Reply #4: And Another Union Failure

[KharmaTrain]

My daughter went through a similar strike earlier this year and made a nervious wreck of her. In her case, the teachers had given back COLAs for the past two years and operated without a contract for well over a year. The school district badmouthed the union in the local media; even releasing salaries of some teachers to do exactly what you cite...piss people off by showing that SOME teachers do earn more than the average Joe...but it was portrayed that everyone was making this kind of money. In the end, the union punted the ball...took a one year deal with more givebacks (tenure and benefits) as public opinion was against them. The union did an awful job of communicating their side...and not uncommon.

Our union movement is in terrible shape...with fewer and fewer people represented by them and little solidarity aross union lines. People see no reason to join or feel they're forced into it. If this country needed a re-energized union movement, it's now.