Link Around

A couple of links for you to check out…

This article from the New York Times details the fight between Caterpillar and the International Association of Machinists that was considered a test case in American labor relations.  The article highlights a very good reason why we need to protect the Triborough Amendment and to have a strong local union, and even stronger state and national unions.  Companies such as Caterpillar, making record profits have fallen in line with many other big money groups to try and break all unions.

Another article from the New York Times discusses the changes in tenure laws in different places and how only 55% of teachers eligible for tenure in New York City received it this year.

Hollywood Takes Another Shot At Educators

Won’t Back Down, a fictional account of parents seeking to transform a school in Pittsburgh, opens in theaters across the nation on Sept. 28. The movie is produced by Walden Media, which produced the notorious Waiting for Superman.

Like Superman, Won’t Back Down negatively depicts teachers and their unions, and is already being used by so-called “reformers” — Michelle Rhee included –to leverage the star-power of this much-discussed film to push for anti-union and anti-public education laws across the country. However, unlike theSuperman movie, this is a big extravaganza with top Hollywood actors and millions of dollars invested to ensure box office success. Screenings of the film already have been held at conferences and fundraisers across the nation, and other major events are planned to promote the film prior to its Sept. 28 premiere.

Meanwhile, Walden Media and Walmart have partnered to put on a high-profile benefit concert around the movie. The Aug. 14 concert — “Teachers Rock” — hosts a number of big names from the music and film industries and will raise money for groups such as Donors Choose and Teach for America. CBS is scheduled to televise the Los Angeles show, which is expected to further promote the movie and its anti-union, anti-public education message.

 

 

Campaign Kickoff Event for Tim Bishop

The Long Island Federation of Labor is holding a campaign kickoff event for Tim Bishop on August 9th from 6-8 pm at IBEW Local 25 (375 Motor Parkway, Hauppague).  This will be a chance to show support for Mr. Bishop in his bid for re-election.  If it fits your schedule please try to come on down.  Feel free to bring a friend or two!  Food and beverages will be provided.  If you go, make sure to wear a PJSTA shirt!

U.S. Representative Tim Bishop

The Chicago Teachers Victory

As you may or may not be aware, the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel have been embroiled in a bitter dispute, with Emanuel backing many of the nonsensical anti-labor and school “reform” ideas that have swept the nation.  Earlier this week the CTU won a stunning victory.  From Diane Ravitch:

As you may recall, Mayor Rahm Emanuel in Chicago has demanded that teachers teach a longer school day without additional compensation.

For that and other reasons (including rising class size), the Chicago Teachers Union took a strong stand in opposition. It took a strike vote, and 98% of those voting gave their approval, which was unexpected and unprecedented. The CTU held a rally, and 10,000 members turned out.

Mayor Emanuel accepted a deal that met the CTU’s demands. Its members will not have to work longer hours without pay. The school day will be extended, as he wants, and the teachers who provide the extra time will be selected from the pool of veteran teachers who were laid off.

This was a stunning victory for the CTU. It shows what happens when a union is resolute and united, and its demands are just.

That last line is the lesson that PJSTA members can take from this situation.  Across the country we are facing battles on many fronts.  Issues dealing with the labor movement, issues dealing with education policy.  We will accomplish great things standing together.  It is the only way that we can combat the billionaires funding the push to destroy public education and unions as a whole.

The turnout at this rally for Chicago teachers helped in their struggle for a fair contract.

Sign the AFT’s Petition to End America’s Fixation With High Stakes Testing!

All children deserve a rich, meaningful public education that prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and challenges that await them as they become contributing members of a democratic society. Growing our nation’s future citizens and workers is a serious undertaking that calls for a thoughtful focus on teaching and learning.

But the growing fixation on high-stakes testing has undermined that focus, putting at grave risk our students’ learning and their ability both to meet the demands of the 21st-century economy and to fulfill their personal goals.

Add your name to the thousands of Americans taking a stand to restore balance to public education by prioritizing high-quality instruction informed by appropriate and useful assessments.

Sign the petition here.

First to Worst

From “Learning Matters“:

First to Worst (2004) explores the roots of California’s current education crisis, tracing it to the anti-tax movement of the 1970’s and 80’s and to civil rights lawsuits that aimed to equalize school spending but resulted instead in disastrous funding limits on schools. The documentary pays special attention to the effects of Proposition 13, the 1978 anti-tax law (still in effect) that froze property taxes on businesses and homes and, critics say, cut funding for public schools off at the knees.