I want to continue the conversation about why the Democratic Party seems to have distanced itself and in some cases abandoned its traditional alliance with unions and particularly teacher unions.
Nowhere has this abandonment been played out more starkly than in Illinois, a dark blue state, where the Democrats control both chambers of the General Assembly, the governor’s mansion and the office of the mayor of its major city, Chicago.
The assault on teachers and teacher unions has been relentless. It has been funded by deep pocketed traditionally Republican funders. It has been successful on many fronts, most clearly in the passage of Senate Bill 7 which took away tenure and seniority rights and ties teacher performance and evaluation to measures of student growth scores, also known as value added measures (VAM).
Responding to my question in a previous post, “Why do the Democrats suck when it comes to eduction?” Brother Mike says,
I tend to think it has more to do with the Democratic Party abandoning its traditional base among badly-weakened unions, poor and working-class voters and its courting of support needed to win national elections from ownership society corporatists and power philanthropists who see so-called education reform as part of a bigger, global strategy of market-driven reform.
Many other readers commented on the power of money and corporate greed, and while true, this is nothing new. Both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party have always had their billionaire sponsors, even while the Democratic Party posed as the party of working men and women.
The new factors are the near destruction of private sector unions and the frequent compliance of public sector ones, particularly the two national teacher unions, the American Federation of Teaches and the three-million member National Education Association.
In Republican states, the bargaining rights and the very existence of teacher unions have been directly challenged.
In Democratic states like Illinois, the assault has been different, less full-frontal, but equally effective.
The leadership of our unions, faced with this huge challenge, have been weak and compliant. In the case of Senate Bill 7, the IFT and the IEA, state affiliates of the AFT and the NEA, simply rolled over.
IEA President Cinda Klickna said it herself. “It’s not like the old days when we could walk across the street to the Capitol and tell them what we want.”
And perhaps that is true. But does that mean spineless conciliation and cooperation in the process of our own slow death?
The recent battle in Chicago between the Chicago Teachers Union and the Emanuel administration show what is possible in even the most difficult of circumstances. With millions of dollars of campaign money thrown into a public relations campaign against the teachers, and with teachers only having their unity, will, organization and plan, the CTU was able to beat the Mayor and win a contract fight that included issues of national importance. A fighting leadership made all the difference.
The Democratic Party took notice.
It is too soon to know if this is a blip or a trend.
But the corporatist education policies dominating the Democratic Party has partly been the union leadership’s own doing.
Fred Klonsky 
Fred, I think it also has very much to do with insane trade and incentivized tax policies (implemented under Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, and continued under Obama, that encourage offshoring of companies and jobs. That has been the causal factor of union jobs being lost in the private sector, which has weakened the unions. It’s also caused non-union job losses as well. In their pursuit of exploiting the worker to increase profits, companies have done this, decimated the economy, crippled our tax revenues, and on top of it all, got themselves even more tax breaks which have eviscerated the commons — education, infrastructure, social security, etc. They take their jobs away,rake in the profits, raid the pensions (politicians raid state pensions to fund tax breaks) and then they all blame the unions for it. So now the strapped middle class turns on itself, turns on unions, whih is the last stand against the plutocracy that is taking over and making them work harder at the job “they are so lucky to have.” It’s really bananas. What gets me is that there are so many self-described “liberals” who are anti-union! Unbelievable.
Fred and Mike,
You are absolutely correct.
…Both the republican and democratic parties are one and the same “Money Party,” corrupted by briberies (campaign funding) made legal (Citizens United); and by those who can manipulate the state’s politicians without consequences, set the legislative agenda, and hoodwink and oppress an oblivious populace.
Without a doubt, corporatists are prosperous in Illinois. The 97th Illinois General Assembly guarantees their affluence and will continue to do so, especially during this election year. Our submission to corporatists’ corruption, extortion and oppression and our assent to the General Assembly’s shameless hypocrisy, protection and perpetuation of wealthy powerful interests must be addressed…
“We mean Business” = No Representative Democracy:
http://teacherpoetmusicianglenbrown.blogspot.com/2012/05/we-mean-business-means-no.html
…Without a doubt, corporatists are prosperous in Illinois. The 97th Illinois General Assembly guarantees their affluence and will continue to do so, especially during this election year. Our submission to corporatists’ corruption, extortion and oppression and our assent to the General Assembly’s shameless hypocrisy, protection and perpetuation of wealthy powerful interests must be addressed.
“Unions, organizations formerly steeped in the doctrine of class struggle and filled with those who sought broad social and political rights for the working class, have been transformed into domesticated partners of the capitalist class. They have been reduced to simple bartering tools. The social demands of unions early in the twentieth century that gave the working class weekends off, the right to strike, the eight-hour day, and Social Security have been abandoned” (Chris Hedges)…
Who Plunders the Middle Class?
http://teacherpoetmusicianglenbrown.blogspot.com/2012/07/who-is-plundering-middle-class.html
Hmmm…market driven? .time to organize boycotts
I guess to say “Without a doubt, corporatists are prosperous in Illinois…” twice does drive the point home.
