Yes or No: Do you support teachers unions?

I am a teacher, and I am disgusted by most of what the unions do. They do not represent the majority of my school's faculty with their political rants that have very little to do with the classroom.

55YO wrote:

I am a teacher, and I am disgusted by most of what the unions do. They do not represent the majority of my school's faculty with their political rants that have very little to do with the classroom.

But are they important, at least where you work? Do you have a say on how you teach? Working conditions? Prep periods? How you are assessed and judged? Pay? Are you happy with your medical plan?

ABSOLUTELY YES!

It's interesting reading all of the posts saying that the teachers' unions don't care about the kids. Well, let me ask you, what makes you think the administrators (who have their own union, at least here in NYC) care about the kids? In practically every school I've been in (present one excluded) the teachers have cared far more and have given way more about/to the kids than any administrator. So while I definitely agree that unions fighting to keep schools remote currently are not doing any great service to the kids, neither are the large majority of administrators.

I've posted this before and I'll say it again, you never understand how important the union is as a teacher until you need it. When I was up for tenure my principal didn't want to recommend me even though all of my observations were at or above the effective standard and my state exam scores were far above the school average. My union went around her straight to the district sup. and got her to put in for me. The world of education is not like the corporate world. Administrators aren't like company CEOs who only care about results. You'll never find more favoritism and petty bs from anyone outside of a principal's office.

sorry, coach, my post is a reply to yours only because it was the last one there. It isn't obviously directed at you.

Teachers unions are a good and bad thing.

Teachers should be supported by the community since they do perform a vital job and are not. Someone has to stand up for them.

The unions have overstepped their position and contributed greatly to the negative view of teachers too.

The recent pandemic has highlighted more of the negatives. Teachers across America claiming that their lives are worth more than all the others who are out working isn't a good look.

Browski and I work in NYC where for the reasons he stated unions are necessary.

I've watched principals dismantle departments to get rid of high salaries teachers. I've seen a 15 year physics teacher cut because the principal felt the students don't need physics and she hired a young earth science teacher instead. The same thing takes place with music, art, dance and languages. Some superintendents and principals only care about numbers graduating not scholarship. In the corporate world this wouldn't happen ( and in an affluent suburb too).

I worked for a principal and cut a gym space into small classrooms; a few of us protested and my friend with little seniority was cut. She couldn't get rid of me but she had her lackeys observe me everyday for a month, the observations were unofficial nevertheless this wasn't pleasant for me or the students.

Politically, Browski and I have disagreed but we both understand the need for a strong union.

Education is a process not a product you can't take the bottom line approach a boss in the corporate world will take.

Looks like someone didn’t do so well in school. It’s people like you who need to have someone edit their work before publishing. Grammarly is free.

Yes or No: Do you support teacher unions?

I'M TAKING THIS AS A PERSONAL ATTACK!!! WE EARTH SCIENCE TEACHERS ARE VERY VALUBLE!!! lol

The principal hired an additional earth science teacher thinking it would be easier to get kids to pass the living environment and earth science regents rather than physics and chemistry. If she was really worried about scholarship we would have offered all of them.

Teacher union? Hell no.

Yes, its a pandemic. Every other profession is out there plodding through it.

Their standards for 'safety' are delusional.

There was a recent study. Teachers got corona fr community not school. School transmission is very low.

1ub2run wrote:

Teacher union? Hell no.

Yes, its a pandemic. Every other profession is out there plodding through it.

{No they are not. Most are either WFH, including the majority of Govt employees, or their jobs are not that dangerous] Teaching, i.e. spending vast amounts of time with crowds is objectively dangerous]

Their standards for 'safety' are delusional. [No they are not]

There was a recent study. Teachers got corona fr community not school. School transmission is very low. [See below for a very recent study that clearly shows it is dangerous]

Among the key points:

The results presented here provide strong evidence that in-person schooling poses a real risk to those living in the households of students...

No.

I always was a little ambivalent about Unions. My first few days at a new job with a large corporation was spent in a company wide orientation. At one point, they told everyone in the room who didn’t have a union job to leave and come back in an hour. A union rep was going to address the unionized employees. I decided to stay and see if they kicked me out. They didn’t and the things they told those employees were so destructive to the employees it would make anyone sick to their stomachs. I left with a completely different view of what a unions objective was.

I’ve since had to work with union reps and unionized employees. All I will say is that they are a special breed.

No.

Isn’t joining a union, in theory, an adult saying I need an adult to look after me?

Lets take another example. Trash men.

My town has a municipal govt. The city has a public works dept that employs the guys that collect garbage. These guys are doing a job that needs to be done and they deserve a reasonable wage and benefits. They will never get rich but they have a job and are stable, productive members of society. AND they do a dam good job.

Unincorporated areas locally hire contract trash companies that use low wage, low or no benefit workers. Likely many are minimum wage doing dangerous, disgusting work and since they are paid nothing, they do a terrible job at times.

fattyatthegym wrote:

No.

Isn’t joining a union, in theory, an adult saying I need an adult to look after me?

So you also decline the services of doctors, stock brokers, plumbers, dentists, car mechanics, landscapers, etc? Do it all yourself?

Shoe city wrote:

fattyatthegym wrote:

No.

Isn’t joining a union, in theory, an adult saying I need an adult to look after me?

So you also decline the services of doctors, stock brokers, plumbers, dentists, car mechanics, landscapers, etc? Do it all yourself?

There are plenty of qualified non union people. A couple professions listed have union membership under 10%. I guess there are short buses everywhere.

fattyatthegym wrote:

No.

Isn’t joining a union, in theory, an adult saying I need an adult to look after me?

If you enjoy weekends, lunch or other breaks, safe conditions, vacations, sick leave, a 40 hour week thank unions.

When my grandmother taught teachers didn't have opportunities to go to the bathroom (1 break). They were beholden to principals who might demands that the blinds were drawn a certain way. They didn't have time off for child bearing and they had no say what they could teach.

Whoosh