ÿWPC2 K$Íùy~õØj†ŽãP•eòò5ÃÆ~êš5xjâÃë8 ÃÐ’¶€G¹„6G^&£±ÃµrfH’'e&K>l›?'Û ®+÷’×%xLó |`½_ãß5ˆô!…Sq‚™ýº#¤ 0à?>ï2y”cœ«?ª#ö^4 1¥Õ9%w‹ªÍ4ïŠ/ìw½©¤g>ÒŠ˜ctÚ9í&ÉœpÆÿ\);ÓžµsV}(2tDóí7qG'#h¼©ü<••;J¥hñ±Q¦¥rÈ×]Ü$›ìÑN¥æ&uÞ+¢EÆêeÈšÚìæ@–  ¼Õ<½Ÿ)À“9fÜœWSmÝC5N: šPqvDãü¥_}ÐUàž^Á(pD½½ j‡”þªïþø~<8<ã¸_ÁÓ—×nÍô‚¿4 Æ¶jŸ[S·ŽXR[Mgk#×:#;¾âu½cÏy0@þP´‹¥EîpvŸ„PΟʂæH¢Ô[BƒŽ3•rQSÉ[7ÓWMƒÎ’„ñçê·Ç‰iÄš p‘RE]Y3Á4pØm’´ÊîÉÅéŵ^Jÿ }SÿðdÐÜï¢]××iT˜ü#äœÕi4Ñ„•¥‘¤•$ U8š %ÒØn­è• 0(w@Å4 mH Œ 9`( Courier 12ptô3|xÏ«H Œ 9`( Courier 12ptôôx Œ @ÉUEô@ ($¡¡ ÆÇDÈÉÊËÌDÍÎEÏÓ­ª$Ô¹‚xà ÿU‹ÿÀÀÀÝ ƒ!ÝÝ  Ý›Ó  ÓÔ€X*IXõôÔà@ÄÄìàÓÓò òWhich€Side€Are€You€On?ó óˆÐ ° Ðà@€€ìàò òToward€a€Real€Compact€of€Educators,€Kids,€and€Parentsó óˆÐ pÀ Ðà@xx!ìà€Rich€Gibson.€Ph.D.ˆÌà@DDìàCoordinator€of€International€Social€Studies€EducÓÓation€ˆÌà@ppìàWayne€State€University,€267€Education€Building€€€ˆÌà@àà$ìàDetroit€48202ˆÌà@˜ ˜ ìàEmail:€rgibson@pipeline.comÓÓˆÌà  àEducation€Week's€Commentary€section€and€paid€advertisementsÏare€crackling€with€advice€for€educator„unionists.€Researchers€likeÏWellford€Wilms€(2€October€1996)€and€Kerchner,€Koppich€and€Weeres€(9ÏApril€1997),€and€union€executives€like€the€American€Federation€ofÏTeacher's€Sandra€Feldman€and€the€National€Education€Association'sÏBob€Chase€(15€October€1997,€27€May€1998)€urge€"new€unionism"€onÏparents,€children,€and€the€rank€and€file€in€the€classroom.€AllÏsuggest€this€project€is€fresh,€rising€out€of€novel€circumstances€inÏthe€nation€and€the€world.€The€ð ðnew€unionismðð€is€the€content€of€aÏproposed€merger€between€the€two€teacher€unions,€the€NEA€and€theÏAFT,€which€would€create€the€largest€union€in€the€AFL„CIO,€with€moreÏthan€three€million€members,€triple€the€size€of€the€Teamsters.€TheÏNEA€representative€assembly€will€vote€on€the€merger€in€early€July,Ï1998.Ìà  àJust€what€is€afoot€that€requires€a€dramatic€turn€in€teacherÏunionism?€The€simplest€social€statistics€describe€the€U.S.€asÏincreasingly€unequal€and€authoritarian.€The€U.S.€may€be€the€richestÏand€most€technologically€powerful€country€in€the€history€of€theÏworld.€It€is€also€a€nation€of€growing€classes€of€the€ever„moreÏpoor,€managed€by€a€shrinking€cadre€of€elites€using€every€techniqueÐ t-Ä(1 Ðto€stay€on€top.€The€poorest€of€the€poor€remain€color€coded.ÏBoundaries€between€the€rich€and€the€poor,€between€people€of€colorÏand€whites,€steadily€widen.Ìà  àSchool€children€are€now€even€more€intensely€segregated€byÏclass€and€race€through€geography,€curricula€choices,€funding,Ïteaching€methods,€tracking,€and€standardized€exams.€In€the€mostÏexploited€areas€in€the€U.S.,€schools€are€Third€World.€While€theÏbest€teachers€swim€against€the€stream,€these€schools€serve€asÏholding€pens.€The€message€to€kids€from€many€schools€is€clear:€tampÏdown€your€expectations,€stifle€your€analytical€abilities,€and€getÏin€line.€Even€for€what€was€once€known€as€the€middle€class,€theÏsignal€from€school€is€that€you€will€not€do€as€well€as€your€parents„¼„get€used€to€it.€€Ìà  àTeachers€occupy€a€pivotal€position€in€a€society€with€aÏcollapsed€industrial€base.