Teacher Union Democracy

Teacher unions claim they are democratic institutions but in some cases it seems that democracy is only skin-deep. Perhaps unions play politics even amongst their own members and force teachers to pay for it.  Andrew Marra and Sonja have the story in the Palm Beach Post.

The article also makes a powerful point about teacher union officials’ power over school boards through exclusive representation, even in a Right to Work state. Teacher union officials are granted access to all teachers via school emails.

After trying unsuccessfully to bar four teachers from running for union president, Palm Beach County’s teachers union sent out a message last week that omitted the four candidates’ names while praising the others in the race, prompting accusations of favoritism just days before voting begins.

The Classroom Teachers Association’s message was sent Thursday to more than 7,000 public school teachers via the school district’s email system, which the union won access to after promising that the message would include only general information and “no campaigning,” district records show.