Happy to answer your question,
But Melanie you will have to bear with me. It appears I have to establish some evidence of my purpose as well. Its not going to be pretty and I am extremely angry and a bit tired about our situation now and what it will mean down the road. My name is Richard. I am a Middle School Counselor working in a So Cal. School and have been for about 11 years. Understand that I believe in advocacy in any form, for kids and the people who invest their lives and even souls in them. For educators, kids and sometimes even parents. :) Counselors have a similar group of dedicated tireless advocates for us up at state level. But right now at least, it is far too little and far too late. Let me tell you why I believe that.
Before I open this can of worms let me say Melanie, I just realized that you are a student. I am very impressed that you have taken this initiative. Originally, I thought you were young but already employed in a field; DPSS, education or the like. So, what I am about to write here will probably seem unbelievable. Unfortunately, it is the reality for most educators. I don't want to quell your enthusiasm if this is where you heart is. I wish you the best with your endeavor(s). NOW...
The rest of what I have to say is the to the other respondents, our union leaders, well intentioned or otherwise and especially ALL the senior teachers who have chosen to sit back and watch the blood letting, as long as the state doesn't touch their retirements. As for advocating, the ineffectual CTA, and the NEA should have been intensely advocating for all of us long before now. Preparing the locals and communicating with us and the parents: most of us saw this coming for two years. What the hell is being done with the money from our dues. Honestly, I don't have a clue what they are doing or have done to prepare or even appear on our behalf maybe a bit of expensive Washington style lobbying perhaps not even that. I have to concede there is little they can do for us now as we approach zero hour. You can use that as an excuse.
In the CTA's system the locals are left almost completely autonomous and mostly defenseless. WHY? In our district, not where I live, a previous union officer said more than 70% (probably closer to 80%) of our dues go straight to the essentially useless CTA. Who knows about the NEA. Both need to account for themselves! CTA NEEDS TO HAVE THEIR BOOKS AUDITED BY AN INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATION! I believe the CTA is the largest Union in the state with regard to membership and yet It's too late to expect help. Those poorly timed TV ads and a monthly magazine (which is an insult to anyone who is both passionate AND realistic about educating and supporting children) that is all I know for sure they do and I used to be a local union rep. That magazine seems more like self promotion than a source of information and a call to arms for the uninformed public. You know - the people that vote based on 30 second attack ads. The parents that we ultimately work with and for. Hell even that evil bastard Carl Rove understood what the entire CTA and our membership hasn't come to grips with. What am I saying, our BIG gun "the magazine" doesn't even go out to the public. I wonder how much it cost to print it? Maybe $1 m.? Maybe $3? If anyone even knows how to contact CTA's management, ask them for me. Oh and tell them to keep my copy and save the money. Tell them just send me an email when or if they do something substantial for educators. We can't take care of kids if we can't take care of ourselves. And WE the union were in sad shape before we hit this wall. Up to this point, if there are members who can't put the peaces of this puzzle together and are forming an argument in their defense. Save it for someone who doesn't know better. May be a pink slipped teacher. You really should be teaching at a private school anyway. I have no more patience. Perhaps an example closer to the bone...
Being a counselor, I am fortunate to work in the district whose counselors pioneered the framework adopted by our school counselors national organization, ASCA as the national standards for all public school counseling programs. I helped with it's initial structure and the presentation to our school board. It was huge and many states have sent reps to see us in action. With all the publicity, accolades and peer support that the endeavor still brings us along with that our own member advocates bring back to us more hope every year. We work harder and happier than ever, we do incredible things for kids, parents and teachers, no discipline, more time for intervention, all with less money. The unknown/unseen countless parent meetings , often on our own time, the follow up phone calls at 7pm from home, the dangerous home visits, working with twice the number of abused neglected kids, we also do meaningful counseling groups and get into the class rooms to do guidance lessons. As someone who has a passion for helping kids I know I am lucky. It empowers me to have the recognition. And we actually protect teachers too. We cover up or gloss over mistakes so teachers are not bothered by the unnecessary criticisms. We also work try to help those few teachers, we all know them, who should never been allowed to enter a class room. Even so, outside the profession and even at our own union office, few know who we are. During negotiations, our union leaders treat us like as cannon fodder. We are the unwanted step child and get the poorest representation. Lets talk about another reality by way of example.
