[A CA Guy]

So their teacher like ours are connected to the communist labor party?

[StJacques]

Even though I see American teachers as among the biggest obstacles to education reform in this country, I think Mexico's are a little worse.

[rpgdfmx]

Not really. What's complicated in Oaxaca is that the state teachers' union is a reformist movement (it does include a lot of Marxists, but Mexican Marxists aren't like European Communists. Mexican Marxists tend to draw more on pre-hispanic traditions of village cooperation, just using the "modern" term for very old, traditional values). The NATIONAL union is corrupt, and the Oaxacan teachers have been trying for at least the last 6 years to throw the bums out. A lot of Oaxacan teachers died mysteriously, and the teachers have been somewhat radicalized, but are still within the Mexican mainstream when it comes to labor issues.

The National leader WAS tied to PRI (the state governor's party), but formed her own party, allied with PAN in the last election. Ester Elba Gordilla, the Union Pres, is called "Senora Hoffa" in the media... for good reason. Like her namesake, she's willing to switch parties to preserve her own power, and has managed somehow on a small-town grade school teacher's income to acquire things like apartments in Paris.

[rovenstinez]

As often is the case, there is some truth in what APPO has been saying, and wise people would do well to listen to the drumbeats, as attention does need to be paid to some of the issues that this whole scenario has raised.