WA teachers to teachers’ union: Leave my dues alone
posted at 9:00 pm on September 12, 2007 by Michelle
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After years and decades of coerced dues-paying, this is a promising sign:
Washington’s teachers, Democrat and Republican alike, increasingly agree that they should not be forced to pay for the Washington Education Association’s politics. In a poll commissioned by EFF, teachers were asked if they agreed or disagreed that, “Teachers should not be forced to pay for someone else’s politics, including the WEA’s.”
73% agreed compared to 62% who agreed in a poll ten years ago when the same question was asked. Support for the statement increased sharply among both Republicans and Democrats.
1997 2007
Republicans 81% 92%
Independents 67% 66%
Democrats 52% 66%
Now think about WEA’s decade-long campaign to convince teachers that, when it comes to politics, it knows best. WEA’s message has not resonated with teachers, even those who side with it ideologically. Maybe for teachers, the First Amendment cannot be “untaught.”
And it’s no wonder more educators are revolting against their non-education associations, which focus on everything BUT real education. As I’ve said before, the teachers union bosses are the looters libs ignore.
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tickledragon
Christoph on September 12, 2007 at 10:04 PM
Thanks for posting this, Michelle. After being in the union for 4 years, I withdrew this year. These people wield an undue amount of influence and power within schools. Teachers literally feel that they don’t have any other means of protection which is just not the case. When teachers do express concerns about where fees go (I work in a conservative area), they are falsely reassured that they don’t go to political causes. This article states otherwise: link
There is a strong alternative to the NEA called the American Association of Educators, which is completely apolitical. I’m sure there are others. This is the one I chose to join. There is a lot of strong-arming that goes on, and I have certainly felt the cold shoulder since I dropped out. I swear it’s not unlike the mafia in a lot of ways. I’m hoping others care enough to do the research to know what they are actually paying into…
tdau1997 on September 12, 2007 at 10:10 PM
When I was a kid I belonged to a Union. Good times!
kahall on September 12, 2007 at 10:12 PM
I really hope that when I have kids I have the money to send them to private school. I went to a public school in a small Wisconsin town and loved it. But we keep hearing more and more about how kids are being socialized instead of educated. Thanks for the post Michelle.
Christoph, that was very nice of you.
BadgerHawk on September 12, 2007 at 10:20 PM
Fixed it for ya!
Kini on September 12, 2007 at 10:26 PM
Christoph, apology accepted. It was good of you to offer it.
On this site, along side the brilliant news coverage and political commentary, we have been fed a diet of Rosie drivel (no offense, Allah – you post whatever trips your trigger – we love you) for a long time, so many of us don’t take anything related to her seriously. I certainly didn’t give my response to the story of her youth more than a 2 sec thought, and reacted to the idiot that she is now.
You’ve read my comments on other threads, and you know that we reside on the same plane on many issues. Just as you probably know the same for the others you took to the woodshed today.
So, cut us all (including the two you’re not apologizing to) some slack and understand that, to many of us, Rosie and silly themes like her are not important enough subject hills to die on.
Again, thanks for the “sorry”, cheers, and goodnight. :)
tickleddragon on September 12, 2007 at 10:33 PM
In Ontario, the Ministry of Education spends $9,432 per student in public & catholic schools, but the libs refuse to consider funding students who attent other religious schools, saying that if we fund those students, it will take money out of the public system. So some students are more equal than others…
Canadian Imperialist Running Dog on September 12, 2007 at 10:54 PM
Christoph,
Hours later, reflecting over what what occurred in the thread you linked to (and your comment in another thread tonight), I wondered what might have happened in your past to provoke you. As a product of a lonely and exploited childhood myself, I wonder if I could relate to what set you off. And as an actualized adult, if I could offer any words of fellowship. Of friendship. Of comfort.
RushBaby on September 12, 2007 at 10:54 PM
I dunno. Does a poll really warrant a lot of hope? I’m not holding my breath for the actual revolt to take place.
And, my kids are homeschooled..in Texas, of course ;)
TexasDan on September 12, 2007 at 10:56 PM
Ah…teachers, one of my favorite subjects. Where to start tonight?
Here: my younger daughter is a high school senior who fights her way through the leftist maize in the Chicago area. This year we have a French teacher who laments the loss of Segolene Royal in France, and the election of “that conservative jerk Sarkoszy”. Heh.
And (of course) the English teacher who almost daily spews some BDS venom. There have been a dozen BDS leftists in my two kids’ years at the school, and dozens of other garden variety liberal dipshits. Not a single conservative that either of them can name.
Jaibones on September 12, 2007 at 10:58 PM
TDan, nah. Sometimes politics derteriorates into a street fight. Some commenters were figuratively walking down the street and saw what they thought was sick, angry nutjob Rosie O’Donnell laying in the gutter, and so they kicked her a couple times and spit on her.
It turned out to be a 10 year old girl, and now they feel sick about it. The girl is a mirage, and no harm was done, except to themselves. They’ll heal, and we can move on.
Jaibones on September 12, 2007 at 11:03 PM
Um…huh??
tickleddragon on September 12, 2007 at 11:15 PM
My wife became fed up with the teachers’ attitudes and took the tests to become certified to teach. She passed, went back to the school and took them on as a certified teacher.
While reading to take and pass the tests, she came across the fact that the person who has had the greatest effect on American teaching was a Russian Communist.
The only way kids succeed in public schools is when their parents get involved……period.
Hening on September 12, 2007 at 11:23 PM
This is weird – I was just today thinking about the EFF victory a few months ago regarding dues.