Because we are such a minority numbers wise, we can't sway a union vote for or against a given candidate. So we are easy to ignore. But in the district I work, without trepidation or consultation, our union local president has offered us up, the entire group or counselors, the nurses and to a lesser extent, the psychs; lock and stock as a separate and lesser entity handed to management for whatever cuts they see fit. And in keeping in line with an agenda more hers than even the teaching members(my informed opinion) our local stands by and watches as more teachers get rifted, with more pink slips for the young, motivated, and optimistic new teachers. Some how sounds familiar. Hmmm. This was just the warm up folks HR is trying to break a large task into smaller more manageable visits. But not just the probationary folks, now it is going to be tenured teachers with lesser seniority. After looking at the numbers, probably anyone with five years or less will catch the axe. All to keep with that persons agenda? She has made it clear She will not let salaries be touched regardless. I heard her say it and it was reiterated by another local officer and when the question of lost jobs was raised, she replied with some half-hearted statement about a ploy on the DO's agenda to not give up the money. That we had to battle for their "secret stash" of money well above the mandated two percent prudent reserve. Then it was alluded to that most jobs would be saved. Bullshit and anyone with time in this district knows it. Ok, still lets play the benefit of the doubt game.
Funny even with all that conviction, there has been no effort (lets remember talking about it does not represent effort) to bring in a forensic accounting team. That would cost both sides a lot of money. And without proof to the contrary she can say anything she wants to distract from other realistic efforts. She has recently had to admit, that the DO had offered a feasible solution, if saving young teachers and counselors careers are important, a percentage pay cut across the board - superintendent to custodial possibly board members too - and in this manner would guarantee no job cuts for members. She told the team a flat no. Well, the budget has been signed and we've been F..... by the people we voted in and payed a salary to represent all of us. By the way, anyone seen the CTA?
Having been a rep. when she was. She strikes me a bit like our former president of the United States "W". She does herself no favors when she speaks. Of course, no right thinking member is going to accept the DOs numbers at face value. But even if she were not exaggerating about the "stash" it would only make a small dent in the loss of jobs we expect. Some of us have done the math based on her own numbers. She is either really bad at math and/or she is lying to gain more time before the lid blows off what is really going on in those negotiations. And there are some leaks. What I can't say now will be evident. Further, she claims maintaining the salary schedule is what majority wants though no vote has been taken on any proposal. It may have been true at one time - we will never know. While this local president makes many of the city mixers, she is seldom available to members with questions. Right now questions to her are because of leakage within the team. It is now apparent She is withholding major offers that could have saved possibly hundreds of jobs in our District. Just ours alone. Though, our president has yet to produce the numbers She's quick with the vague generalities. Now my point. We are on the block and she almost got away without even one meeting with any of us at all. She had to be forced into addressing some questions and the resentment showed. That is not ethical in my opinion keep in mind, some locals are actually supporting all their certificated staff.
I have been a union member all my working life. I have walked pickets in three strike actions and have been a picket captain in two of those. Previously, I have seen two caring and competent presidents at the helm of our local. We used to have one of the most influencial locals in the inland empire, maybe all of So Cal. Not just during the flush times. I saw some preferential treatment but nothing like this. Ultimately this president's agenda became all encompassing, without any discussion. In the past, we were always informed by our union what was going on. If the president didn't like a proposal but it was significant, she brought it to us then visited the reps and sites to explain her position to share with all members. Today, I trust our union management less than the DO's squad of hatchet persons and by talking with educators from around the area I see a trend. Some of our locals are being forced almost out of existance. They carry no clout and walk in to negotiations from a position of weakness. Most small district educators are in even worse shape because their board members are less likely to be educated themselves. Has anyone seen or heard from the CTA?
