California Teachers Declare Independence from State and National Teachers Unions

Association of American Educators ^ | June 2012

[rhema]

In a bold move for teacher independence in Fresno, California, a group of local teachers, led by veteran educator Mike Cerrillo, recently voted to disaffiliate from the California Teacher Association (CTA) and the National Education Association (NEA) in favor of local representation.

The newly formed Washington Unified Faculty Association (WUFA) will now bargain independently and rely on the non-union Association of American Educators for nonbargaining member benefits and services such as liability insurance and legal counsel.

The process to sever ties with the CTA/ NEA was lengthy and often dramatic for this tight-knit group of hardworking teachers. In the diverse town of Fresno, several different one-school districts existed under their own separate contracts, many of which were functioning smoothly and without 100 percent union membership. For local teacher Mike Cerrillo, the transition to a local-only association was eye-opening.

Growing up and attending school in his district, Mr. Cerrillo became aware of the teachers unions in college and often disagreed with their hardlined confrontational and adversarial methods, much less their agenda. “I didn’t agree with where the union was spending money,” he said of the CTA. For over ten years, Mike taught high school chemistry and human anatomy without joining the union.

After years of independent collaboration and local control, the push to unify with the other small school districts in the area became a rallying cry. One school was having financial issues, and local leaders and administrators thought that unification would bring together the community under one smoothly run school district. At the time, Mr. Cerrillo thought unification would benefit all stakeholders. What followed was a power struggle between local teachers and the California Teachers Association seeking to organize teachers into a new CTA bargaining unit.

[Doogle]

[hosepipe]

Is a non Union union still a Union?....

[PGalt]

VERY interesting. Thanks for posting.

[loveliberty2]

For decades now, there have been exceptional teachers in states throughout the nation whose courage and devotion to the learning performance of children caused them to rebel against the NEA, the AFT, and the "union mentality" which has dominated educational decline in America.

Such teachers long ago formed truly professional organizations. Susan Staub and her colleagues in Pennslvania were among the early leaders, as were teachers in North Carolina and other states.

The unions held teachers hostage for years by intimidation about loss of insurance coverage until leaders like Staub and others formed associations which allowed teachers to participate in insurance programs, making them independent of the forced dues which had been used for Democratic political agenda items with which they disagreed.

Yesterday's events in Wisconsin revealed that many teachers there have left the union since last year, indicating that, when given a chance, good teachers will rely on their merits as teachers, not on the protection of union thugs, for their jobs and benefits.

Ultimately, if the trend continues, the children of America will benefit.

[dadfly]

since the NEA and the teacher’s union in ca are major culprits in funding our destruction and indoctrinating our kids in immorality and falsehood, this option has to be an inprovement.

my kids are in private school but i’ll certainly try to make public school teachers aware of this.

[Flash Bazbeaux]

(WUFA)

This is the wufa goofa with the green teeth, let me in!!

[rusty schucklefurd]

This is very positive news. There are other sources of liability insurance for teachers - Christian Educators of America, Inc. is one. This organization offers liability insurance to anyone - even to non-Christian teachers who can join as an associate member - and to both public and private school teachers.

[Carry_Okie]

Ping

[Leep]

Its the “anybody but” approach

Anyone but Obama
Anyone but Public Unions
Anyone but Big Government
Anyone but PBS and NPR
Anyone but NEA..

[vpintheak]

What about that whole, “Workers of the world, unite!” thing?

[max americana]

I graduated HS from a private and Catholic institution as well. It cost my parents an arm and a leg but they knew what they were doing and very grateful. One of our subjects was even called simply Christian Studies. There’s no way that even that subject will be taught in a public school and be part of the curriculum.

The good part is that the girls from the other schools in the area knew who were in the area by our school patch and it was easy pickings from then on..;)

[Carry_Okie]

ping

[WalterSkinner]

..the CTA and NEA are more concerned with indoctrination of children with Marxism and homosexuality than education—and they will not do a thing to protect their own teachers from violence on the job...

[fire and forget]

Thanks! Sorry I didn’t get back last night. Pregnant wife issues kept me up until three a.m. and I’m dragging a little this morning.

If this trend continues and the dem party starts losing wholesale their public union supports its hard to imagine they can win a majority of anything. No surprise that the fiscal sea change (surplus) in WI somehow doesn’t seem to make any national headlines. No bias, no agenda there.

[Carry_Okie]

Give her my best. If she wants someone to talk to, my wife has been a nurse in everything to do with making babies: from reproductive infertility and high-risk obstetrics, through labor and delivery, post partum care, and now a Master’s level clinical nurse specialist in the neonatal intensive care unit. She’s even done high-acuity pediatric home care.

[lonevoice]

Of interest ping

[fire and forget]

Thank you for that. Would be a big help, especially for her peace of mind which it’s my principal duty to protect.