Workplace democracy is, unfortunately, a short-lived promise to teachers in Minnesota. While teachers’ unions often claim to favor a democratic approach to our public education system, teachers are rendered mute when it comes to choosing their own union. Workplace democracy is a principle, not a practice.
If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Mark Janus this spring, more than five million public employees in Minnesota and 21 other states won’t be forced to pay "fair share" union fees to keep their jobs. Could it restore civility to Minnesota’s politics and classrooms?
Has your union asked you to sign a union renewal agreement? Maybe you already signed one. Education Minnesota had forms filled out and waiting for every teacher in the state when they got back to school last fall.
Why is the union being so persistent in reaching out to teachers,…
What would Dr. King think of the state of public education today? What would he have experienced as a young man if he was in school today? We are asking these questions because in Minnesota, and around the country, school districts, under pressure from the Obama administration, have adopted new student discipline policies. How are the new policies working out for students and teachers?
St. Paul, Minnesota teacher, Aaron Benner, will not sit down. For years, the 23-year veteran teacher – turned Dean of Students – stood up for what he saw as a flawed school discipline policy which deteriorated his classroom before his eyes.
The Wall Street Journal published a revealing story about the Janus case before the U.S. Supreme Court that challenges the payment of forced-fees to unions by public employees.
The state’s most powerful public employee union — Education Minnesota — has begun laying the groundwork to prevent the potential loss of thousands of members and millions of dollars, depending on the outcome of a landmark First Amendment case before the U.S. Supreme Court this term.
Aaron Benner is an outstanding Minnesota teacher who knows firsthand what happens when students, and teachers, feel unsafe in the classroom.
“Safety is critical,” he says. “Learning suddenly is on the back burner, everything goes out the window once the classroom has been compromised. Instead of looking at the teacher,…