The Janus victory and ongoing whine festival

By Larry Sand
07/03/2018
The Abood decision has been overturned and its mourners are beside themselves.  The hysterical reaction to the recent Supreme Court decision in the Janus v. AFSCME case, which frees public employees in 22 states from having to pay any money to a union as a condition of employment, has Chicken Little nodding in solidarity. As...

TAGS: AFSCME, Alex Caputo-Pearl, American Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Chicago Teachers Union, Janus v. AFSCME, Jesse Sharkey, Larry Sand, LAUSD, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, seiu, stare decisis, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

A Janus-type reprieve for taxpayers

By Larry Sand
06/12/2018
As we await a ruling in the public employee freedom case, it’s time to liberate taxpayers from being forced to support a union. The Janus v AFSCME Supreme Court decision, due any day now, could free teachers and other public employees from having to pay dues to a union as a condition of employment. Hence,...

TAGS: California Teachers Association, Janus v. AFSCME, Larry Sand, Mark Janus, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, Pacific Research Institute, teachers union

Janus reality check

By Larry Sand
05/15/2018
With a SCOTUS decision just weeks away, a little perspective is in order.  As one who has closely followed the Janus v AFSCME case, I am amazed at the hyperbolic ranting about it from certain quarters that bombards us on a daily basis. If successful, the suit would allow government workers in 22 states the...

TAGS: AB 119, American Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Janus v. AFSCME, Larry Sand, Michigan Education Association, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, Rob Weil, teachers union

Education establishment put kids and taxpayers last

By Larry Sand
03/13/2018
Three hundred “must place” teachers in Los Angeles don’t work, but are still on the payroll. What does a school board do with teachers whom no principal wants to hire? In New York, that problem was “solved” this past fall when Mayor Bill De Blasio and school chief Carmen Fariña, began to unload the so-called...

TAGS: Bill de Blasio, Clayton Christensen, George McKenna, Janus v. AFSCME, Larry Sand, LAUSD, Mike Antonucci, Nick Melvoin, Prop. 13, Richard Vladovic, teachers union

Union, Inc.

By Larry Sand
01/30/2018
Teacher union leaders palavering about evil corporations and the rich is a modern-day version of The Emperor’s New Clothes. The teachers unions really need to get some new talking points. Granted, straw men and hyperbole are common in political discourse, but union verbiage needs a serious makeover – the old model is giving hypocrisy a...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, American Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, corporate greed, Eric Heins, John Stocks, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, Prop. 13, Randi Weingarten, Taxifornia, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Overturning the Teacher Turnover Fables

By Larry Sand
12/21/2017
The “nationwide teacher shortage” claim is a myth that has been perpetuated on and off for about a hundred years now. Of late, its inaccurate cousin the “teachers are leaving the profession in droves” fable has been giving it some serious competition however. And California, never a place to avoid a good fad, has hatched a plan to address the mythical problem. In an attempt to lure and keep teachers, there is talk of a “The Teachers Fair Pay” referendum which would align teachers’ pay to the wages of state lawmakers, about $104,000 a year.

TAGS: California Teachers Association, Eric Heins, Mike Antonucci

After Janus

By Larry Sand
11/21/2017
If the Janus case is successful, will it be the first of many shoes to drop?  Janus v AFSCME is due to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court early in 2018, with a decision announced in June. If the lawsuit is successful, no teacher or any public employee in the U.S. would have to...

TAGS: Act 10, collective bargaining, Forced Unionism, Janus v. AFSCME, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, Mike Petrilli, Rick Hess, Right to Work, Scott Walker, teachers union, wage compression

The political aftermath of Janus v AFSCME

By Larry Sand
11/07/2017
The case is pretty cut-and-dried, but the ramifications are anything but. Janus v AFSCME is due to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court early in 2018, with a decision announced in June. If the lawsuit is successful, no teacher or any public employee in the U.S. would have to pay money to a union...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Janus v. AFSCME, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, Rob Weil, teachers union

The rise of uncivil education

By Larry Sand
10/24/2017
This year has not been kind to the land of the free. Due to advancing ignorance and arrogance – a deadly combination – the basic tenets of our republic are in trouble, and public education is at the center of much of what is wrong. While we went through a similar socio-political upheaval in the...

TAGS: California Teachers Association, Chester Finn, John Stocks, Kevin Dayton, Lance Izumi, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Worker freedom: The Janus edition

By Larry Sand
10/03/2017
With another right-to-work case headed to the Supreme Court, union lies and chicanery are in high gear. Among the greatest myths in recent history include the belief that Che Guevara was a freedom fighter, that China in the 20th Century was a “People’s Republic” and “If you like your health care plan, you can keep...

TAGS: AFL-CIO, Education Next, Friedrichs v CTA, George Leef, Janus v. AFSCME, Larry Sand, Liberty Justice Center, Mark Janus, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, National Right to Work Foundation, teachers union