Wave of Teachers’ Strikes: Kentucky and Oklahoma — Interviews Available [On Twitter]
Currently in Oklahoma, Elk is the senior labor reporter at Payday Report and just wrote the piece “Wave of teachers’ wildcat strikes spreads to Oklahoma and Kentucky” for the Guardian.
He writes: “On Friday, teachers in Kentucky went out on illegal wildcat strikes in more than 25 counties against the wishes of union leaders to protest against draconian changes to the state’s … pension plans. …
“While Oklahoma has the country’s lowest tax on oil and natural gas production, teachers’ salaries remain stubbornly low, at 49th in the nation.
“The strikers have been buoyed by a successful strike by their peers in West Virginia, their first statewide work stoppage since 1990, which ended with them winning a 5 percent pay rise and other concessions.”
TAMMY BERLIN, (502) 797-2638, tammy.berlin@jcta.org
Berlin is vice president of the the Jefferson County Teachers Association in Kentucky. She said today: “We thought we killed this ‘reform’ bill twice and then they attached some of it to a sewage bill, appropriately enough. They passed it in record time from committee to both houses. That was done illegally, they didn’t have the required actuarial analysis — so there will be legal changes. Today is the last day of the session and they’re trying to pass a budget. We want them to fund education by closing loopholes. There’s a strong push to give money to charter schools even though they don’t have the funding for that. … We don’t want a regressive tax. Teachers will be meeting in Louisville beginning Wednesday.”
Berlin is vice president of the the Jefferson County Teachers Association in Kentucky. She said today: “We thought we killed this ‘reform’ bill twice and then they attached some of it to a sewage bill, appropriately enough. They passed it in record time from committee to both houses. That was done illegally, they didn’t have the required actuarial analysis — so there will be legal changes. Today is the last day of the session and they’re trying to pass a budget. We want them to fund education by closing loopholes. There’s a strong push to give money to charter schools even though they don’t have the funding for that. … We don’t want a regressive tax. Teachers will be meeting in Louisville beginning Wednesday.”
For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Sam Husseini, (202) 421-6858, (202) 347-0020; David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
April 2, 2018
Institute for Public Accuracy
980 National Press Building, Washington, D.C. 20045
(202) 347-0020 * accuracy.org * ipa@accuracy.org
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“…against the wishes of union leaders….”
I find this so incomprehensible as to render me almost speechless that union leaders are still this far behind their flocks. Almost, I say. What exactly are they waiting for? What more do they need? Teachers are grossly underpaid, ridiculously overworked, dangerously maligned, left in the line of fire (literally), etc., etc., etc. What more would it take for union “leaders” (sic) to wake up and think, hm, maybe we should do something?
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I think those union leaders went to the same school of adminimalization as 99% of all adminimals in this country. Hey, if nothing else they know how to play nicely with each other in the sand box, sharing the little chunks of chocolate they find with each other.
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1) Tell me what those union leaders should do?.2) Why do you think that they are not doing it? . 3 ) Is at all possible perhaps they are doing things that you are not aware of and for good reason. 4) What type of dues do you think are collected from members in WV. Oklahoma , Arizona .? 5) What percentage of the bargaining unit is represented by the dues paying members? 6) Are the potential fines and penalties so stiff as to bankrupt the Union? 7) Is there jail time attached for those Union leaders if this is an official job action? 8) Can the Union afford the legal challenges to fight the fines and criminal penalties. 9 ) Are the members willing to stay out as long as necessary to win this fight? 10) Are they willing to put their own freedom on the line to prevent the strike from being broken?. … …
Things were very easy for Unions when the battles of the labor were in the distant past in 20s ,30s, 40s possibly into the early 50s .
So I ask an old question are members of the bargaining unit who will not pay dues willing to make the sacrifices that are needed . And finally don’t expect this Hydra to die easy, it keeps coming back. A victory being only found in battles. The war has yet to be fought and it better involves far more than organized labor if you expect to win. .
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And lastly I need the edit button .
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Holy snot. What the union leaders should do? You need to ask that? How about if they, well, lead, for a change? How about they stop holding back their membership while their membership are getting s— on by state and federal politicians?
At the very least, if they can’t find the guts to lead a strike themselves (like the CTU did), how about if they at least STFU and get out of the way? These wildcat strikes aren’t costing the unions anything, why do they feel the need to silence them?
Why on earth would you defend that kind of cravenness?