€Schools€are€now€the€center€ofÏcommunities,€the€sole€organizing€force€in€the€lives€of€manyÏcitizens.€€Educators€are€the€most€unionized€people€in€the€U.S.€€TheÏideas€and€practices€educators€foster€will€have€a€vital€impact€onÏthe€construction€of€21st€century€society.€Ìà  àThe€NEA€and€AFT€response€to€their€growing€potential€was€mixed.€ÏThe€AFT,€representing€most€of€the€urban€schools€in€the€U.S.,€wasÏvocal€about€the€problems€their€members€experienced.€AFT€presidentÏAlbert€Shanker€ran€regular€columns€in€the€New€York€Times.€InÏpractice,€the€union€did€little,€from€the€mid€1970's€to€today,€butÏoversee€the€collapse€of€urban€education„„as€well€as€their€membersððÐ p,À'0 Ðwages€and€working€conditions,€once€the€best€in€the€U.S.€€ShankerÏcultivated€friends€among€the€rich€and€famous,€serving€for€exampleÏon€the€Council€for€Foreign€Relations€and€dining€with€close€friendsÏlike€Felix€Rohatyn€from€top€banking€firms.€He€also€devoted€much€ofÏhis€time€to€deepening€the€ties€of€the€AFL„CIO€with€U.S.Ïintelligence€agencies€through€friendships€with€people€like€theÏCIAððs€William€Colby€(an€expert€on€undermining€unions€and€linkingÏtheir€leaders€to€national€elites)€and€groups€like€the€NationalÏEndowment€for€Democracy€and€the€American€Institute€for€Free€LaborÏDevelopment.€Under€Shankerððs€guide,€the€AFL„CIO€spent€more€thanÏone„half€of€its€dues€income€outside€the€U.S.,€most€of€that€onÏdubious€cloak„and„dagger€operations€aimed€at€destroying€indigenous€Ïworker„peasant€movements.€Ìà  àNEA€was€able€to€rest€easier€on€a€more€affluent€base.€ItððsÏmembership€is€predominantly€suburban,€overwhelmingly€white„„as€isÏmost€of€the€profession.€While€the€AFTððs€urban€schoolsÏdisintegrated,€along€with€many€of€the€cities€that€surround€them,Ïsuburban€schools€enjoyed€an€easier€ride.€The€NEAððs€structure,€whichÏallows€for€more€independent€action€of€locals€and€more€internalÏdemocracy,€made€it€possible€for€more€radical€voices€and€practicesÏto€come€forward.€In€the€1980's,€the€formerly€conservative€NEA€(onceÏentirely€dominated€by€administrators€and€textbook€officials)ledÏmore€strikes€than€any€other€union.€NEA€members€salaries€surgedÏahead€of€the€AFTððs,€their€working€conditions€and€benefits€improved.ÏNEA€staff€salaries€boomed€too,€reaching€the€$80,000€range,€with€theÐ p,À'0 Ðbest€benefits€available.€NEA€secretaries,€who€like€schoolÏsecretaries€often€run€the€operation,€are€paid€as€much€or€more€asÏmost€teachers.€In€any€case,€NEA€was€more€active,€partially€becauseÏthe€terrain€it€operated€on€was€more€friendly,€more€flush.Ìà  àBut€both€the€NEA€and€the€AFT€abandoned€the€vision€of€someÏearly€founders€that€would€link€the€activities€of€school€workersÏwith€€parents€and€kids.€The€most€obvious€example€of€theÏestrangement€of€kids€and€educators€interests€is€the€fact€thatÏneither€union,€anywhere,€attained€attractive€and€enforceable€rulesÏabout€class€size,€an€issue€that€was€regularly€sacrificed€for€a€fewÏmore€dollars€of€pay.€Other€than€to€support€state€lotteries,€neitherÏunion€fought€hard€against€the€shift€of€the€tax€burden€onto€poor€andÏworking€people.