Editor on September 12, 2007 at 11:34 PM
Of course, the post is about the growing rejection of the teacher’s union, and the thread mostly bashes the entire public school system.
SouthernDem on September 12, 2007 at 11:40 PM
My wife is a teacher in Washington. She really hates it. Especially the free health care, pension plan, and mandatory 4% salary raise per year.
e-pirate on September 12, 2007 at 11:48 PM
I get infuriated thinking about teacher unions. During my career as a teacher I have seen some very good teachers get drummed out of the profession simply due to personality conflicts with adminstrators. These teachers belonged to one of the two teacher unions in Georgia. Yet, neither union did more than give token aid to these teachers.
While I know that in many states it is practically impossible to fire an incompetant teacher, this is not the case in Georgia. In Georgia, tenure is a joke. If a principle wants to get rid of a teacher there is nothing that the teacher can do. Yet, at the beginning of every school year, I have to listen to someone extolling the benefits of joining the teacher’s union because the union will fight for your job.
I have never joined a teacher’s union and never will. I have a MS in biology and can easily make more money in private industry than I do as a teacher. Because I have other job options I will not give money to an organization that uses teacher dues to promote a political philosophy that I disagree with. Simply put, I am a teacher because I love teaching children.
dawgyear on September 12, 2007 at 11:49 PM
Vote School Vouchers – Vote School Choice!
locomotivebreath1901 on September 13, 2007 at 9:23 AM
I have been lucky in that I’ve never taught in a state where one was forced to join the Teachers Union. When I was teaching in VA, I did join the first year I was up there because they gave you $50 on the spot and honestly, I was way short of cash and needed that money (rent, utility deposits, buying furniture etc). I should have just asked my folks for some extra cash but didn’t want to. Afterwards, when I thought about that stupid $50 and where all my dues were going (for Democratic causes)and how they were no help when I needed them for a conflict with my department head, I promptly told them Feb. that I would no longer be a part of their organization as of the end of the school year.
I suppose according to e-pirate, all teachers should head to Washington. I never received free health care, and I put money into my pension plan and there were 2 years where I didn’t receive a raise because the previous Supt. had absconded or lost $12 million dollars.
As usual SouthernDem has to comment on the bashing of the school system. Not everyone is bashing the school system but honestly, there are some pretty incompetent teachers that are chummy, chummy, chummy with the administrators, and the board or else they show movies all day and go along their merry way. It’s a major problem as in all honesty, the public schools are failing our kids in many ways. I taught SPED and AP classes and I would have parents complain about the amount of work I had assigned. I taught LD/ED kids and with a little work, they can for the most part do the regular assignments and the kids in AP thought that by virtue of the fact they were there they deserved an “A”, kind of like some of the college students I taught at the Leeward CC.
Dawgyear, I’ve seen it as well and I decided to leave before they could drum me out. I had a major conflict with an AP as did two other women in my department, we wouldn’t sleep with him and two of us left at the end of the year. The third one resigned in the middle of the year because she was up for tenure again (every 3 years in VA) and she knew this SOB wouldn’t give it to her even though she had been teaching for 11 1/2 years and had been teacher of the year the year before he came.
Catie96706 on September 13, 2007 at 9:32 AM
The public school system has poisoned the minds of our children, its time to shut them down. Lets get the government out of our schools, we will all be better off for it, especially our kids.
Maxx on September 13, 2007 at 9:43 AM
I hear the same thing all the time from teachers I know that disagree with the motions of the union that supposedly represents their interests. They would speak out and oppose these motions if they could accomplishment one of two goals. Either they succeed and get the union to reject the leftist policies(unlikely) or they could speak out, understanding that the policy would not be overturned, and not face the inevitable blackballing that would follow.
gabriel sutherland on September 13, 2007 at 9:50 AM
Wade on September 13, 2007 at 9:52 AM
I think it bodes no message of hope at all… the teachers are just peeved that they have to pay anything at all (taxes should pay their dues, after all, they work a good 9 months out of the year!) …
max1 on September 13, 2007 at 10:09 AM
Thanks for the tip; I’ll look into it.
tikvah on September 13, 2007 at 11:17 AM
Max1, you’re living in la la land. A good teacher works long after the kiddies have left for the day. We spend money out of our own pockets to buy your little kiddies supplies because you don’t send them. If you truly believe we work 9 months out of the year, you’re delusional. I no longer teach and one of the reasons is I’m sick and tired of the disrepsect from people like yourself. Someone taught you to read, write, do math, etc. That person was a teacher. Suck on that smarta$$.
Catie96706 on September 13, 2007 at 12:31 PM
I’m sure glad you are no longer in the classroom.
Maxx on September 13, 2007 at 12:35 PM
Just like there’s no free lunch, there is no such thing as “free health care,” somebody is paying.
Maxx on September 13, 2007 at 12:53 PM
(I don’t know how to reference previous posts…. duh….) so i’ll just post, and hope you guys get it (maybe someone can give me a clue?) Anyway, thanks maxx (my almost namesake!) I agree it is a good thing catie96706 is no longer mismanaging young minds…sheesh
maybe it’s 10 months catie…
catie, i know teachers do an important job… so do lots of other people…learn yourself a clue….
and maxx, you’re so right there is no free lunch in America and it is tazpayers who pay free health care for teachers, no free health care, WE are paying with our tax money.
max1 on September 13, 2007 at 1:51 PM
You bet. Good luck!
tdau1997 on September 13, 2007 at 10:26 PM
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