AT WAR WITH THE TEACHERS UNIONS: Part 1 - Are You Ready to Enlist and Fight the Great Battle?

DFU | 11-9-05 | Doug from Upland

[doug from upland]

NOTE: this is the first in a series of posts in which we will discuss concrete steps to do battle with and ultimately substantially defund teachers unions. These unions are clearly a subsidiary of the DemocRATic Party, and they are a big part of what is wrong with public education.

==========================================================================

Proposition 75 was defeated yesterday in California. The teachers union spent over a hundred million dollars to defeat it. They were quaking in their boots at the thought of actually having to ask permission of its members before spending money on partisan politics. Not surprisingly, they spend virtually all of the political money on DemocRATS. California teachers who are not DemocRATS should be angry. We have an opportunity to help them do something about it.

Okay, so the proposition was barely defeated. What next?

I had a lengthy discussion today with Ryan Bedford of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation. EFF has been very successful in it's efforts to reign in the Washington Education Association. They have beaten them in court, and a huge number of teachers have "opted out." If it can be done it Washington, we can do it in California and all the other states. This is going to be a national effort. It needs your help.

Your suggestions and your offer to enlist in the battle will be greatly appreciated. We are going to use email or other methods you may suggest to inform teachers of their rights.

Conservative teachers can demand a return of a portion of their dues used for political purposes, and they have the right to take a religious exemption. With the religious exemption, ALL OF THEIR DUES will go to a charity. If succeeding threads, we will be explaining how teachers can take action. We will provide examples of forms.

For this thread, we are hoping that you will check in and offer suggestions and a little of your time to send email to teachers. According to the EFF, we can get the email addresses through a FOIA request, but that might take six months.

A google search such as "California teacher email" yields results for teachers' emails at a huge number of schools. It may be that you can begin with the schools closest to you.

The power of the teachers unions within the DemocRATic Party is enormous. A big percentage of delegates at their conventions are teachers.

Can someone start by volunteering to be in charge of an AT WAR WITH THE TEACHERS UNIONS ping list? Will someone or several someones volunteer to help with assigning tasks?

Make no mistake about it. Hillary Clinton is depending on these foot soldiers to carry her back into the White House.

[moog]

If you know my sense of humor, of course I was referring to it in an anatomical sense. I often poke fun at myself, but in this case, it wasn't too far from the truth.:P In my area, it's not the Dems I worry about, since the "real" elections often take place in the Republican primaries. It's the big government, special-interest leaning, personal agenda, dirty politicals Rep's here. There are some Rep's who are genuine good eggs, but it seems like they are the ones being targeted. My state rep was one of those. He was just barely able to fight off a challenge. I've never seen anyone attacked like he was in any election. He is a genuine conservative, but had not supported some other guy's pet bill so he had it out for him.

BUT I am thankful to live in a city where the government has at least some integrity. Our new mayor just elected is one of the finest people around.

I don't always agree with him, but at least I know where he stands.

One of these days, I'm going to move to a liberal place and do some real fighting.:>

[NorseWood]

The stunt that the Los Angeles School District pulled this week by busing 800 students to the anti-Bush rally makes my blood boil. The district should be sued to reimburse the citizens of California for the tax dollars spent on busing the kids, using teachers as chaperons, etc.

[thiscouldbemoreconfusing]

AAE is not a union, an association, they have a great policy for teachers along with membership, one that in this day and age of "I'll be suing you..." every teacher needs.

[MelBelle]

Please put me on your ping list. As I mentioned before, I appreciate your information on opting out that you gave me last week.

[MelBelle]

Yes you are correct. I am a new teacher in LAUSD. Due to the fact that I am an intern, I had to take a one-week unpaid course given by the local union. During our meeting the selling point for us to join the union was so that we could get the $1 million dollar insurance policy to protect us in the event we had a problem in the classroom. Sounds great right? I'm trying to figure out what to do, drop out and be an agency fee payer or stay in and opt out so I can keep the insurance policy. I appreciate the info and help from this post.

[abclily]

And as far as the union insurance goes - are they underwritten by a major carrier? Or are they themselves the insurance company? Do they have a tax-exempt status?

