In October, Mike Antonucci and his invaluable Communiqu?? drew our attention to news that the California Teachers Association planned to spend $250,000 to organize teachers in Golden State charter schools. He now reports that CTA's parent organization, the National Education Association, plans to pour $1.75 million into a three-year effort to organize charter teachers nationwide. No one can deny the right of workers to organize, or a union's right to try to grow by recruiting new members. But what, really, is going on here? Antonucci reports that "One high-ranking NEA official reportedly told board members that if the organizing campaign accomplishes nothing else, it might 'slow the creation of charter schools.'" Meanwhile, well-run charter schools unhampered by union contracts are doing fantastic work with kids across the land. Consider the stellar performance of Boston's 3-year old Codman Academy, a small urban high school that's in session 43 hours a week - and teachers phone parents at home on Sundays. Fancy trying that with "organized" teachers!
"NEA set to spend $1.75 million to organize charters," by Mike Antonucci, Communiqu??, December 15, 2003 (scroll down)
"A small scale attack on urban despair," by Sara Rimer, New York Times, December 17, 2003 (registration required)