Checking Out of the Hotel California…Teachers Association

By Larry Sand
08/12/2014
A new document shows that CTA is resigned to the fact that membership in its union will ultimately become voluntary. Courtesy of Mike Antonucci, we get to peek behind the curtain at an internal California Teachers Association document which has been “declassified.” “Not if, but when: Living in a world without Fair Share…” is a...

TAGS: California Teachers Association, fair share, Friedrichs v CTA, Harris v. Quinn, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, National Employee Freedom Week, National Right to Work Committee, paycheck protection, Prop. 75, teachers union

The One-Way Political Spending of the Teacher Unions

By Larry Sand
08/05/2014
Teacher union political gifting continues to be almost exclusively leftward bound, but teachers don’t have to finance it. Courtesy of campaign-finance tracker Open Secrets, we have a reminder of how lopsided teacher union political spending is. Education Week’s Lauren Camera posted a report Friday which spells out some of the nasty details. In House of...

TAGS: agency fee payer, American Federation of Teachers, conservative, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, National Employee Freedom Week, teachers union

Union “Hubrocrisy”

By Larry Sand
07/29/2014
Teachers unions reside at the corner of Hubris St. and Hypocrisy Ave.  A few days ago, Politico’s Stephanie Simon wrote about a new teachers union get-out-the-vote strategy. Attempting to regain some of their political turf as the midterm elections approach, they’re fighting back by utilizing their most obvious asset: teachers. Backed by tens of millions...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Citizens United, Larry Sand, Massachusetts Teachers Association, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, teachers union

Social(ism) Justice Lessons

By Larry Sand
07/22/2014
Teacher union progressives seek to socialize our country, but the Koch brothers have other plans. The recent teacher union conventions were full of self-pity, angst and anger over the Vergara and Harris legal decisions. Unfortunately that’s not all they concerned themselves with. The union avatars explored various progressive schemes with the intention of dragging us...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, American Federation of Teachers, Harris v. Quinn, Joy Resmovits, Koch Brothers, Larry Sand, Randi Weingarten, social justice, socialism, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles, Vergara v California

Keeping Their Backs Up and Claws Sharp

By Larry Sand
07/15/2014
As the teachers unions lose popularity, some think that they will soften their positions. But as recent events show, this is very far from the truth. A poll taken in June, right after the Vergara decision was handed down in Los Angeles, found that 49 percent of California voters think that teachers unions have a...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Arne Duncan, Democrats for Education Reform, Dennis Van Roekel, Education Next, Gloria Romero, Harris v. Quinn, Joe Williams, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, teachers union, Terry Moe, Vergara

Post-Vergara Rumblings

By Larry Sand
07/01/2014
The Vergara decision is three weeks old – and due to the teachers unions’ appeal, nothing has changed. Or has it? Because Judge Rolf Treu has placed a stay on his Vergara ruling pending the outcome of the teachers unions’ appeal, the tenure, seniority and dismissal statutes are still alive and well in California. However,...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Campbell Brown, Dennis Van Roekel, Larry Sand, last in first out, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, New York State United Teachers, Randi Weingarten, Rolf Treu, seniority, teachers union, tenure, Vergara

The Vergara Battle Has Been Won…

By Larry Sand
06/24/2014
… but the war is just beginning. Despite a landmark education decision in California favoring children over teachers unions, how much will really change? On June 10th, Judge Rolf Treu issued an unequivocal decision in the Students Matter (Vergara v California) case which revolved around the tenure, dismissal and seniority statutes in California’s education code....

TAGS: AB 215, Bill Lucia, California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, EdVoice, Larry Sand, LIFO, Rolf Treu, seniority, Students Matter, teachers union, tenure, Vergara v California

Dear Randi,

By Larry Sand
06/17/2014
You seem to be very unhappy lately, but cheer up – things aren’t nearly as bad as you think!  In your recent foray into BuzzFeed, you seemed a bit verklempt (for you non-Yids, that means overwrought) and I would like to help you feel better! Regarding Common Core, the piece reads: ‘The right’s vitriol is...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Common Core, crony capitalism, Democracy Alliance, John Stocks, Karen Lewis, Koch Brothers, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, Tea Party, teachers union, Tom Steyer

Teachers Unions’ Private Practices

By Larry Sand
06/10/2014
The unions like choice and privatization except when they don’t. A recent story out of Michigan illustrates the two-faced nature of teachers unions on the subject of privatization. Seems that the Michigan Education Association (MEA), state affiliate of the National Education Association, paid private, non-unionized companies between $5,500 and $86,112 – totaling over $155,000 –...

TAGS: Greg Forster, Larry Sand, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Michigan Education Association, National Education Association, privatization, teachers union

Teacher Jail Break

By Larry Sand
06/03/2014
The “housed teacher” syndrome is a problem created by the teachers unions and administered by an inept school district. For years, teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District who have been accused of misconduct have been “housed” as they wait for investigators to figure out if they are really guilty. These so-called “teacher jails”...

TAGS: AB 215, California Teachers Association, John Deasy, Larry Sand, LAUSD, Los Angeles Unified School District, Mark Berndt, Students Matter, teacher jail, teachers union, Vergara v California