I think it's telling that I had no idea that there was a vote today until I saw it here. Nor have I, in the four schools I've been to in the last two days, heard ANY teachers discussing it.

This is the representation I'm paying for: the people who have yet to respond to any of my phone calls over the last few years; the people people who were so triumphant a few years ago, promising all kinds of change when it's been so much more "same as it ever was"; the people who simply do not represent the interests of an important chunk of the members.

that was consistent w/ my experience w/ the btu years ago. the btu & school system left me and a number of people off the list when we were supposed to vote. phone calls were not easy unless you really got on someone's radar. getting them to do anything was something else.

at least you don't have middleton in charge. he's been in charge for decades while the janitors got the worst of it and questionable practices were going on. he's the worst union leadership in the city schools.

Sue them.

Honestly.

The BTU leadership has NO incentive to improve. Membership pays only $3 more a month than non-membership. Shoot, make it a class action. I have never once heard a positive story of interactions with the BTU. I'd love for someone to tell me if they have. Ultimately I feel as though I gave them about $1000 for little to no benefit. Their "collective bargaining" power is a joke.

Well-- the vote was on. And outside the auditorium they were handing out flyers urging members to vote NO to a partial contract, because-- after all, "Would you buy 3/4 of a car without knowing what the other 1/4 would cost you?" Ridiculous.

So, the logic is-- if we can't get everything we want (because we're so inept at negotiation, and we have absolutely no concept of reforming the schools to make them better), so because of this we'll hold up the pay.

No I had someone from the union actually tell me earlier this week that we'd be "voting so that we could get the pay increase before Christmas..." SO-- now I know why people were handing them out before we entered the auditorium, because the Union leadership was inside. Ridiculous.

I say we break this union and form our own bargaining unit. As I've said before, the $600+ annual dues is not being well spent, and I wish we had an audit of how it is actually spent. Maybe on Marietta English's deck (really, I wonder if she has to pay her portion of the Union's Spring Break Cruise??? She probably gets a stipend because she is "working"); I voted for Troy Grant.

Bill, although I vehemently disagreed with you on our post on Soulja Boy (I responded to your post there), I very much agree with you on this post. Unless teachers step up and demand better leadership that will improve the situation in our schools, there is no incentive to change on the part of BTU leadership.

You know, after the merger between US Airways and America West, there has been so much tension between the two old pilot groups that the old US Airways pilots are currently in a bid to oust the old union and start a new union to represent them. I don't know all the details or laws for how union leadership works, but if BTU doesn't want to change, is there some way to basically have a coup d'etat? Teachers organizing to demand that either the BTU improve or get rid of it and try with a different union.

Just some thoughts.

This "vote" was poorly organized, poorly advertised, and overall very disappointing. My room was full of kids until deep into the evening, but if I could have, I would have voted "no"... voting before this thing is a done deal is ridiculous.

I know of no teacher who voted at my school. Something really needs to be done about our union.

Brent Jones has an article in today's Sun about the approval of the contract. He cites the union as saying that 78% of educators voted to approve - but he doesn't cite how many people voted in the first place. I'm sure this is not information the union necessarily wants to share, but from the sound of it, that is not 78% of the 7200 teachers and paras that COULD have voted.

Mr. Jones, please find out this information because, especially in the context of the vote and how many people are frustrated with the union leadership, that is a key/vital piece of information! Don't let the union dictate your article. Only printing that 78% figure is misleading without knowing total votes.

The union wouldn't say how many people voted, but I believe the turnout was pretty low, probably the lowest in years. I was out there at Poly for a good portion of it.
And trust me, Sara and I knew there is growing frustration among union members with their leadership. But it can be hard to report, especially when teachers don't like going on the record to talk about said issue.

Brent: Have you attempted to get actual number of voters? Have you attempted to get teachers to talk on the record? I know of several teachers who would be hesitant to speak on certain matters, but not about the union's shortcomings.Has there ever been an article in the Sun about teachers not supporting their union? I don't recall one. I don't recall any teacher I know being asked to comment on the record about the union's shortcomings.

I would think that there would be many teachers who would be willing to speak "on the record" about the BTU. The fear of retaliation isn't in play as it would be in speaking about the school system itself.

There used to be a more progressive group of union members which offered a nice counterbalance to the views offered by the union and its board members. I've been trying to remember the name they used and have wondered what happened to them. Does anyone know? It might be a good thing to resurrect/re-create such a group.