– Mark Stefanik is a middle school language arts teacher and frequent contributor to this blog. Mark is a long-time local union leader who has served on the local’s bargaining team many times. Mark particularly earned his union stripes when he was one of the leaders of our strike in 2003.
It continues to be a week filled with irony.
Today’s episode stars former IEA President Bob Haisman who is, once again, outraged at Fred Klonsky’s voice in IEA affairs.
Let’s get something clear, Santa. Cheerleading for the impotence and mismanagement of our union’s policy-makers after the most recent convention is the equivalent of the Titanic’s captain saying, “Hey, the water’s not that cold.”
Cinda Klickna had a swell convention? That is an outcome to be celebrated?
Pensiontheftchartergrowthschoolclosingstaxloopholesdestructionofpublicschoolcurricumunfairtaxcodescorruptpoliticians…
Is this too much of a puzzle for you to solve?
Where was your leadership as Illinois public education became besieged?
Where was your outrage when it might have been effective?
Now, we have to hope that the constitution will be upheld. Now we have to rely on energized membership to begin the long, slow political process of ‘undoing’ the warped legislation in Springfield.
You might have stopped the problems. You might have slowed them. We’ll never be sure. We can be sure, however, that you were never so outraged on behalf of your membership, your schools, and your state as you are with Fred Klonsky.
Fred is not the problem, Bob. Fred is not the enemy, Bob. Fred is a leader, Bob.
You and fellow consul, Swanson, are leaders cut from a different cloth (I recommend red with white fur trim) – two jolly old elves that left coal in our stockings.
Join us, Bob. We are the IEA.
Fred Klonsky 
extremely well-put!
I would add, we are the NEW IEA and we’re coming to a school district near you!
I don’t like living in FEAR of what my union will not do ( is not doing–has not done) for me. I know that I will not like living in WANT during my retirement as I age. Fear and want are two of the freedoms discussed in Harvey J. Kay’s book FOUR FREEDOMS and on Bill Moyer’s TV program. These freedoms were presented by Thomas Paine and FDR. In the past unions helped to secure these freedoms–freedom from FEAR and WANT. That is not the case today. The IEA is not helping me. Fred is exercising his freedom of SPEECH (third of the four freedoms) in an effort to promote discussion and change for the better! THANK you Fred! As long as you continue to inform and provide facts that can be easily verified there is hope for our democracy. The supression of discussion on the part of Bob, Ken, and Cinda or a differing view point screams of hidden agendas and cover up of past bad deeds. The very concept of democracy–with charter schools, teaching to tests, theft of pensions, blatantly ignoring the constitution, inadequate funding of education–is at risk. Is anything more serious? Thank you, Fred, Glen, and others for being on the front line and please keep up the great work!
Thank you for keeping the facts straight and the truth in front of us.
A member of the state legislature told me he voted for the pension ‘reform’ because the unions had agreed with it! They are sell outs.
“…..you were never so outraged on behalf of your membership, your schools, and your state as you are with Fred Klonsky.” And this is the part I don’t understand. At my local things were the way they were because the leadership were afraid of the administration and since it was a unit district they had a fear of a lack of support based in sexual discrimination. Fearing that support was not in the ranks because the majority were women earning second incomes ( a sexist view), they made themselves impotent. I hope that is not the case now—–feeling you can only push so far because, after all, we represent mostly women. Unfortunately this appears as the only logical reason for such poor representation.
I think the “union” that said “OK” was SEIU . It was NOT a real one like CTU
Let us not fall into the “I’m more UNION than thee” trap. That’s where Bob seem to be coming from.
I think that we are at the point where we might want to turn off Mr. Haisman’s pointless rants.
In other words, it seems as though he’s been having a public tantrum and, as most of us (if not all) are/have been teachers (as well as parents), the best course for bad behavior (unless it gravely affects us, such as pension-cutting) is to…well…ignore aforementioned behavior. Has always worked well!
All of this having been said, I would refer you back to the comments on “Sunday Reads.”
Yes, we are at the time (actually, well past) where action must be taken, not just writing or moaning or hand-wringing or complaining. Not sure if NEA RA voting is over but, if not & for a start, make sure to vote for Fred (I would also recommend votes for Jack Tucker & Bob Kaplan).
RBMTK,
I have turned the Haisman screener back on. A half dozen rants just in the last 12 hours – attacks on Mark for not being an active enough union member and other ad homs were trashed. And will continue to be. The lecture from the former President that I should disagree without being disagreeable was more than even I could wrap my sense of irony around.
All retired delegate ballots must be received by April 23rd.
Me?