Question: You posted the other day that we need the unity of all the organizations that represent Illinois public employees in the court fight for our pensions.
Answer: Yes I did.
Q: But then you criticized your union’s leadership. Weren’t you contradicting yourself?
A: I don’t think so. I called for my organization’s leadership to work closely with all other representatives of public employees and to be transparent and informative.
Q: But then you criticized your organizations’ leaders.
A: Of course. And I have also praised them. Anyone who suggests that you should not criticize leadership has a goofy idea of what democracy looks like.
Q: Doesn’t the criticism of your union’s leaders aid and abet the enemies of teacher unions?
A: Heck no. It helps my union. Unless you think that those in authority can make no mistakes. Our leaders have made mistakes in the past. They will make them again. It is inevitable.
Leadership contributed to the pension ramp in 1995.
Mistakes contributed to the creation of a two-tier pension system.
Mistakes led to the Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA).
Mistakes led leadership to advocate with Stand for Children and gave us Senate Bill 7.
Who knows? Perhaps more internal debate and open discussion would have prevented these mistakes.
Q: So, you don’t think you’re being disloyal when you constantly go after the union leadership?
A: Disloyal? (Laughing) First of all, go back over my blog posts. The number of posts that criticize union leadership are few. Perhaps too few. The number of posts that promote and support unionism are many. Most of my posts target the rich and powerful, the 1%, the real union haters.
Q: You drew a cartoon of the IEA President.
A: A good one too! Has it become un-American to draw cartoons that make fun of leaders?
Fred Klonsky 
Fred,
I totally agree with you. While I have never been a member of IEA or IFT I am a past president of the IPA and a member of IASA as well as IRTA. It was gratifying to see IASA join with IRTA in the initial lawsuit. I have been giving the officers and ED of IPA a little hell for not coming out stronger on the pension reform issue thus far, What you are doing is not so much criticism, but more of a challenge to step it up a few notches.
I agree with you that in the past the various ate organizations were not aggressive enough in defending our rights and as a result we have experienced the slow erosion of our rights.
The failure to recall the Wisconsin governor was a sign to the conservatives that the general electorate was siding with the conservatives and Tea Party, that teachers and state employees had it to good. It is a shame that the various Illinois groups did not get more involved in that recall election. If Walker had been recalled I do not thing that Illinois would have passed Senate Bill 1 because it would have showed that the public supported the teachers and state workers.
I would encourage the NEA, AFT, NAESP, NASSP, and various groups in Massachusetts and other states not to stand on the sidelines with a wait and see attitude toward what is going on in Illinois. What is happening here is of national importance for all other state teacher and state employee groups. The big money does not let state boundaries preclude them from pumping money to where ever there is a way to diminish unions and labor.
I would challenge all retirees to get involved. We have three things going for us. First, being retired we have the time to work on this matter. Second, we are a very knowledgeable group and typically are life long learners. Third, we have a love and belief in our country, democracy, and future generations. Fourth, for many we have some disposal income to support a change. We need to create an umbrella group, i.e. like an AARP, ,but much more politically active to support an alternative progressive party to bring new blood, fresh ideas, and a concern for the middle class and the disenfranchised to balance off the “dollarocrats” who have taken over the GOP and a significant number of Democrats.
I remind you that the great Rumsfeld also used this Q & A technique. And to quote him…”If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.” He did a lot, unfortunately all of it shitty! He should be in a cell.
Perhaps draw a cartoon of Hais!! Since he seems to be on the defense of IEA and offense of “bully Fred”. Some people just don’t get it, there are those who appear to be ignorant and those who choose to ignore the facts. Calling a spade a spade is good, holding leadership accountable is good too! Thanks for all that you do.. Curtis
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This is from an interview with Studs Terkel about his going to the University of Chicago.What do you think?
Robert Maynard Hutchins was the chancellor then. He was magnificent. He always said at all the convocation speeches all had the same theme: the young must challenge, must question authority. No matter who that authority is, no matter what that authority-you must always challenge it, must question. Question is the word. And that is the thing we are lacking sometimes with today’s students.
Jim,
What do I think? I am honored to be thought of as part of the “young.” That’s what you meant, right?
To paraphrase Hunter S. Thompson, ““There are always risks in challenging leadership/authority, but the risks of not challenging it could be more dangerous, even fatal.”
Unions, historically, that did not stand up for their members became weak “company unions” or just lost members. As the corporations and their political front groups have assertively adapted to the digital age, bloggers such as Fred, Diane Ravitch, and others become so important in fighting the dismantling/privatization of the public school system. Though this takes many guises, such as the charter school push and the attempts to smash unions, the end result will be Third World America, where only the wealthy have access to quality education. Don’t want us to become Bangladesh, no thank you…
We need another Reg Weaver! There was no “silence” posted over his mouth but, rather, what he said, and what the current IEA leadership SHOULD be saying. Also, what Elma said.
BTW, one of my criticisms (&, perhaps, biggest complaint) lies with–IMHO–our (non) Communications Director, Charlie McBarron. Do we not pay his salary? What does he do to earn it? Again, I think the most blatant “silence” comes from him, because all the “communications” we receive seem to be from you, Fred, Glen, John, Ken, IEA Region 28, Bob & e-mails back & forth. Perhaps YOU all should be splitting his salary amongst yourselves? Better yet, I’m still in favor of a union merge–IFT/IEA, and have ONE Communications Director, ONE President and one BIG union. Strength in numbers and, also, less membership money spent on administrative gobbledegook & more on strengthening an organization, more on public relations (getting our message out to Illinois citizens) and more on legal defense.