€Neither€NEA€nor€AFT€defended€academic€freedom€fromÏthe€onslaught€of€standardized€test€regulations,€indeed€theyÏcommonly€supported€a€mandated€curriculum.€The€unions€took€a€craftÏunion€approach€to€intensifying€inequality€in€their€communities:Ïthey€looked€after€teachers„„going€so€far€as€to€press€for€increasedÏcertification€requirements€to€limit€entry€to€the€job,€and€thusÏdrive€up€wages.€That€this€did€nothing€to€offset€the€implications€ofÏthe€deepening€color€moat€in€education„„in€a€few€years€more€than€95%Ïof€the€teaching€force€will€be€white,€facing€students€who€will€beÏmore€than€one„half€kids€of€color„„clearly€was€beyond€the€NEA€or€AFTÏleadership.€Ìà  àWhat€some€NEA€and€AFT€leaders€offer€to€meet€the€growingÏtensions€of€race€and€class€in€schools€is€the€corporate€state,€theÐ p,À'0 Ðover„arching€unity€of€corporations€and€the€public€under€the€bannerÏof€increased€production,€collective€power:€national€interest.€TheÏtheory€is€that€we€are€all€in€this€together,€though€the€evidenceÏsuggests€that€the€answer€to€Rodney€King's€question,€"Can't€we€allÏget€along?",€is:€"Not€when€there€is€money€in€it."€We€are€not€all€inÏthis€together.€We€live€in€a€society€of€competing€economic€andÏsocial€interests;€those€who€will€gain€from€democracy€and€equalityÏfacing€those€who€benefit€from€low€wages€and€authoritarianism.Ìà  àThe€political€class€in€the€U.S.€operates€as€a€sword€and€shieldÏfor€wealth.€Because€of€this€ever„sharpening€economic€and€socialÏdivide,€teachers€now€face€labor's€old€question:€Which€side€are€youÏon?€Will€you€line€up€with€CEO's€and€politicians,€or€the€kidsÏlooking€at€you?€Ì€à  àAny€social€change€must€first€be€conceptualized,€envisioned,€byÐ 8ˆ Ðthe€people€who€will€lead€it.€Stripping€youth€of€the€ability€toÏperceive€fundamental€economic€and€racial€imbalances,€and€theÏreasons€for€them,€underpins€the€corporatist€approach€to€education,Ïthe€standardization€of€the€curricula.€€Inequitable€societies€do€notÏwant€injustice€investigated.€One€traditional€method€of€disguisingÏinequality€is€nationalism,€the€crux€of€new€unionism€and€most€of€theÏstandardized€curricula.€Far€more€important€than€pay€and€benefits,Ïeducators€are€now€in€a€battle€over€what€is€true€and€how€we€can€knowÏit.€Questions€like,€"Is€inequality€injustice?",€belong€on€thatÏterrain.€Ìà  àThe€teacher€unions€offer€strategies€which€will€lead€educatorsÐ p,À'0 Ðto€miss€the€key€questions€entirely.€The€union€leaders€counselÏmerger,€mimicking€their€corporate€counterparts,€rather€than€toÏcreate€real€value€by€organizing€democratic€activism€in€their€ranks.ÏThe€leaders€resurrect€old€company€union€stances:€they're€for€aÏcommon€curriculum€driven€by€nationally€standardized€exams,€peerÏdiscipline€programs,€grade€retention,€high€barriers€around€theÏprofession€to€make€sure€only€the€most€credentialed€(white)creep€in.ÏChase€and€Feldman€want€teachers€to€embrace,€not€the€vast€majorityÏof€kids,€but€the€interests€of€business€and€administrators.€Chase,Ïwho€won€an€election€for€the€NEA€presidency€by€a€narrow€margin,€ranÏon€no€platform€at€all,€then€sprung€the€ð ðnew€unionismðð€stance€on€aÏsomewhat€surprised€rank€and€file.