Teacher unions, Is Columbia like Chicago?

Any union member who saw the headline of Hank Waters editorial probably reacted as I did, with a sigh and a "There he goes again."  But when you read it, it's not bad.  He concludes Columbia isn't like Chicago, that the teachers have the right - moral and legal - to vote for a representative and that the sky won't fall if Columbia teachers choose to enter into collective bargaining.  I must say, Hank is starting to get it.  

Too bad Mr. Waters apparently isn't up on the latest news in Wisconsin - http://www.progressive.org/wis-judge-tosses-out-most-of-walker-anti-labor-law.   A judge found numerous provisions of Walker's anti-union law unconstitutional.  You can't expect too much from an old union opponent like Mr. Waters, but you can be excited for our sisters and brothers in Wisconsin.

Columbia Tribune
By HENRY J. WATERS III
Monday, September 17, 2012

As Columbia Public Schools moves toward its first-ever vote on collective bargaining for teachers, up in Chicago about 25,000 unionized teachers have gone on strike. If our teachers decide a union should represent all of them, is Chicago-style turmoil on the horizon?

Although a decision by teachers to recognize the Columbia Missouri National Education Association (CMNEA) as their exclusive bargaining agent would change the local landscape, it by no means ushers in a big-city union atmosphere — for several reasons.

Teacher unions are on the defensive. In huge city districts, unions have had to make concessions. Even in Chicago, long a union stronghold, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is putting pressure on the union to accept hated provisions threatening its long-standing alliance with the Democratic Party and the local political apparatus.

The union setback in Wisconsin crystallizes the issue. Gov. Scott Walker passed legislation seriously weakening collective bargaining power, and a union-promoted move to recall the governor failed. In Chicago, teachers say their rush to the streets largely was motivated by the increasing lack of respect they receive from the school district and the mayor, and they want to hold the line against further erosion.

The very issue of collective bargaining is long settled in Chicago but not yet in Columbia. By all accounts, a majority of Columbia teachers have not openly come down on the side of the CMNEA. When they vote on Oct. 11, they will have two choices: either representation by the union or no organized representation at all, resulting in continuation of the informal "meet and confer" arrangement now in place.

Regardless of what choice is made, many will decide to continue membership in the Columbia Missouri State Teachers Association (CMSTA), an informal voluntary organization that for years was the teachers' only representative. By all accounts, about a third of teachers belong to CMNEA, a third to CMSTA and a third to neither.

This equation by no means ensures a successful election for CMNEA. Even if most teachers do opt for the union, it will have only marginally more legal bargaining power than CMSTA has had. State law prohibits teacher strikes, and school officials are under no obligation to agree with union contract demands, but the presence of a legally designated union bargaining agent will in time change the atmosphere of relations between teachers and the district.

For that reason, I hope teachers decide to avoid union representation.

But remember, teachers have every right — legal and moral — to choose an agent the school district must recognize and engage in fair contract negotiations. This collective bargaining might result in unchanged wages and conditions of employment, but gone will be the sense of collaboration the district has had with teachers in the past.

For years, in "meet and confer" sessions, school officials have openly advocated the most liberal teacher contracts possible, but some teachers belong to the union to push harder for better terms. Whether potential gains would warrant the inevitable cooling of the relationship between teachers and district officials is the question.

Unionization in Columbia is not fairly likened to Chicago's, but it would change the flavor of school district labor relations. The future direction will be cast in the coming teacher vote. Either way, the decision should be respected.

HJW III