Counselors are even less significant in the mostly ineffectual CTA as well. But the CTA is hugh in size. Still, the common perception is that the CTA is big in numbers but weak where the rubber meets the road and educators are weakly represented therefore fair game at anytime. Not so with a union like the Teamsters. I am pretty sure they are smaller in California compared to the CTA. But you say teamsters, no one asks the size of the local. The name alone carries more weight than all our TV ads and magazines combined. OK, I have said more than I should have. I have peeled back some of the veil and it will come back to haunt me. But our rank and file have no clue and bottom line is it never would have gotten to this level if we had stronger more pro-active and involved union representation like the teamsters. One that included all of us and all the locals.
The police, firefighters, and yes the TEAMSTERS will not be facing the percentages of lost members that we will. (WE LATER FOUND THAT EIGHT DISTRICTS AROUND US LOST NO PERSONNEL) Why? Are they more important to society? We are certainly as important - just weakly represented and we will be fair game next year as well. Instead of pink I am going to buy a tee shirt with a bulls eye on the back. Speaking from experience, these other unions would have put a few preventative tactics in place long before now. Sick outs and after school informational pickets would be common. Parents will understand the issues when they fear for their kids - only substitute teachers in a few classes and other kids being housed in the gym for hours. Many kids will just take off and run the streets. Even the least supportive parents understand our value in keeping their kids off the mean streets. Parents would know and they would voice their demands. Nothing speaks louder for us. Our local president hasn't brought any thing back from the negotiations. For, information in a timely manner we have had to depend on the DO itself to email us the "mutually approved" statements. Still no preemptive action votes. Still no CTA.
Even now, I believe our union local is hiding the true nature of the negotiations. I know the president has the ear of at least one militant board member with their own disguised agendas. As for myself. I wouldn't have to think twice if asked to give up five percent of my salary to save most if not all the jobs. Parents would be secure without fear of their kids running the streets. However, many people with the safety net of seniority would not. More so if they are close to retirement.
As for me it is a simple moral decision. Still, criticize as you like. But PLEASE DON'T BE SO IGNORANT as to state that if we take a step freeze or cut we will never get that money back. The state will withhold that money regardless if it is through fewer school days or classrooms with 45/1 student ratios. We already have 40/1 in a nearby district. Not to mention the hit on our test scores. We are behind and loosing ground. Polititians don't know or care about classroom sizes. But they will still hold educators responsible and parents don't know the difference. CONSIDER THIS! Enough unaddressed discontent and... its Voucher Time baby. How much an hour will we be getting at the local private school of which there will be one on every corner. And those people that "have" won't give a rip if 7-Eleven opens a chain of elementary schools. Their kids won't be there anyway
I have expounded on my statement - and then some. I expect there will be a flood of local presidents rushing in to qualify what I have said. Just like I feel I have to defend certain teachers to parents. Even when I know the parent is right. Professional expectations of sorts. I may read the reply's but I won't be writing back, truth is I have formally requested a meeting with the Teamsters recruiter for a candid discussion about our district. I will post the date and time when I receive it. Who knows what will come from this but it makes me truly sad to have to do this. Still, if I can't back my own words strongly and decisively as an advocate for kids, parents and teachers. I might as well endorse NCLB, prop 13 (remember Warren Buffet warned Arnold about Prop 13) and join growing tax payer opposition to the uniquely American idea of a free, fair and equal education for all children. Regardless of financial status the great equalizer it was thought. If I offended anyone I am sorry. If your employed you should be thankful.
If anyone is interested in a meaningful dialogue. Go ahead and mention it in a reply with your email address. I will do my best to get back to you directly.
Sincerely,
Richard (not M)
P.S. as of Friday the district hatchets have pink slipped ALL our assistant principals and have released all police assigned to our schools. This simply the beginning.
Tags: change, cta, teamsters, unprepared
