Chris Maisano wrote:
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>> The question of how to weed out poor performers while maintaining a strong union is a really tough one to answer. American unions fight to preserve every last job because they are organized on the basis of territorial jurisdiction and compulsory bargaining, and it's really hard for unions to organize new workers. I don't know how to deal with this question short of completely overhauling the way American unions are structured.
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Damn it. Nothing is more destructive of anything remotely approaching class solidarity than this fucking stupid idea that somehow the incompetent should be "weeded out." People are not weeds to begin with. Accept the fact that any work force is going to be varied, and rather than this stupid and impossble and divisive obsession with competence give a little bit of thought to performing the best possible with a given work force.
Fundamental to building a good school _system_ would be (a) hiring on the basis of drawing lots amont applicants and (b) immediate and irrevocable tenure, and (c) salary determined by time only -- no judgment of this illustory competence.
Carrol