26 April 2011
Unions Aren’t the Solution Either
The recent resignation of NYC Schools Chancellor Cathie Black demonstrates the power of the teachers’ union to prevent an innovative approach to strengthening the city’s public education system. Education leaders in the countries referred to by Randi Weingarten in her OpEd article in the April 25, 2011 Wall Street Journal are less presumptuous than Mayor Bloomberg and would never ignore the political clout that is held by the teachers’ union.
Education leaders in those countries revere and respect their teachers no more than the leaders and child-raisers in our own society. They don’t say, however, that they would have initiated unionization for their teachers. In fact, they would undoubtedly prefer not to have to deal with unionized professionals, at all, even though their jobs depend on the political support of organized labor.
What those countries have been able to do is devote a greater proportion of their education resources to improving conditions that favor student performance than to acceding to the demands of demagogic labor leaders. Meekness on Ms. Weingarten’s part might be one solution to our children’s poor performance.
The recent resignation of NYC Schools Chancellor Cathie Black demonstrates the power of the teachers’ union to prevent an innovative approach to strengthening the city’s public education system. Education leaders in the countries referred to by Randi Weingarten in her OpEd article in the April 25, 2011 Wall Street Journal are less presumptuous than Mayor Bloomberg and would never ignore the political clout that is held by the teachers’ union.
Education leaders in those countries revere and respect their teachers no more than the leaders and child-raisers in our own society. They don’t say, however, that they would have initiated unionization for their teachers. In fact, they would undoubtedly prefer not to have to deal with unionized professionals, at all, even though their jobs depend on the political support of organized labor.
What those countries have been able to do is devote a greater proportion of their education resources to improving conditions that favor student performance than to acceding to the demands of demagogic labor leaders. Meekness on Ms. Weingarten’s part might be one solution to our children’s poor performance.
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