It’s encouraging that US unions are acknowledging the deep crisis facing labor and even the need for union democracy, as Labor Notes contributor Mark Brenner observes in his March 2015 column about the conference organized and hosted by the Albert Shanker Institute, an arm of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). At the same time, the project to destroy unions is global, and to push back successfully our movement needs to learn with and from workers in other countries. Part of that process is our challenging the Shanker Institute’s public, close ties with the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Though the Shanker Institute makes no secret of its relationship with NED, what it doesn’t explain is how the NED works as a junior partner with the US government to suppress independent workers’ movements throughout the world. The AFT itself sponsors projects that undercut militant, independent unions, as two researchers noted using “teacher training as labor imperialism.”
Workers elsewhere pay dearly for the AFT’s and U.S. labor’s support for U.S. foreign policies that sabotage popular movements challenging control of wealthy elites. A 2014 World Bank report about educational reform in Latin America and the Caribbean (stay tuned for a response Mary Compton and I are writing) urges governments to destroy the power of teachers unions. This report provides a rationale for the repression of the unions, as is currently underway in Mexico and shows the urgency of our making waves about the Shanker Institute hosting a conference about building the labor movement at home while allowing its suppression abroad.
Efforts to win gains for U.S. workers at the expense of workers in other countries are doomed for the same reasons it has been suicidal for U.S. unions to cast U.S. workers’ self-interest as being separate from and even at odds with non-union social justice issues at home. A strong, mobilized labor movement at home has to be rooted in ideals of democracy, social justice and equality that we understand and act on as universal.
A shorter version of this letter appears in the forthcoming print edition of Labor Notes. The print publication contains lots that’s valuable that does not appear elsewhere. I subscribe. I hope you do too.
You can follow me on Twitter and Facebook. Still in the works: a critical analysis of that World Bank report about teachers in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Social Justice as cover for selling out The new leadership of United Teachers Los Angeles was installed in July 2014 on a campaign promise of turning our union into a militant union motivated by social justice issues. They have done nothing of the kind and it doesn’t look good going forward. The rotating leadership has collaborated with management in forcing out veteran teachers principally by ignoring grievances and “policing ourselves” through Peer Assistance and Review. The principal social justice duty of a union is to defend its working-class members’ rights and it can claim no moral high ground when it abandons its dues payers. Our CBA agreement guarantees that dues are paid by all teachers and health and human services workers, therefore it doesn’t matter if the worker has been on the job twenty years or three months – the income to the union is the same.
A response to the Anonymous critique of the UTLA leadership As a new and old member of the UTLA leadership team, usually we ignore the misinformation, distortion and lies that a small number of individuals (many not even UTLA members) continue to throw out. It is a desperate attempt to bring our leadership down, as UTLA has become empowered and proactive, connected issues to the Schools LA Students Deserve and a growing base of parents, community, social justice organizational allies and labor partners. In 6 short months we have visited over 1,000 schools and held listening sessions, have had 18,991 members participate in contract surveys, 700+ chapters picketed in front of their schools, over 500 chapter participated in faculty boycotts last week, and 15,000+ attended a rally on Feb. 26th (the largest labor union rally in decades). The anger and frustration of 8 years without a salary increse and 4 years without a contract is channelled into action. We also continue to support members throught the grievance process, profesional development, a support network, and our Area Representatives.