€His€own€state,€Connecticut,Ïrecently€voted€to€reject€his€stand€on€merger.€Undeterred,€he€usedÏNEA€money€to€purchase€national€ads€to€propagandize€for€affiliationÏwith€the€AFL„CIO€(Education€Week,€28€May€1998).€Feldman,€theÏlifelong€protge€of€€the€recently€deceased€Albert€Shanker,€boss€ofÏthe€AFT€for€nearly€thirty€years,€has€virtually€noñÆñ€union€orñÆñ€educatorÏbackground;€she€has€been€a€union€employee€nearly€all€her€life.€SheÏhas€done€nothing€to€detach€herself€from€Shankerððs€long€leash.€InÏfact,ñÇñ€ñÇññÈñ€ñÈñshe€is€being€promoted€within€the€AFL€as€a€potentialÏconservative€candidate€for€the€presidency€of€the€federation.€ChaseÏhas€been€offered€the€presidency€of€the€new€education€unionñÊñ.ñÊññÉñ,€shouldÏit€come€to€life.ñÉñÌà  àTheñËñ€teacher€unionñËñ€merger€is€posed€by€Chase€and€Feldman€as€€something€thatÏrose€up€from€the€rank€and€file.€This€is€fiction.€Staff€members€ofÏboth€unions€were€well€aware€that€the€leaders€of€the€organizationsÐ p,À'0 Ðwere€secretly€planning€to€merge€as€early€as€1987.€Staff€members€ofÏthe€NEA€were€disciplined€for€voicing€opposition.€Perhaps€the€mostÏobvious€indication€that€the€merger€is€hardly€the€spontaneousÏexpression€of€rank€and€file€desire€is€the€fact€that€theÏInternational€affiliates€of€the€NEA€and€AFT€merged€nearly€fiveÏyears€ago,€with€long€time€NEA€president€Mary€Futrell€taking€theÏlead.€With€the€death€of€Shanker,€whose€notorious€ego€delayed€mergerÏnegotiations,€it€became€possible€to€press€forward€a€merger€vote€inÏthe€NEA€to€the€July€1998€Assembly.€In€the€utterly€undemocratic€AFT,Ïa€merger€vote€passed€at€the€Executive€Board€level,€the€only€oneÏthat€counts,€in€April.€Ìà  àWhy€would€the€leaders€want€to€merge?€Multiply€nearly€3€millionÏpotential€members€by€$500€yearly€dues.€Thatððs€the€new€unionððsÏbudget.€The€labor€aristocrats€who€run€both€unions€enjoy€salariesÏand€lifestyles,€and€ambitions,€which€tie€them€to€elites,€notÏclassroom€educators€nor€kids.€They€seek€to€widen€their€privileges.ÏConsider€that€the€leaders€will€likely€never€have€to€teach€in€aÏclassroom€again.€Consider€the€massive€debt€that€the€collapsing€AFL„¼CIO,€whose€leaders€are€about€to€go€to€jail€for€corrupt€campaignÏpractices,€which€could€be€off„set€with€school„worker€dues.€ConsiderÏwhose€money€will€be€used€to€subsidize€the€next€corrupt€TeamsterÏelection.€Given€the€money€and€people€involved,€and€the€integrity€ofÏthe€people€ñÌñ€ñÌñwho€have€most€to€gain,€it€is€hard€to€believe€that€theÏmerger€is€wholly€on€the€up€and€up.€Ìà  àThe€NEA„„AFT„AFL„CIO€merger€promises€power€through€solidarity.Ð p,À'0 ÐThe€solidarity€offered€is€not€with€the€source€of€real€educatorÏpower,€unity€with€poor€and€working€class€parents€and€kids€who€haveÏeverything€to€gain€from€school,€but€with€the€affluent„„and€layersÏof€union€bureaucrats.€Unity€with€business€means€unity€with€profits.ÏBut€there€can€be€no€unity€in€that€dog„eat„dog€milieu.€In€exchangeÏfor€this€false€unity,€school€workers€will€sacrifice€internalÏdemocracy,€the€ability€to€choose€another€union,€and€what€littleÏanti„racist€rank€and€file€activism€that€remains€within€the€NEA€andÏAFT.