Category Archives: Unions

The Anti-Poverty Institution That Shall Not Be Named

Posted on May 15, 2013 by

Before we get to that, it’s worth noting that just as I don’t think children should be held accountable for their parents, parents aren’t responsible for the opinions of their grown children. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Peter Edelman … Continue reading →

Posted in Unions | 1 Comment

All of Us Need to Learn the Lessons From Organized Labor

Posted on January 21, 2013 by

DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFLPA, about Michigan’s recent passage of anti-worker solidarity laws (aka ‘right-to-work’; boldface mine): I used to say that we have forgotten a lot of the lessons from organized labor over the last 100 years, … Continue reading →

Posted in Unions

It’s Time to ‘Politicize’ Martin Luther King Day

Posted on January 21, 2013 by

For Martin Luther King Day, I usually link to one of his last major addresses–a speech to striking sanitation workers in Memphis. But one thing that has always bothered me about the holiday is that we’ve stripped it of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Housing, Hunger, Racism, Unions | 2 Comments

“Solidarity Isn’t a Purely Altruistic Concept”: On the ‘Right-to-Work’ Canard

Posted on December 13, 2012 by

So if you haven’t heard, Michigan’s Republican-controlled House and Senate, along with its Republican governor have turned Michigan into a ‘right-to-work’ state, which means that employees who benefit from union-based collective bargaining are not required to pay union dues. That’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Unions | 2 Comments

Solidarity and Teaching

Posted on October 15, 2012 by

No, this isn’t about unions (at least directly), but teachers supporting each other’s teaching. Carrie Leana describes the role of “social capital” plays in student outcomes, in particular third grade math* (boldface mine): So we asked the teachers whom they … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Mathematics, Unions | 4 Comments

The Common Feature of the NFL Officials and the Chicago Teachers: The Arrogance of Capital

Posted on September 27, 2012 by

A lot of people have noted on Twitter and the bloggysphere something to the effect of “referees are valued the same way by the NFL as teachers are by education ‘reformers’” (which is to say, not at all). Most of … Continue reading →

Posted in Football, Unions | 2 Comments

Strong Support For Chicago Teachers, Especially Among Chicago Parents

Posted on September 14, 2012 by

Encouraging news for Chicago’s teachers and students (remember, teachers’ working conditions are children’s learning conditions; boldface mine): Conducted by We Ask America, the poll of 1,344 voting Chicago households asked, “In general, do you approve or disapprove of the Chicago … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Funding, Unions

Why School Reform Is Not Like Welfare Reform

Posted on September 12, 2012 by

In The Atlantic, Molly Ball writes about education ‘reform’: To many Democrats, embracing education reform is the only way the party can retain its traditional advantage on education, which Republicans have had increasing success portraying as a wasteful example of … Continue reading →

Posted in Democrats, Economics, Unions | 8 Comments

Thoughts on Labor Day: Paternalism Versus the Liberties of Workers

Posted on September 3, 2012 by

If you follow education policy and the pseudo-policy known as education ‘reform’, you’ll often hear something along the lines of “I support teachers, I just don’t support teachers unions.” This is an arrogant canard that assumes you know what’s best … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Education, Unions | 3 Comments

More on Caterpillar’s War on Workers

Posted on August 7, 2012 by

Last week, I mentioned how, despite being incredibly profitable (especially in this economy), Caterpillar is still attempting to crush its workers and their union. Steven Pearlstein makes a similar point (boldface mine): The first is to note that when it … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Economics, Unions