According to. Should Schools Screen for Childhood Trauma? Classrooms, The 15 Biggest Failures of the American Public Education System, National Education Standards: Both Sides of the Debate. What Our Public Education System Can Learn from Teach for America’s Superstar Teachers. The Boston Teachers Union overwhelmingly approved a vote of no confidence Sunday night in Superintendent Brenda Cassellius over her handling of reopening schools … We will maintain pressure on government to reduce your workload and share best practice and continue to lobby against funding cuts. Are Teacher Unions a Help or Hindrance to Public Education? A fierce war of words is going on between hundreds of Montgomery County educators and school district leaders, nearly a month before school starts with distance learning. Are Your Local Public School Instructors Still Qualified to Teach? Sex-Ed Mandated for New York Public School Students, Climate Change to Become Part of Core Curriculum in Public Schools, No Public School on Fridays: How States are Managing the Educational Budget Crisis, Does Your Public School Ban LGBT Websites? In light of all the finger-pointing occurring in the education reform movement, we’ll look at the good and bad of teachers unions – and whether these organizations really work in favor of students and/or teachers. The union's paper also took aim at charter schools and reportedly called for a federal Medicare-for-All program. Will Public Schools Reassign Your Child to Another Campus? Do Expulsion and Suspension Work in Public Schools? I was told that if … The Impact of Coronavirus on Public Schools. How is Your Child’s School Using its Stimulus Check? Loss of Accreditation Coming; Fallout Already Begun in Kansas City, New York Says No to Sunday Church in Public Schools, No Cussing in Class: New Arizona Bill Aimed at Teachers, Not Students, Public Schools Struggle to Accommodate Unaccompanied Migrant Children. Pepper Spray at School: From Lawsuits to Hospitalizations, Who Killed Recess? How Should Public Schools Make Up for Snow Days? AUDHome-->Legal Rights-->Sample Letters The Association for Union Democracy (AUD) is a pro-labor, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the principles and practices of democratic trade unionism in the North American labor movement. I have never worked in a place so terrified by acts of unity. The union's paper did not offer a dollar amount to cut from the police. Parental Involvement is Key to Student Success, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130675529, http://www.foxbusiness.com/on-air/stossel/blog/2011/11/06/unions-good-bad-teachers-bad-kids, http://www.newsweek.com/are-teachers-unions-problem-or-solution-69379, http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2486/Teacher-Unions.html, http://www.pbs.org/onlyateacher/timeline.html, Are Public School Students Prepared for the “Real World?”. Contact your chapter president or field representative right away if you need a copy. (Click here for more about AUD, or for a definition of Union … Pros and Cons, Teaching Gay History in Public Schools: A Possible Mandate in California. Are Public Schools Protecting the Environment? Humiliated, I returned to the staffroom, but when I tried to speak about what had happened I was met with silence. The employer is under no duty to bargain with the union representative at the investigatory interview. Are Service Dogs Too Distracting in a School Environment? The union rep isn't obligated to file a grievance for every complaint he hears. Union representation in leadership refers to the upper ranks of a union local, the union's district or council office or the national office of a labor union. Bill Gates: The Savior of Public Schools? If management work with a representative in a constructive manner it can help to address and resolve problems before they escalate. Representatives are entitled to raise any concerns with management on behalf of union members. When considering whether teacher unions provide real benefit to the student population, statistics may be a viable place to start. But when I joined my current school, I was wooed by a conviction that we “do not need the union here”. A Relevant History of Public Education in the United States, The Guide to a Politically Correct Holiday Classroom Party, Teachers in 19 States Allowed to Physically Punish Students. There have been resignations and long-term absences. The union representative won't help you because you disagreed about things in the past or voted in different ways on union issues. What are the Benefits of Public School Over Homeschooling? Is Traditional Teacher Tenure On Its Way Out? If the rep investigates and decides that there are no grounds to proceed, then that's a valid reason, as long as it's not arbitrary or based on discrimination. The rep is present only to assist the employee. There is no union representative at my school, and in my naivety I felt that this was proof that they were truly not needed here. Will Public School Students Soon be Taking More Standardized Tests? Punishments Handed Down in Atlanta Cheating Scandal, Criminal Charges may Follow. We got an email on the same subject from Jim in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, which he says has no union for teachers. The other two main organizations are the Association of Texas Professional Educators, which is not a union, and the Texas Classroom Teachers Association, also not a union. Is a Major Overhaul Coming to Texas High Schools? It reminded me that trade unions are not just for striking, but for representation and rights for all. Explore the impact of education reform on teaching qualification standards, traditional unions and controversial tenure rules. 15,900; Appeal of Gonzalez, 48 id. Now I have come to feel that speaking to or involving a trade union in any school matter is sealing the deal on your marching orders. My grandparents passed down the ideal that I had an unspoken right to be part of a movement that would defend me as a worker and as a human. I needed to hear that I wasn’t alone and that I was entitled to representation in meetings. Supreme Court upheld a decision by the Labor Board thatemployees have a right All I ever hear are hushed conversations in grievance of the new initiatives, yet as soon as you suggest the team works together to address the problem you are met with silence. Prayers in Public School? However, their value or detriment within the overall education system is an ongoing debate. I grew up surrounded by political and union activism. Is It Time to Say Goodbye to No Child Left Behind? Are City Mayors Taking Control Over Public Schools? Norm Scott, a retired teacher and former building representative with the United Federation of Teachers of New York City told AlterNet that the union “has insisted that each school have a … The truth is that members of staff dare not join forces to put forward how their workload is impacting their lives. Negotiating a union contract is important for ensuring you and other employees get the wages, training, and benefits you deserve. Chicago Schools Open on Time, Impending Strike Still Threatens, Standardized Test Scores Thrown Out in Three D.C. The right to union representation in an employer conducted meeting or interview was established in the landmark decision in NLRB v J. Weingarten, Inc., 420 US 251 (1975).The Court held that an employee has a statutory right to insist on the presence of a union representative in an interview which the employee reasonably believes might … 2011 Classroom Size Update: Are Classes Still Growing Larger? Later, when I spoke to the union representative, I felt a wave of relief and realised that I might be heard. Prestigious High School in Virginia Faces Civil Rights Lawsuit, Some D.C. Public Schools Caught Cheating, But Problem Appears Limited. Can Public Schools Legally Charge for Fees and Uniforms? While Students Enjoy Summer Break, Schools Grapple with Common Core Questions, What the Sequester Means for Public Schools. 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