases planning time, and provides additional support for mental and behavioral health. At the end of the three-year contract, more than 50% of district teachers will be making over $100,000. During the strike, union members rallied outside the homes and workplaces of school board members, as well as the Oregon Convention Center. A leader of another top union in Oregon who asked to remain anonymous said it isn’t surprising that PAT chose to act aggressively. They explained, “PAT is to the left of OEA [Oregon Education Association].”