€Rather€than€enhanced€teacher€power,€elites€will€use€the€mergedÏunion€to€more€effectively€discipline€the€nation's€educators.€€Ìà  àThe€merger€pushes€teacher€unionism€back€into€its€darkest€days,Ïcombining€the€worst€of€both€unions;€harkening€back€to€the€AFT'sÏracist€beginnings€in€the€1968€Ocean„Hill€Brownsville€strike€againstÏa€black€community€and€the€company€unionism€that€dominated€the€oldÏNEA.€More€union€bossism€coupled€with€the€idea€that€the€workingÏclass€and€the€employing€class€have€everything€in€common;€that's€theÏsad€side€of€U.S.€labor€history.€While€Chase€and€Feldman€promiseÏdemocratic€protectionñÍñsñÍñ€inside€the€proposed€new€union,€a€letter€fromÏNEA€Executive€Director€Don€Cameron€in€January€1998€threatened€thoseÏwho€are€not€on€the€bandwagon€with€unspoken€consequences,€a€newÏdevelopment€in€what€NEA€likes€to€call€its€ð ðfamilyðð.€The€IllinoisÏNEA€staff,€still€rebellious,€then€voted€overwhelmingly€to€opposeÏthe€merger,€as€did€the€state€of€Michigan€governance.Ìà  àIn€any€case,€the€AFL„CIO€hasnððt€won€a€serious€fight€in€25Ïyears.€Consider€PATCO,€the€failed€air„traffic€controllersððstrike,Ð p,À'0 Ðthe€Detroit€Newspaper€strike,€where€solidarity€was€not€enhanced,Ïbut€wrecked,€by€the€AFL.€Consider€the€Caterpillar€strike,€theÏstrike€at€Hormel,€and€on€and€on.€The€AFL„CIO€allowed€the€DetroitÏnewspaper€strike€to€die€on€the€vine,€in€part€because€it€wanted€toÏminimize€labor€strife€during€the€Clinton€electoral€campaign.€ThenÏñÎñTñÎññÏñtñÏñhe€AFL€turned€about€in€the€spring€of€1998€and€spent€11€millionÏdollars€in€California€defending€their€right€to€collect€politicalÏaction€money,€designated€for€their€Democratic€Party€colleagues.€TheÏvaunted€AFL„CIO€promises€of€solidarity€are€simply€hollow„„unlessÏteachers€want€solidarity€with€those€who€benefit€from€irrationalismÏand€inequality..€Moreover,€the€AFL„CIO,€controlled€by€privateÏsector€unions,€regularly€lobbies€against€public€sector€taxÏincreases.€Ìà  àWhat€elites€will€gain€from€the€proposed€merger€is€an€increasedÏability€to€tame€school€workers,€to€gain€greater€control€of€whatÏelites€rightly€understand€is€the€center€of€contested€terrain€in€theÏU.S.„„schools.€This€works€two€ways.€First,€teachers€will€no€longerÏhave€the€option€of€leaving€an€ineffective€local€and€going€to€theÏother€union.€Second,€the€undemocratic€procedures€of€the€AFL„CIO€andÏthe€AFT€will€be€imposed€on€NEA€members€whose€union,€at€leastÏstructurally,€is€far€more€democratic.€Without€the€ability€to€leaveÏor€to€use€democratic€procedures€to€change€their€union,€U.S.Ïteachers€will€be€trapped€in€an€organization€that€works€againstÏtheir€interests„„and€in€opposition€to€the€interests€of€most€kids.ÏOne€focal€point€of€this€attack€is€the€curriculum.€Ð p,À'0 Ðà  àThe€national€curricula€standardization€the€unions€andÏcorporations€promote€is€the€regulation€of€knowledge:€certainÏcontent€and€methods€of€learning€assigned€to€groups€of€childrenÏarranged€by€social€class.