Anyway, this is just blatantly false: “Things were very easy for Unions when the battles of the labor were in the distant past in 20s ,30s, 40s possibly into the early 50s.” How can you not know how many people died for union rights??? For starters, look up Haymarket. No one said it would be easy, but the teachers who stand to lose the most are willing to do it anyway. It’s the union leaders that don’t want to lose their cushy six-figure jobs who aren’t willing.
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I spent the late ’70s and early ’80s picketing at my district and others around our county, and NYSUT was behind us in those days. Anyone that does strike must realize the possible consequences including loss of pay, jail or even termination. The only effective action is a collective one.
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dienne77
I assure you you are an amateur at this . I know exactly how many were killed in the labor movement till the 30’s . I’ll skip the racially motivated assaults in the South that lasted far longer. It didn’t end at Hay-Market Square . But labor peace has existed in the country for over half a century. Perhaps a little less in the industry I was in . But even in NY’s construction Industry where members have been know as late as 1998 to punch a Police Horse in the nose in order to throw the cop, trying to break up demonstrations , things have been relatively calm. .
Gone are the days in the early 70s ,that bolts were thrown through the windows of the first 10 floors of Honeywell’s corporate headquarters, in Down Town Manhattan . Gone are the days that cabs were turned over in the streets of Manhattan in the 60s . Or drivers were confronted leaving the Daily News in the 80s. . Gone are the days non union construction jobs were invaded and left looking like Aleppo. All of which the statute of limitations has long been exceeded on , so I can say I or my older brother participated in. My father fought in the real battles of the labor movement in the 20’s and 30’s when the employer had a tax payer funded security force the NYPD. Or the Chicago PD who killed ten in 1937. Why violence was necessary is a story of its own . Except to say that the NLRA was not passed because of threats of daisies being thrown. A Socialist Steel workers union was threatening a Nation Wide strike that would have derailed the recovery from the Depression in 1935. The Owners and the Unions were armed to the teeth. The Union settled for the promise of the NLRA. Whose preamble states in order to encourage commerce through labor peace.
Today my Union has an injunction on it, that threatens to bankrupt it and jail the leadership. Not for the violent actions that RICO statutes ended decades ago . But for violating secondary boycott provisions under Taft Hartley. An Injunction that had them reluctant to put up even an informational picket line for years, till members were trained how to picket with in the law. .. For fear of being put under Federal supervision .
But on Wednesday I will be participating in a demonstration with hopefully thousands of other workers from several different construction trade unions, in the heart of Mid Town Manhattan. The leaders of this grass roots movement understand full well why their Unions can have no part of this . The NYC Building and Construction Trades Council already being sued for 25 Million as an organization and as individual leaders for a movement that they are not officially affiliated with. By a developer building the largest project in the Nation who had threatened to plant a boat in NY harbor for foreign workers to stay on and build a gang plank to the project.
We will see where this leads in the months to come. Americas Labor history could turn bloody again.
Teachers are not covered by the NLRA , never have been, leaving public sector regulation up to states. . You mentioned the CTU. Understand it was not illegal for them to strike in Illinois . In NY not only would a strike be met with fines and jail sentences against the Union but those individual members will lose two days pay for each day out . However there is mediation and binding arbitration . I suspect the laws in Red states are worse . The Union can not be behind the Job action in most states or there will be no Union. That leaves wild cats as the only viable option . Who is coordinating a state wide wild cat . Yes social media if you believe that . Perhaps it is not social media. .
.
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Actually NYC teachers did strike, twice, in the late 1960’s with a 2-for-1 per day penalty in wages. After the state agreed to give the union agency fees for those who do not join effectively guaranteeing its survival, and the threat of losing its guaranteed revenue if it did call for a strike, there has never been a call for strikes since. Result: teachers conditions have gotten worse over the years.
Randi Weingarten has served on a Broad education foundation. Eli Broad is a rabid anti union billionaire. Randi Weingarten also invited Bill Gates to address teachers at an education meeting. Some teachers walked out in protest and Weingarten denigrated the teachers and sided with Gates.
If unions lose in the Janus case they will have to be much more responsive to members well-being if they want members to pay dues voluntarily.
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Joel, you were the one who said, and I quote, that things were “very easy” for unions in the 20s through the 50s. Now you’re trying to move the goalposts to “half a century” ago (which would be the 60s/70s). Until you retract your original statement that things were “very easy” when people were dying by the hundreds, I don’t think you have a lot of room to be calling me an “amateur”.
