As teachers organize in protest across the nation, the Supreme Court is preparing to release a decision that could change laws governing teacher unions. In March, the highest court in the land heard oral arguments for Janus v. AFSCME and plans to issue a decision on this landmark case this summer. Mark Janus is an […]
collective bargaining
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Dear Madame Secretary DeVos: We Will Not Be Ignored
Dear Madame Secretary DeVos: In response to the recent surge of teacher walkouts, you stated that teachers should “serve the students that are there to be served.” I couldn’t agree more. I also understand why, as the highest-ranking Education official in the nation, you must discourage teacher protests. However, as a veteran public-school educator who […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
The Ins and Outs of Walking Out: Understanding Strike Law
Understanding the legality and process of recent teacher strikes is a daunting task. As a part of the public sector, education protocol is governed by statutory and case law. Since primary control of the public education system is relegated to individual states, school law differs from state to state. This includes laws about teacher unions […]
Posted inSocial Justice
Why Join The Teachers’ Union?
For most of my teaching career, I did not belong to a professional organization, such as a teacher’s union. I always rationalized that with a teacher’s salary, I could not afford the dues. So for all those years, I was someone who benefitted from the strength in numbers that the teachers’ union provided, but I […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Opinion
Why I Favor Fair Share
On Monday, February 9th, 2015, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner told the Chicago Tribute that he felt “government union bargaining and government union political activity are inextricably linked,” causing him to sign an Executive Order eliminating fair share policies for unions across the state. And for this, he is fundamentally wrong. Let’s explore a few questions to understand […]