€Michigan€teachers€know€regulatedÏcurricula€explode€the€foundation€of€learning:€the€meeting€of€aÏparticular€student€with€unique€interests,€a€special€teacher€withÏcertain€passions€and€expertise,€and€the€resources€of€a€distinctiveÏcommunity€in€a€loving€classroom€where€risk€is€nurtured.€Standards,Ïsimply€instruments€of€coercion€which€segregate€kids€and€enforce€theÏstandpoint€of€elites,€rob€teachers€and€kids€of€their€most€preciousÏcommodities:€time€spent€in€fervent€study.€More€regulated€examsÏlocate€the€thinking€mind€and€source€of€truth€in€an€alien€test.€TheÏeducator€becomes€an€imperial€clerk.€Ìà  àSo€whose€side€should€teachers€be€on?€Educators€will,€sooner€orÏlater,€discover€that€those€who€believe€society€should€be€motivatedÏby€fear€and€greed€make€unreliable€allies.€People€who€work€in€schoolÏshould€side€with€those€who€need€school€most.Ìà  àThere€are€some€hopeful€signs,€people€pulling€back€the€curtainsÏof€OZ;€teachers€making€wise€choices.€The€'Rethinking€Schools"Ïproject€in€Milwaukee€appears€to€unite€working€class€parents,€kids,Ïand€teachers€in€multi„racial€groups€to€address€questions€ofÏcurriculum€and€justice.€In€their€work,€kids€and€teachers€are€theÏcreators€of€the€curriculum„„and€the€testers€of€the€knowledge€theyÏhave€created.€The€Whole€Language€movement€inherently€challenges€theÏalien€curricula€of€state€compulsion.€To€the€north,€the€OntarioÐ p,À'0 Ðteachers€strike€of€1997,€the€largest€in€the€history€of€NorthÏAmerica,€demonstrates€the€power€teachers€have€when€they€organizeÏthe€communities€they€serve.€€Ìà  àThere€are€answers€for€educators€in€history.€Margaret€Haley,Ïwho€worked€in€both€the€NEA€and€AFT€in€the€early€1900's,€led€fightsÏwhich€drew€on€the€powerful€unity€of€interest€of€students,€teachers,Ïand€parents€around€questions€of€class€size,€freedom€to€control€theÏlocal€curriculum,€and€a€more€just€tax€system.€She€often€won.Ìà  àThe€corporate€state,€propelled€by€a€bogus€common€nationalÏinterest,€will€not€serve€teachers€well.€Should€educators€followÏChase€and€Feldman€into€alliances€with€corporate€elites,Ïpoliticians,€and€local€managers,€a€few€of€those€educators€mayÏbenefit€a€bit,€rewarded€with€time€away€from€the€classroom,€freeÏovernights€and€meals,€heightened€respectability.€The€vast€majorityÏwill€pay€a€price€for€their€colleagues'€petty€privileges.€They€willÏbe€divided€along€the€lines€of€the€incomes€of€the€parents€theyÏteach.€Thus€split,€injuries€to€one€will€precede€injuries€to€all.Ìà  àEducators€are€repeatedly€faced€with€a€decision:€the€kids€orÏthe€bureaucracy?€Teachers€already€sacrifice€time€and€resources€andÏmake€decent€choices.€What€is€needed€now€is€to€choose€in€a€moreÏsystematic€way:€organized€principled€caucuses€of€parents,€kids€andÏeducators„„inside€and€outside€the€unions„„directed€at€commonÏinterests,€unifying€issues:€class€size,€academic€freedom,€a€moreÏequitable€way€to€fund€schools.€This€is€real€solidarity,€establishedÏaround€the€idea€that€circumstances€require€a€really€new€form€ofÐ p,À'0 Ðteacher€unionism,€one€that€embraces€schools€for€a€democraticÏsociety.Ì