My opinion on unions

I felt it was appropriate to write an article on unions and my experiences.  They are both good and bad, like most organizations.  But it isn’t this cure-all entity like some people think, neither is it a savior for those that are incompetent.

I might get some backlash, but I think this is an import opinion to share.

This is merely my take and my opinion based on my experiences in both districts.  I do not harbor malice for either district (I enjoy(ed) working at both).  I thought they were good districts to work for.  But neither one of them were perfect either (no entity can be).  That can be said of both unions.  But I very much prefer my current union and my current district I work with now.  I just with my union and my district had a better relationship.

My relationship with unions has not been a really good one.  For starters they can do nothing for a P1(probationary one) or a P2.  Yet they pay dues like the rest of us.  Not fair in my eyes. 

I also view myself as someone capable of bargaining for myself.  I am in a much needed field and I do a good job.  If they don't want my services for the right price, then I know I can get that pay (or more) somewhere else.  Modern business workers do it all the time, bypass the ladder and fight for yourself on your own terms.  I am unable to do this because I am part of a collective bargaining unit.

I have also been seriously burned by the union on two occasions when it came to money.  The first district I worked for was about ready to go on strike (I wasn't, I was a P1).  The district and union agreed on a change of the pay scale that gave me a lower salary than what I got with the previous contract.  This was also true for anyone that had less than 10 years in the profession and was in the middle of the columns.  Anyone that had 12 years or more made bank.  They said that we needed to keep good teachers in the district instead of losing them to other districts.  Counselors were also given a forced pay reduction too (less days worked yet they had the same case load.)  Boy was our counselor mad.  I was also very unhappy and realized for the first time that the union is an entity in and of itself that served those in power. 

Because of this I lost about 5 grand over those coming years compared to the previous contract.  They were also careful to have elections at schools that had more seasoned teachers (to skew the results).  At my middle school there was 2 out of 30 teachers that benefitted from the new contract.  At the high school, where they had elections, it was a much higher percentage.  Smart move.

In the current district I see some similar issues, but I understand why my union reacts the way it does.  The elementary school teachers still have 20:1 because that is what the leaders of the union wants.  Middle and high school teachers have 32:1.  I believe the union is of the mind set that they cannot lose any ground to the district.  This is because the district has a very hostile attitude towards the union.  So the union acts in kind.  Then the district gets even more hostile.  And the cycle continues.  I feel that the union is justified in its attitude.  It is trying to protect its members from a hostile D.O.  But even though I am sympathetic, I still hate how the union responds.  Just like I hate how the district responds.  But can I blame it all on the district?  The union representatives show hostility towards them also.  There is equal blame on both sides.  I see some attitude changes in this current round of negotiations (for the 2012-2013 school year) so I am optimistic that the union and district can develop a better relationship then what has been occurring in the past.

These negotiations that took place did not take long.  The district called an impasse very quickly, too quickly in my eyes.  But they knew they had the upper hand so it was a smart move on their part.  But the funny part is that our final agreement was very similar to our proposal right before they went to impasse.  I think communication and a good relationship would have prevented this impasse, but that is my opinion.

It took a personal toll on me.  I was stressed out because I did not want to lose my health care.  I was disappointed in how the negotiations took place.  I felt completely helpless.  Not a good feeling for someone with a male ego.

The contract was agreed to in December.  I took a 4 thousand a year pay cut.  But this is the reality in our current economy.  When I was able to get over my anger I realized that it really was in both our best interest and the district best interest because we do not want to get into debt like other districts.  Because our salary will have to pay for that accrued interest in the end.

(Then I got really stressed during semester 2 out because of lies a co-worker was spreading.  But that is for another blog.)

One of the agreements was that elementary teachers got to keep their 20 to 1 class size reduction.  First I don’t think it works.  Secondly all the surrounding district got rid of it.  Third, there are about only 20 district in California that have it in place.  I didn’t like this because I took a pay cut for teachers to have lower class sizes.  So now the district is bargaining for the minority. 

AHHHHHHHH, I can’t win.




I originally wrote this last spring (2012) but did not publish this.  Since then we have had negations for next year’s contract going from September to now.  And guess what, we changed 20 to 1 to 24 to 1.  The uproar is strong.  A lot of elementary teachers are upset and think the negotiating committee failed.  They don’t look at the blessing they got last year, instead they are cursing the fact that they now have 24 to 1.  Yes we lose teacher, but they are going to be probationary teachers and teachers being let go anyways because principals choose not to rehire them for a third year.  Big deal.  We should be bargaining for the majority of the teachers, not the minority.  So for that I am glad.

But even though I am happy for once (even with taking another 4000 dollar cut compared to what I would have received if the economy and state budget didn’t tank), others are not.  Why?  Because collective bargaining is not fair.  Unions are not fair.  Get over it.  They never can be.  Yes let your anger out.  Vent.  Play Call of Duty.  But understand that unions cannot be fair.  Unions can only represent the majority and are unable to negotiate for each employee individually.  Also, unions are there mainly to protect your rights as individuals.  Anything else is icing on the cake.