Why Green Dot Isn't Coming Here Soon
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Thu Nov 15, 2007 at 10:21 PM
Why Green Dot Isn't Coming Here Soon
Our union dues at work!
When are the raises coming?
When are the raises coming?
Fri Nov 16, 2007 at 7:58 AM
Why Green Dot Isn't Coming Here Soon
There is no obstacle to organizing charters in Illinois other than they belong to a different "bargaining unit". This can be within the CTU, which is currently in the process of doing so. The Charter Outreach is part of that effort.
Fri Nov 16, 2007 at 2:17 PM
Why Green Dot Isn't Coming Here Soon
Don't think CTU would have to have anything to do with it at all. How is that working in LA, are those teachers at all a part of the same union as traditional public school teachers, or have they started their own union?
The real reason it might not happen any time soon is that I don't know that the majority of charter teachers would even support the effort to unionize charters. Some of us look at it as a bonus, that is not being a part of the union. I'm not the least bit anti-union, I think they do great things in many, many cases. I, however, am also not pro-CTU. I know more than a few colleagues with similar opinions.
The real reason it might not happen any time soon is that I don't know that the majority of charter teachers would even support the effort to unionize charters. Some of us look at it as a bonus, that is not being a part of the union. I'm not the least bit anti-union, I think they do great things in many, many cases. I, however, am also not pro-CTU. I know more than a few colleagues with similar opinions.
Fri Nov 16, 2007 at 2:23 PM
Why Green Dot Isn't Coming Here Soon
good points, charlie --
true there would be some charter teachers who wouldn't be happy about a CTU affiliation.
the upsides say green dot teachers i've talked to have to do with pensions, job protection, health insurance, etc.
but it's not the same contract.
the green dot schools in LA joined CTA (the NEA affiliate), though now that it seems clear that more green dots are on the way the UTLA may do some sort of deal.
the new york school as i understand it is going to be UFT, which already has a few charters including some KIPPs.
true there would be some charter teachers who wouldn't be happy about a CTU affiliation.
the upsides say green dot teachers i've talked to have to do with pensions, job protection, health insurance, etc.
but it's not the same contract.
the green dot schools in LA joined CTA (the NEA affiliate), though now that it seems clear that more green dots are on the way the UTLA may do some sort of deal.
the new york school as i understand it is going to be UFT, which already has a few charters including some KIPPs.
Fri Nov 16, 2007 at 4:32 PM
Why Green Dot Isn't Coming Here Soon
One other point, the pension is not an issue here, all certified charter school teachers are already part of the pension fund as far as I understand. At least everyone I know is. Go to the pension web site and you'll pretty easily find the language that explains just that.
Job protection might certainly be an issue. I sort of appreciate the fact that where I work, if you do your job to the best of your ability you never feel like you are at risk of losing it. And, frankly, I like the fact that we are able to move toward dismissing teachers who perform poorly much quicker than a traditional CPS school might.
On the other hand, I can understand that there are probably some charter principals/administrators/directors/ceos who might not act as fairly, or have a penchant for dismissing teachers for none performance related issues. That's why I hope what ever happens with the unionization of charters, that it is always left solely up to the individual school whether they will choose to enter a bargaining unit.
Job protection might certainly be an issue. I sort of appreciate the fact that where I work, if you do your job to the best of your ability you never feel like you are at risk of losing it. And, frankly, I like the fact that we are able to move toward dismissing teachers who perform poorly much quicker than a traditional CPS school might.
On the other hand, I can understand that there are probably some charter principals/administrators/directors/ceos who might not act as fairly, or have a penchant for dismissing teachers for none performance related issues. That's why I hope what ever happens with the unionization of charters, that it is always left solely up to the individual school whether they will choose to enter a bargaining unit.
Sat Nov 17, 2007 at 5:05 AM
Why Green Dot Isn't Coming Here Soon
Anonymous is wrong. It is still illegal under the Amendatory Act for CTU to organize charter school workers into the CTU's bargaining unit (and hence under the current CTU contract). Theoretically, CTU could cooperate with the Illinois Federation of Teachers to organize workers in the charter schools into separate bargaining units, and the Illinois Education Labor Relations Act would require that each charter operator bargain with the local union leadership. But those people who signed union cards would not be CTU members.
A couple of other things, Charlie (and anonymous) to ease your worries about having to carry a union card and pay union dues.
If the union that organized the charter workers went "wall to wall" (that's organizing slang for bringing all the workers in the unit into one union), the teachers would be part of a bargaining unit that included the lunchroom, secretarial, security, and non-teaching people.
A "wall to wall" organizing campaign would provide some interesting moments, since the Big Chicago charters (I'm not talking about Namaste or even LEARN in this context) seem as rabid as the Pentagon in outsourcing (to sub-contractors) many of their core functions. This includes curriculum, which seems to be the way the EMOs (Victory Schools, American Quality Schools, Edison Schools, etc.) make their profits off the top at this point.
The public doesn't have to worry about learning these interesting facts from CPS, however, because again this year the charters, with all their Blackwater and Dynacorp legalistic complexifications, are still lumped under "contractual and other services" rather than "transparent" (don't you love that word when budget people use it to hide things?) for the public.
