Myths the Union Organizer Tells Us

By Larry Sand
12/15/2015
Socialist teacher union honcho’s distortions about union political spending and “labor peace” are, well, par for the course. Shaun Richman, a former organizing director for the American Federation of Teachers, has written a bizarre piece for In These Times in which he claims that “the Friedrichs v. Calif. Teachers Association SCOTUS Case Could Actually Be...

TAGS: Abood, agency fee payer, American Federation of Teachers, Dark money, Friedrichs v CTA, labor peace, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, RiShawn Biddle, teachers union

Teachers Unions Give Middle Finger to the Middle Class

By Larry Sand
12/08/2015
New documents show, yet again, teachers unions’ disdain for American workers. If you Google NEA + middle class + Friedrichs, you will be barraged with a load of demagogic union bromides about how the Friedrichs case – which opposes mandatory dues payments to public employee unions (PEUs) as a condition of employment – will, if...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Campbell Brown, Friedrichs, Larry Sand, Michael Mulgrew, National Education Association, public employee unions, teachers union, United Federation of Teachers

The National Education Association's $131 Million Influence Buying Spree

By RiShawn Biddle
12/04/2015
The National Education Association just filed its latest financial disclosure with the U.S. Department of Labor, and as you would expect, it spent big on its efforts to preserve its influence over education policymaking. The union spent $131 million on lobbying and contributions to what are supposed to be like-minded organizations in 2014-2015, just slightly...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Center for Popular Democracy, Democracy Alliance, Dropout Nation, National Education Association, RiShawn Biddle

Private v. Big Government-Unionized Schools

By Larry Sand
12/01/2015
If almost half the unionized workers at an auto plant could get a free Chevy as a company perk, but instead bought one made by non-union workers from a different car-maker, what would you think? A few weeks ago, Richard Stutman, head of the Boston Teachers Union, wrote a piece in which he delivered the...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Cato Institute, Fordham Institute, Greg Forster, James Tooley, Jason Bedrick, Larry Sand, teachers union, The Beautiful Tree

Hillary Rodham Weingarten

By Larry Sand
11/17/2015
Using teacher union talking points, Mrs. Clinton badly distorts facts about charter schools. Coming on the heels of the Benghazi fabrication, the “dead broke” when she left the White House claim, and “servergate,” the latest Hillary blunder is a baseless sliming of charter schools. In a well-publicized gaffe, she told journalist Roland Martin, … the...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Cecily Myart-Cruz, Charter schools, Democrats for Education Reform, Eva Moskowitz, Hillary Clinton, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Nina Rees, Randi Weingarten, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

The Non-proficient Teachers Unions

By Larry Sand
11/10/2015
California students are not learning and teacher union leaders blame tests. Every two years selected students across the nation take the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), a test known as the nation’s report card. This year our kids didn’t do well. Actually they never do well, but this year the scores were even worse...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, EdVoice, Fresno Teachers Association, Larry Sand, NAEP, National Council on Teacher Quality, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, Stull Act, teachers union

The Unions’ “Accountability” Libel Against Charter Schools

By Larry Sand
10/27/2015
The teacher union war on charter schools ramps up with empty billionaire and accountability accusations. Charter schools are like pesky chewing gum that the teachers unions just can’t quite get off their shoes. They have been persistent in trying to just get rid of the alternative public schools – except for the few they have...

TAGS: accountability, American Federation of Teachers, California Charter School Association, Charter schools, CREDO, Democracy Alliance, Eli Broad, Eric Owens, George Soros, In the Public Interest, John Stocks, LA School Report, Larry Sand, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, National Education Association, Nina Rees, Occupy Wall Street, Randi Weingarten, teachers union, Tom Steyer

Teachers Unions Spend $700 Million per Year Explicitly on Political Advocacy

By RiShawn Biddle
10/22/2015
As readers know by now, Dropout Nation determined in research released last October that National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers spend roughly $700 million per year on advocacy. This report undermined the unions’ preferred narrative that they are scrappy underdogs fighting for public schools. As you would expect, especially on Twitter, NEA’s and...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, RiShawn Biddle, teachers unions

American Federation of Teachers Increases Support for Progressive Pressure Groups

By RiShawn Biddle
10/05/2015
The American Federation of Teachers just filed its 2014-2015 financial disclosure to the U.S. Department of Labor, and as you would expect, it spent big on preserving its declining influence over education policy. The nation’s second-largest teachers’ union spent $42 million on political lobbying activities and contributions to what should be like-minded groups; this, by...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Center for Popular Democracy, In the Public Interest