I was driving home today and listening to WBEZ, the Chicago public radio station.
They were reporting on the sellout agreement between the teachers unions and the anti-union Stand for Children and the corporate Advance Illinois. The agreement, which is now fast tracking its way through the Illinois General Assembly, restricts teacher strikes, making the threat of a strike almost useless as a bargaining tool, and ending Last In, First Out as a policy during reduction in force (RIF) when there are enrollment declines or budget restrictions.
The WBEZ reporter quoted IEA President Ken Swanson as saying that any opposition to this agreement from teachers inside the IEA came from traditional teachers.
Traditional teacher.
That would be me.
I think experience matters.
I think fairness matters.
I think a collegial relationship among teachers in a building matters.
I think agreements made between teachers and local school boards matter.
I think the right to withdraw your labor as a tool in collective bargaining matters.
I think bargaining done at a table between representatives of labor and management matters.
I have seen it work for a quarter century as a teacher, union leader and negotiator.
So, yes, in that sense I am a traditional teacher. Proudly so.
Swanson has not only adopted the substance of those who oppose us. He has adopted their language as well. They call us defenders of the status quo. He tries to marginalize us by calling us traditional teachers.
Fred Klonsky 
Dear Ken,
When you called for Lobby Day to be an annual event, I was there. Every year.
When members walked around the capitol building, I was inside, calling my legislator off the floor to speak to him about quality schools and teacher rights.
When IEA Government Relations called for rank and file members to meet personally with their Legislators to get to” know them on a first named basis”, I did. In fact I met with them over Christmas break, spring break and any other days that I could.
When my own local went on strike and IEA’s communication director advised us to begin building a stronger relationship with our community. We rose to the occasion. We created a newsletter which IEA used as a model for other locals.
Time and again, I and many members of my local have done EXACTLY what you have asked of us. I have been a devoted, active member of this union for nearly 20 years.
But now you label me a “traditionalist”.
You got too far. I can deal with you being the weakest president the IEA has ever seen. But I cannot and will not allow you to label me or any other of our members with dissenting opinions a traditional teacher. You have out done yourself, sir.
I simply cannot and will not allow you to degrade members of this association who simply disagree with your policies any longer.
I know your term as president is soon to expire and I am not sure exactly when that is. I don’t care. I am calling for your immediate resignation. You have utterly failed this association and the merits of the unification it is supposed to represent.
Jerry Mulvihill
Elementary Teacher
Region 36