BTW, what happened to you? You used to be a progressive before you started supporting Hillary.
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dienne77
You misunderstood my statement , the battles of the distant past were the battles of the 20’s ,30’s ,40’s .
“Things were very easy for Unions when the battles of the labor (movement) were in the distant past in (the) 20s ,30s, 40s possibly into the early 50s .
So I ask an old question are members of the bargaining unit who will not pay dues willing to make the sacrifices that are needed . And finally don’t expect this Hydra to die easy, it keeps coming back. A victory being only found in battles. The war has yet to be fought and it better involves far more than organized labor if you expect to win. “.
A point that I like to make when dealing with other union workers is that none of us have made the sacrifices that built the Union movement . They were basically made by others before our time .
The level of apathy is pathetic . There is an expectation by many that the Union should do something but a basic unwillingness to make personal sacrifices of things as simple as time . It is the same faces that show up at grass roots demonstrations and at Union meetings .
In general the membership gets the leadership it deserves and the leadership gets the membership it deserves .
2)These wild cat strikes may not be as grass rooted as you think .
3) I am still a radical progressive.
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The mindless ideological absurdity of not raising taxes (revenue) is at the root of the problem. It’s especially absurd in light of oil and gas production being a captive industry . It’s the manifestation of the hypocritical right wing idea that they don’t need to pay for the things they feel entitled to, as if money grows on trees. It’s the bizarre mindset that seems to always complain about “liberals” wanting all that free stuff from government and being all in on “tax and spend” while their “conservative” alternative is to just put all costs on their magical thinking credit card. To all those red state teachers and parents, VOTE THEM OUT!
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BINGO
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This just proves that union leaders such as Randi Weingarten helped destroy the teaching profession. Teachers are ignoring the union bosses appeals to not strike. West Va., now Kentucky, Oklahoma, and possibly Arizona.
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This is not a strike – OK is a right to work state – this is a walkout.
There is no legal ramifications other than losing one’s job for not showing up. They walked off the job because education in the state is drastically underfunded. Yes part of the underfunding is in the form of teacher pay.
Yes each district could choose to fire those who don’t show up, but when you lose 35% of your teachers every year because they are tired of being $**t on, who are you going to hire? There are only so many TFA scabs to go around.
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In a state with such a low pay scale, it would be difficult for districts to find replacements.
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So because teachers ignored their union leaders and walked out it’s not a strike? Ridiculous! It is a strike by any normal definition, just not sanctioned by the almost worthless teacher unions whose leaders did the bidding of the billionaire-boys-club and ignored the well being of their members.
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We seem to be witnessing the collapse of the 20th century/NLRA model of unionism, without having any idea what will replace it.
The union’s argued in the Janus briefs that they were essential to “labor peace” since they act as brakes for the periodic rebellious impulses of the rank and file. That’s certainly what’s taking place here – along with the delicious irony of red state Trump voters being jntegralmtonthe most significant labor struggles ofnthenpast thirty + years – as the fearful (of the government and their own members) union leaders struggle to play catch up.
Are you paying attention, Randi?
You’re going to have a much harder time diverting and misdirecting the teachers in your urban locals when they finally decide they’ve had enough…
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“Section 1078. Agreed Procedure for Resolving Impasses Exclusive – Strikes Forbidden.
The procedure provided for herein for resolving impasses shall be the exclusive recourse of the organization. It shall be illegal for the organization to strike or threaten to strike as a means of resolving differences with the board of education. Any member of an organization engaging in a strike shall be denied the full amount of his wages during the period of such violation. If the organization or its members engage in a strike, then the organization shall cease to be recognized as representative of the unit and the school district shall be relieved of the duty to negotiate with such organization or its representatives. (509.8)”
If you strike and the strike is broken there is no union.
That leaves a Wild Cat as the only viable alternative.
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Are the teachers in Oklahoma up to this type of a battle . One year and counting with the other 30,000 members of this Local Union taking a dues assessment to cover the health bennifits of these 1800 workers . Temporary employment is provide even when there is unemployment in the construction division .
The highest paid CEO in the Nation at 99 million a year, heads Charter communications. While he seeks to cut Health and Pension bennifits . For these relatively low paid cable techs.
I wont say how this would have been handled 60 years ago. .This strike may go on till the City of NY yanks or threatens to yank the franchise agreement.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/janetwburns/2018/03/29/spectrum-workers-strike-enters-second-year-with-nyc-protest-and-no-end-in-sight/#6ea4eb0c623d
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