What the 2016 Elections Will Mean for Us
The last year has revealed some serious challenges we face as a country. Although the year ahead may present glimmers of both fear and hope, depending on your beliefs, we must take very seriously a number of threats on the political horizon that will directly impact us as public educators and union members. It’s critical [...]
Verizon’s Struggles Could be Any of Our Struggles
In 1971, a corporate lawyer named Lewis Powell drafted a memo to the Chamber of Commerce. This memo, known as the Powell Memo, or Powell Manifesto, set forth a blueprint for increasing political and social power of corporations. It has served as a playbook for the last several decades, as companies have followed its advice [...]
The State-Wide Battle Over Waiver Payments
For decades, employees who decline their health insurance have been able, when bargained into a contract, to receive a payment for making that choice. The waiver, which is only a fraction of the value of a policy, itself, saves employers money while offsetting the difference an employee not taking insurance might otherwise find in their [...]
Take Up Arms!
We’ve faced so many challenges in the last few years. Two new tiers were added to our pension system. The Tax Cap has changed how districts create their budgets, jeopardizing jobs and programs across the state. New teacher evaluation laws have coupled teacher and student fate to an obsession over poorly designed tests. Charter schools [...]
Position Paper on the Un-Constitutional Reform Bill
I don't know why I remember this story, but when I was a kid, my aunt was in a relatively minor car accident. Thankfully she was OK, and is totally healthy today, but I still remember the very brief conversation I had with my mother about the accident some 30 years ago. It seems there [...]