A solution to the free rider problem

By Larry Sand
01/14/2020
Union leaders grumble when non-members get union perks; here’s a way out. As a result of the Janus decision in June 2018, workers are no longer forced to pay any money whatsoever to a public employee union as a condition of employment. While teachers and other government workers were freed from paying union dues or...

TAGS: Alexander Willen, Andrew Coulson, collective bargaining, Greg Forster, Janus decision, Larry Sand, Michael Lovenheim, Mike Petrilli, National Education Association, teachers union, Terry Moe, wage compression

Collective bargaining hurts teachers and students

By Larry Sand
01/15/2019
Using a model from the Industrial Era, teachers in Los Angeles are striking. I have written about the subject many times, but it is worth revisiting as Los Angeles teachers are striking over a one-size-fits-all collective bargaining contract that is harmful to all concerned. Collective bargaining, a term first introduced into the lexicon by socialist...

TAGS: Alexander Willen, Andrew Coulson, Caroline Hoxby, collective bargaining, Greg Forster, Larry Sand, Michael Lovenheim, Mike Petrilli, teacher strike, teachers union, Terry Moe, wage compression

Uninformed and misinformed teachers

By Larry Sand
06/19/2018
  Too many educators are clueless on issues relating to their profession.  In 2006, I co-founded the California Teachers Empowerment Network, whose mission is to give educators unbiased information and to combat union spin and outright lies. While we have helped a good number of teachers, there are still way too many who are...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Andrew Coulson, California Teachers Empowerment Network, Educators for Excellence, Fresno Teachers Association, Janus v. AFSCME, Larry Sand, Michael Lovenheim, Mike Petrilli, Randi Weingarten, teachers union

Defective collective bargaining

By Larry Sand
01/16/2018
Despite what teachers unions tell you, collective bargaining is bad for kids and country.  Ask any teacher unionista – leader or camp follower – and they will tell you with great assuredness that when teachers are organized and collectively bargain, children are better educated. To bolster their argument, they say things like unions enable teachers...

TAGS: Act 10, Alexander Willen, Barbara Biasi, Caroline Hoxby, collective bargaining, Jason Bedrick, Larry Sand, Michael Lovenheim, Rick Hess, Scott Walker, teachers union, Terry Moe

The malice of absence

By Larry Sand
09/26/2017
Thanks to collective bargaining, traditional public school teachers “get sick” way too often. It’s no secret that many teachers take advantage of the “sick days” that are part of a typical union collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Of course, while sick days are used legitimately by all teachers at some point, many (including yours truly, on...

TAGS: Alexander Willen, American Federation of Teachers, Caroline Hoxby, collective bargaining, Fordham Institute, Kate Walsh, Larry Sand, Michael Lovenheim, National Council on Teacher Quality, Randi Weingarten, Rick Hess, teachers union, Terry Moe

CTA’s New Gambit to Cheat Taxpayers Annually

By Larry Sand
08/30/2016
A bill, near passage, would require you and me to pay for union indoctrination sessions in California.  California is a fabulous place. Fantastic weather, fertile fields, glorious mountains and a thousand mile coastline have long beckoned many to the Golden State. And then there is the state legislature. This law-making body is very far from...

TAGS: California Nurses Association, California School Boards Association, California Teachers Association, Friedrichs, Heritage Foundation, Larry Sand, League of California Cities, Michael Lovenheim, seiu, teachers union

The Coulson Effect on Education

By Larry Sand
02/16/2016
An education free market stalwart leaves us way too soon. On February 7th, Andrew Coulson tragically passed away at age 48 from brain cancer. As Senior Fellow in Education Policy at the Cato Institute, he led the charge for free market reforms in education. An unapologetic capitalist, he believed that the market would inevitably lead...

TAGS: Abood, American Federation of Teachers, Andrew Coulson, Antonin Scalia, Cato Institute, collective bargaining, Eva Moskowitz, free market, Friedrichs, Jason Bedrick, Larry Sand, Michael Lovenheim, Neal McCluskey, Randi Weingarten, teachers union

Collective Bargaining Disagreement

By Larry Sand
11/24/2015
Collective bargaining serves neither students, competent teachers, nor taxpayers. A new study reveals that collective bargaining for teachers has a negative effect on future earnings, occupational skill levels and hours worked. Writing in Education Next, researchers Michael Lovenheim and Alexander Willen dissect the long-term ramifications of states that mandate collective bargaining for teachers. While they...

TAGS: Alexander Willen, Caroline Hoxby, collective bargaining, Education Next, Jay Greene, Larry Sand, Michael Lovenheim, Mike Petrilli, Rebecca Friedrichs, teachers union, Terry Moe, wage compression

The Poor Teacher Canard Redux – Part II

By Larry Sand
08/26/2014
The unions’ effect on teacher pay? Not what you think. Last week, I wrote about the fallacy of the underpaid teacher. When compared to other professions, teachers actually do considerably better when taking into account the various perks they get – generous healthcare and pension packages, etc. But, uninterested in facts, the unions continue to...

TAGS: Andrew Coulson, Cato Institute, Fordham Institute, Larry Sand, Michael Lovenheim, Mike Petrilli, National Council on Teacher Quality, teacher pay, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Teachers Unions and Truth: Rarely Does the Twain Meet

By Larry Sand
03/23/2011
Misinformation is at the heart of unionspeak. Public school teachers have been told for years that they are only respected by the general public because Big Union fights for them and gets them that respect. However, the opposite would appear to be true. America still loves its teachers…the good ones, that is. They don’t like...

TAGS: Andrew Coulson, Dennis Van Roekel, Michael Lovenheim, Mike Petrilli, National Education Association, teachers unions