Anyone who wants to tell me how much AQS, Victory or Edisons is receiving -- total, not just from Austin -- this year, please direct me to the place on the CPS website. Public information and all that.
Back to organizing unions (that will have to be plural) for charter workers (among whom are teachers)...
Again at Wednesday's union meeting, CTU discussed organizing the charter schools in Chicago -- into IFT locals. The current CTU algorhythm for "organizing" at this point seems to be the Christmas Card (not the union card with an organizer or rep involved). Last month, CTU demanded that all of the 800 or so delegates give CTU the names of charter school teachers to "organize" them. Apparently there haven't been a lot of names, since CTU's leaders were berating the delegates for not having filled in all those names. One friend of mine said that maybe all the charter school teachers were going to get a Holiday Greetings card from CTU/IFT, along with a card check card to sign. (Again, if you don't know what "card check" is, check it out; this is relevant to the Presidential election, even).
Given the ignorance of the CTU leadership on the actual legal structures within the charters themselves (I'm waiting for the charters to sub-contract some of the "teacher functions" in addition to almost everything else, each with a profit up front to the sub-contractor, remember), it will be a long long time before Marilyn Stewart's group gets from Clueless to "Wow, why didn't I know that?"about what going on here.
So, Charlie, it looks like you won't have to worry about facing a union organizer as you drive home at 8:00 Monday night.
CTU also doesn't have much of a model for organizing people at this point, and they certainly haven't hired enough organizer to actually do the job according to Illinois law.
And it's been more than a year since Marilyn Stewart complained that SEIU was talking to the workers at the charter schools and (supposedly) "raiding" her turf.
And more than six months since Marilyn Stewart didn't return those phone calls from the other unions asking for a negotiating coalition (resulting in the other unions signing with CPS for five years and three percent in early August, then getting the four percent and five years that Marilyn swung courtesy of their "me too" clause in September).
But that's another story for another time. Rest assured you won't have to worry about paying union dues -- or having union protected seniority -- at your charter school for a time.
So as you age (and your salary grows, even there) enjoy what the corproate reformers want to be everyone's future:
"At will" workers. Everywhere from Shanghai to South Chicago.
A couple of other things, Charlie (and anonymous) to ease your worries about having to carry a union card and pay union dues.
If the union that organized the charter workers went "wall to wall" (that's organizing slang for bringing all the workers in the unit into one union), the teachers would be part of a bargaining unit that included the lunchroom, secretarial, security, and non-teaching people.
A "wall to wall" organizing campaign would provide some interesting moments, since the Big Chicago charters (I'm not talking about Namaste or even LEARN in this context) seem as rabid as the Pentagon in outsourcing (to sub-contractors) many of their core functions. This includes curriculum, which seems to be the way the EMOs (Victory Schools, American Quality Schools, Edison Schools, etc.) make their profits off the top at this point.
The public doesn't have to worry about learning these interesting facts from CPS, however, because again this year the charters, with all their Blackwater and Dynacorp legalistic complexifications, are still lumped under "contractual and other services" rather than "transparent" (don't you love that word when budget people use it to hide things?) for the public.
Anyone who wants to tell me how much AQS, Victory or Edisons is receiving -- total, not just from Austin -- this year, please direct me to the place on the CPS website. Public information and all that.
Back to organizing unions (that will have to be plural) for charter workers (among whom are teachers)...
Again at Wednesday's union meeting, CTU discussed organizing the charter schools in Chicago -- into IFT locals. The current CTU algorhythm for "organizing" at this point seems to be the Christmas Card (not the union card with an organizer or rep involved). Last month, CTU demanded that all of the 800 or so delegates give CTU the names of charter school teachers to "organize" them. Apparently there haven't been a lot of names, since CTU's leaders were berating the delegates for not having filled in all those names. One friend of mine said that maybe all the charter school teachers were going to get a Holiday Greetings card from CTU/IFT, along with a card check card to sign. (Again, if you don't know what "card check" is, check it out; this is relevant to the Presidential election, even).
Given the ignorance of the CTU leadership on the actual legal structures within the charters themselves (I'm waiting for the charters to sub-contract some of the "teacher functions" in addition to almost everything else, each with a profit up front to the sub-contractor, remember), it will be a long long time before Marilyn Stewart's group gets from Clueless to "Wow, why didn't I know that?"about what going on here.
So, Charlie, it looks like you won't have to worry about facing a union organizer as you drive home at 8:00 Monday night.
CTU also doesn't have much of a model for organizing people at this point, and they certainly haven't hired enough organizer to actually do the job according to Illinois law.
And it's been more than a year since Marilyn Stewart complained that SEIU was talking to the workers at the charter schools and (supposedly) "raiding" her turf.
And more than six months since Marilyn Stewart didn't return those phone calls from the other unions asking for a negotiating coalition (resulting in the other unions signing with CPS for five years and three percent in early August, then getting the four percent and five years that Marilyn swung courtesy of their "me too" clause in September).
But that's another story for another time. Rest assured you won't have to worry about paying union dues -- or having union protected seniority -- at your charter school for a time.
So as you age (and your salary grows, even there) enjoy what the corproate reformers want to be everyone's future:
"At will" workers. Everywhere from Shanghai to South Chicago.