[doug from upland]

An episode I will be doing in the next few days will be about insurance.

HERE IS PART 4, WITH THE LINKS TO THE FIRST THREE PARTS

[Earendil]

The baloney that teachers are not paid well is ridiculous. I have three sisters, all of whom are teachers at the elementary level in CA. All three of them make in excess of $68,000 a year, and this for a 180 day contract. They pay less than $100 a month for their benefits, have lifetime medical when they retire (at no charge), accumulate their sick leave which they can use as an offset and retire early, and do not pay into social security (they do pay into the medi care portion, only).

Grant you, they have been working in their respective districts for over 10 years and all have pursued their master's degrees, but they still far and away make more money than most in private industry when you add in the benefits, at least in this area of the state.

Most people in private industry work 220 to 230 days a year, not 180. Their salaries frankly are the equivelent of somone one making close to $90,000 a year. Oh. and also, their spouse is covered for medical as well AT NO COST TO THEM when they retire.

It's time to stop the gravy train and expose the whiners.

[Squat]

Please ping me.

[Scarchin]

You're a little less than half right.

The problem is that everyone gets paid the same based primarily on longevity. That means that a great teacher who teachers AP Physics and produces outstanding results AND gets paid the same as a teacher who just passes out volleyballs all day.

[Squat]

ping me

[XenaLee]

"....some of us in schools, as in every area of calif govt are forced to join CSEA which spent a ton to defeat the prop as well."

Forced to join? I don't understand. I thought the socialist/leftist Dems were all PRO-choice. (pardon the sarcasm)

[XenaLee]

You want to know how naive I used to be? I actually used to think that school vouchers were a good thing, and would allow middle class tax-payers to opt out of public schools, and via a tax exemption from the federal government, be able to afford for their children to attend private schools instead. Especially in the case where the children of struggling middle-class parents were in a highly racial/ethnic school where violence was common, and where the level of teachers' qualifications was poor.

Silly me. It ended up as a ploy to get more AAs to vote for Dems in a promise that THEY could send THEIR kids to white private schools at tax-payers expense (as usual).

Seemed like a good idea at the time....but now, it's just been perverted like everything ELSE the DemocRATS get their filthy paws on. And AS USUAL, the middle class WHITE tax-payers are screwed and abused.

Please, if I am wrong about this....correct me. I'd love to be wrong about it. Anybody?

[XenaLee]

"How much do you think they should be paid?"

In some cases, much more....and in other cases...much LESS. Teachers should be like everyone ELSE in the real world. They should be compensated based on their own PERSONAL qualifications, knowledge, skills and abilities.

Of course, the socialistic unions are against that.... for 'some' reason.

[VOA]

bump

[VOA]

bump

[Bernard Marx]

They can whine your wallet right out of you're back pocket..

Or figure out a sneaky underhanded way to do it. We had a local school bond election that was soundly defeated 3 times in general elections. So the teachers union somehow arranged to put it on the ballot for a minor election that was guaranteed to have a very low turnout.

My polling place was changed -- one time only! -- to the local school district office, which was quite hard to locate. I found it and voted against the measure, then watched busload after busload of union members arrive to vote. The bond passed, my property taxes have gone up accordingly, and the quality of education at local schools is worse than ever. I'm getting really tired of funding teacher retirement and perks, at least without helping our kids in the process.

[doug from upland]

Are you ready to start emailing to teachers?

[hosepipe]

[ My polling place was changed -- one time only! -- to the local school district office, which was quite hard to locate. I found it and voted against the measure, then watched busload after busload of union members arrive to vote. The bond passed, my property taxes have gone up accordingly, and the quality of education at local schools is worse than ever. I'm getting really tired of funding teacher retirement and perks, at least without helping our kids in the process. ]

Not only sneaky, but probably larcenous.. Socialism is a worm eating away at the heart of AMERICA.. especially the republican party.. is AMERICA DEAD!?.. it could be..

The worm(s) are eating noisily, and many can't smell the stink.. Yeah! even here on Free Republic.. I will know america is NOT dead.. When Free Republic(us) almost universally rises up to say, take that party outside and wash that filthy thing OFF.. and clean it up before you bring it back in HERE..