THE POWER OF UNIONS!!!

[gopiscrap]

This past week has been amazing. The Tacoma Education Association representing 2400 teachers, janitors, para, office support etc has been on strike. At odds between the teachers and the Tacoma School District was the fact that long held funds that were supposed to go to salries as a result of the McCleary vs Washington decision was finally settled in May

The Tacoma School District refused to release those funds and wanted to keep it for Administration salaries. The teachers went on strike. In what was becoming the nastiest teacher strike in the nation. it was looki ng to be a long one. The teachers union told the teachers to talk to their creditors etc.

In what was an amazing cave from the District. The strike was resolved after 5 business days and the teachers etc recieved from 14%-19% raises.

What did it? The union orchestrating amazing incredible community support. Bolstering wavering teachers. Having a fantastic rally. Businesses, unions, churches etc lending support (feeding, use of rest rooms, a resting place for the teachers during their pickets)

On Wed. the District tried to entice teachers to come back to the classrom. To work in their classrooms for EXTRA pay beyond what they were getting. Even tho the District cried broke. Only four teachers went it!!!

So the moral of this story is....the union is the working class persons friend! Stay strong and stay united. Don't cave to corporate of administrative bullying!!!

[DemocracyMouse]

1. Unions in higher education are also indispensable

Teachers, once upon a time, used to hire the administrators. Admins, as a percentage of all school personnel, have grown too large and too greedy, eventually gaining the upper hand. And these admins often have lesser degrees than the teachers. They haven't earned the right to entrench themselves, take the reigns of power, steal teacher pensions, and ultimately REDUCE the quality of education through larger class sizes and other dumb admin-centric decisions. Teachers can take back education through enlightened unions – at all levels of education, pre-school through Phd.

[gopiscrap]

2. YES!!!!!