Teacher Unions and Politics

It is no secret that politics and education are tied hand-in-hand, but according to the article below $60 million dollars were raised by the NEA and AFT, and of that number $56 million of that went towards backing democratic candidates? I found this incredible. What if you were a part of a union, but did not want to fully fund a candidate? The website below explains how many union bosses, as they call them, have their own agenda and make their own decisions. How can we stop this and what can be done?

http://teachersunionexposed.com/dues.php

Does it matter what state YOU are in?

Growing up and living in the South, there was not much talk about unions in general. I do not think I knew what a union was until I went to college, but up North unions are very common and successful. I found this website that talks about the strength of unions in varying places, and those in the North rank very high on the list. The whole point of unions is to look out for workers best interests so being part of a union is a great thing, if they work for you and protect you as a professional.

This website shows the list and a detailed record of research:
http://www.edexcellencemedia.net/publications/2012/20121029-How-Strong-Are-US-Teacher-Unions/20121029-Union-Strength-Full-Report.pdf

Christie is a Big Liar

http://www.northjersey.com/news/christie-pushes-for-teachers-to-sign-on-to-pension-health-benefit-changes-in-town-hall-meeting-1.1299625

This article just reiterates what my dad was talking about...it might even be the same article. Basically, our (the NJ) governor signed a LAW in 2010 that stated that he PROMISED to deposit money into the pension plan. Has he done it? Nope! He is breaking the law that he signed into action! What a hypocrite!

Aside from the politics, I am grateful that the NJEA (NJ teacher union) has such a strong voice in New Jersey. They are fighting Christie, and they have every reason to! It is not just the president or the leaders of the union either, it is all teachers in the state. They are sticking up for themselves, and I can't wait to become a part of the fight!

My Dad Loves to Talk

A few weeks ago I told my dad about this leadership project and asked him a couple questions about things he has read about in our local newspaper in NJ. Today he sent me pictures of a couple articles and explained some things to me. My dad's texts just goes to show you that Governor Christie is not the most likable person, and that my dad has strong feelings about him...

Teacher Union Rookies

If you know little to nothing about teacher unions, then we are in the same boat. Before this project, I had never done any research or had any extensive knowledge about this topic, which is why I decided to partake in this project. Teacher unions can be so powerful and helpful for educators if used appropriately. As most of you know, Jaki is from New Jersey where successful unions are abundant. However, I am from the South where there are not many successful unions and people are uneducated about the process.

This website is a good resource to use when looking into educational unions:

http://www.aft.org

News Around the USA

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2015/04/17/3745527/teachers-unions-staging-strikes.html

http://www.indystar.com/story/opinion/readers/2015/04/16/unions-need-focus-education-fixes/25893609/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2015/04/07/california-teachers-unions-face-new-legal-challenge-over-dues/
    -This is a very interesting article about the union dues in California, and how teachers feel that the amount of dues is too high and the money is being used for the wrong reasons. I feel like this is a main reason why many teachers do not join their local or state teacher unions...

Educators in Minnesota...

...have a voice in their union! The union is called "Education Minnesota", and it has influence in education reform. This article talks about the fight for Preschool funding, but also mentions the wins and losses this specific union has had in the past. I thought it was very interesting!

http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/300559011.html