Tag: anti-union

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.