The Union Strikes Back!

I think it’s safe to say that most teachers have really strong opinions about teacher’s unions.  I heard from a lot of people regarding my last blog about teacher's unions and I thought I would share some of the responses and comment on them.

"How can anyone expect public schools to be great when they can't fire teachers for not being great?  Teacher's unions make it nearly impossible to fire a teacher.  Any public school teacher that you hear of getting fired does not deserve your sympathy, they must be terrible.  Schools have the same problems as airlines, mediocrity.  When you are on an airplane, do you get the sense that the flight attendant are putting forth the maximum effort or the minimum?  Strong unions allow employees to do the bare minimum without repercussions.  So let me ask the question again: How can anyone expect public schools to be great when they can't fire teachers for not being great?”
 
While it may be true that private schools can ask their teachers to smile and fire them if they don't, this does not necessarily make private schools better than public schools but it certainly is an advantage to be able to get rid of the dead weight.  However, due to the lack of job security, private schools may have trouble recruiting superior teachers.

"Allow me to tell you what life would be like without teacher's unions.  First of all, you would not find enough teachers to fill the classrooms.  Job security, something that is provided by the union and contract, is what brings a lot of teachers into the field of public education.  Without unions and a contract you would find principals abusing their power, the pay would be even less than it is and you would have chaos and no equity between classrooms and schools.”

I am not sure that a lack of a contract or a union would lower teacher salaries.  Follow me with this train of thought.  What the pay scale does is actually create a minimum (and maximum) wage for teachers.  With no salary negotiation happening there is no competition.  With no competition there is no room for teachers to capitalize on their talents (assuming they have talent).  Without a set pay scale schools would have to compete for teachers and lure them to their schools with higher pay.

As of right now, because of the pay scale, when there is a teaching  opening at a public school, the teachers come in with their salaries already set.  The more experienced (years in the classroom) and educated (graduate units) teachers make more money than new and young teachers.  Why have we set up a system in which it financially benefits schools to hire inexperienced and less educated teachers?

I remain torn about the union.  I think that the union is certainly a necessity and it benefits teachers but I continue to have the opinion that the teacher’s union has grown too strong and tends looks out for itself first and foremost.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic!