Teacher Unions: Sucking the Life Out of Education Everywhere

Let me say up front: I am not a fan of unions.  Quite frankly, I am of the opinion that,  in nearly every instance, unions have outlived their purpose.  Furthermore, I would like to suggest that one of the best chapters of Smart Kids, Bad Schools is Brian Crosby’s chapter on teacher unions, appropriately titled, “Outlaw Teachers Unions.”

Perhaps you would like some examples of the ridiculousness of teacher unions?  Consider these examples, all of which can be found in Crosby’s book:

• Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger sought merit pay for teachers (in his words, “teacher employment [should] be tied to performance, not to just showing up”).  The response from the United Teachers of Los Angeles was that such a concept was “la-la land” (chapter 29).
• Because of union contracts, school districts are generally unable to place teachers in particular schools based upon the needs of the school district.  Instead, teachers choose the schools they want based on seniority.  Therefore, the best teachers are consistently in the easiest schools, while the newest (and greenest) teachers are consistently in the most difficult classrooms (chapter 12).
• Because of pressure from unions not to publicly recognize teachers for doing excellent jobs, “[w]henever a teacher is chosen for some kind of award, the award itself is meaningless; commendations are rotated to ensure that all instructors receive recognition so as not to offend those who don’t deserve it. . . . Coming out and admitting that certain teachers are better than others is not part of the education culture” (chapter 19).  In other words, just as many little league teams are now giving every player a trophy (regardless of how bad the kid plays), teaching awards often mean nothing as well.
• The salary of most teachers is not based on performance.  Instead, salary is based solely on year’s teaching and his or her amount of college credits.  Why?  Teacher union consistently fight against any performance-based salary (chapter 24).

Related: Check out this Newsweek article detailing how Washington D.C. brought about a “revolutionary” teacher’s contract which actually rewards teachers based on how well they perform in the classroom.

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