Nonetheless, I meant to say this instead: When certain Illinois policymakers wield the power to impoverish some people by destroying their rights; when the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Civic Federation’s money not only influences the General Assembly’s decision-making policies but generates and perpetuates falsehoods and economic inequality, the people’s trust in the legitimacy of the Illinois state government degenerates into profound skepticism and resentment.
Many of our Democratic and Republican policymakers are liars and thieves.
I agree with everybody here about the corporate aspect of the Democratic Party (whiich is why Obama won’t be putting on his wallkng shoes anytime soon), but i also have to agree with Fred about the quality leadership and steadfast determination of this union. Even on MSNBC’s Education Nation the question was asked, not what do you think about strikes,, but how do you feel about Karen Lewis and the Chicago teachers union and a roar went up from the crowd. The sheer number of participants,the timing, AND support from parents( a group often used as a wedge) helped make this possible.
I agree, the privatization of public education is the logical and careful extension of policies like Clinton’s Nafta. And the relentless tv ads, the Education-Nation nonsense, the Won’t-Back-Down hooey, is the Dems artfully spinning the message for its corporate sponsors. They are the errand boys and they messed up in Chicago.
The Dems’ story about education “reform'” — lousy, greedy teachers, lousy PISA test scores, fabulous charters, and all the rest of it — was thin to begin with. But now the gaps in logic are obvious even to Jeb Bush, who along with Bruce (“This means war!”) Rauner, is pushing a new storyline: teachers, nice! unions, not-so-nice!
Talk about a class war.
Both the Dem and GOP “reforms” attack a middle class profession that is primarily female and narrow the children’s curriculum in order to benefit testing and curriculum companies and all the tech companies who make tablets and laptops and WiFi networks.
And still our President would have us believe that poor kids will do better in school when they each take 5, 6 or 7 different tests, multiple times a year, even though they get no more social support services than before.
Those tests — somehow — inform teacher evaluation systems.
That is the big mistake this all rests upon.
And with Randi making $400,000 a year that is not what I’m paying my dues for. May I have a refund?
Don’t ASK “May I?” Demand the refund! Honestly, everyone needs to do what CORE did in the CTU–find out EXACTLY what they did to change their leadership, & you all do the same. Writing to blogs is not the same as taking action. (Never thought I’d quote Sarah Palin, but “How’s that ‘hope-y/change-y’ thing workin’ out for ya?”)
DO something!! (And, yes, I am using my teacher/yelling voice, because when I am frustrated & sad that my students are engaging in same-old-same-old {that is, that “insanity” quote–“Insanity is doing the same thing over & over & expecting different results”), I yell out of frustration because I care about them. (I always explained to my students that, when a teacher yells, it means he/she cares about them. Worked for us!)
Yes, YOU can!!!! Yes, WE can!!!
Randi has a long history (a decade) of working with the Broad Foundation. The 2009 Annual Report of the Foundation (http://www.broadfoundation.org/asset/101-2009.10%20annual%20report.pdf) mentions her numerous times. On page 11 for example, it says “We decided at the onset of our work to invest in
smart, progressive labor leaders like Randi Weingarten, head of
the United Federation of Teachers in New York City for more
than a decade and now president of the American Federation
of Teachers (AFT).”
Arne Duncan was on the Board of the Broad Foundation before become Secretary of Education, so Randi joining him on his recent bus caravan through the Mid-West was just a continuation of a collaboration that has been going on for years.
Also, see this March, 2009 article in Gotham News
Eli Broad describes close ties to Klein, Weingarten, Duncan
http://gothamschools.org/2009/03/11/eli-broad-describes-close-ties-to-klein-weingarten-duncan/
Democrats are loathe to criticize other Dems especially in election season, but if Obama is reelected I see nothing wrong with teachers insisting on a “teachable moment” for him. I see all the relevant factors mentioned (profiiteering, testing companies etc.) but Chicago brought the concerns of teachers out into the open and we should not stand for the division of teachers and their unions.I t is not us vs. the students is any way. From a public relations aspect (and in actuality) tying in teacher concerns with how they benefit students was an essential part of that strike. It has been shown that the students of unionized teachers fare better,and that’s somethng that needs to be driven home in whatever ways possible.
I don’t understand why the teachers’ unions are either endorsing Democratic legislators who want to amputate pension benefits, or else are neutral even though a Republcan challenger is stronger on protecting pensions. Do the unions have a death wish?
Which Illinois Republican are you referring to?
The IFT endorsed Rep. Mussman (D, Schamburg), even though she voted to end free health care for certain state retirees and will not promise to hold other retirees harmless. She says taxpayers must be protected. Her opponent, the president of his police pension board, says retirees should be held harmless.