Editor: Running through recent letters and articles is an unmentioned theme: our representative system of government no longer represents the public. Instead, leaders cater to personal interests, their party, and their ideology. Take the push in Loudoun for collective bargaining. Did the public ask for this? What possible benefits could there be for us?
Our supervisors should be required to read the new book “Not Accountable: Rethinking the Constitutionality of Public Employee Unions” before imposing this on us all. But they won’t: party and ideology predetermined their votes. The public sector unions extract dues from their members, which are laundered through the union and turned into campaign dollars for politicians. How many dollars? Look it up on Open Secrets yourself. The wheel rolls on endlessly; only the taxpayers are left out.
Speaking of being left out, when teachers unions become involved in public education it is worth asking these questions: Do the students have a union? Do the parents? Do the taxpayers? No. Their interests all fall to the bottom of the priority list. We just experienced a disastrous example of this, with the extended closure of schools (the longest closures occurred in places where the unions are the strongest). Economists are now calculating the lifelong losses to the students who were harmed, and we see alarming statistics on mental health, addiction, and suicide as well. No one even apologized, just the usual passing of the buck.
Everyone knows there are teachers who should not be allowed anywhere near a school, teachers who do the bare minimum, and phenomenal, gifted teachers who change the lives of their students forever. Teachers unions ensure it is impossible to fire the former or to reward the latter. The members receive their pay and benefits regardless of the students’ outcomes, even in places where schools manage 0% proficiency results (see Baltimore).
Or take the nebulous “equity” resolution with its unknown practical consequences. Did the public ask for this? How would it poll on a list of Loudoun voters’ priorities? Doesn’t matter. The supervisors do what they want regardless. Parents of Asian background and other “inconvenient minorities” should pay special attention, as a clue to what “equity” means for them can be found in recent controversies like the removal of merit admissions at TJ or schools “forgetting” to inform certain National Merit award winners.
A recent article focused on the problems the high cost of land and housing pose to young local farmers (who are creating amazing food products). How would the “equity” resolution affect any attempt to support them? Will support only be forthcoming if we happen to have the “correct” percentage of Black or LGBTQ farmers? No one knows.
The examples are endless. Voters are presented with a binary choice, motivated by anger and fear, and then forgotten the day after Election Day. The result is hopeless division, resentment, and a record low in public trust. Or occasionally something more drastic, like the election of Donald Trump.
Dominic Santini, Leesburg
(10) comments
Tadpole your wrong VA is a right to work state you don't have to join the union. You make it sound like the union fires employees, know management fires employees. The union and management have a grievance process for the employees to fight unjust discipline. Too many people are commenting on this issue that know nothing about how a union works or labor laws. The same old talking points from the fire right. I watch some fox news every day i hear the same BS on this site all the time.
Paulm you are so wrong just feeding far right propaganda. It's against federal law to use union dues for any political activity. Look it up. What this crazy talk about how the union gives all these big wages and benefits. Wages, benefits and work rules are negotiated with management. In my opinion all Loudoun County school employees deserve collective bargaining rights.
I appreciate Dominic confronting the pathetic lies of public employee unions and their supporters .
Unions extract dues from employees to help elect politicians that then bestow lucrative wages and benefits to employees.
It is a racket that results in high costs and poor performance.
Unionization of Loudoun public employees will result in higher taxes, poorer schools and worse service.
Many inaccuracies here.
1. public sector unions unions do not "to extract" dues. All dues is paid voluntarily.
2. Teachers, parents, and taxpayers do not have unions, because unions are only for employees. But those other groups all have a say in the process, just ask Fight for Schools and America Legal First.
3. The pandemic has nothing to do with unions. In fact, Loudoun teachers still do not have a right to bargain yet. So you can't blame a union for that.
But while you're at it. No one needs to apologize because a global pandemic occurred and the government had to respond to protect people. Just because you didn't like those things doesn't mean you're owed an apology.
4. Loudoun County has great schools national. It didn't get there because teachers are lazy or do the bare minimum. Union's ensure the employees due process rights are protected and personnel policies are followed. If a bad teachers doesn't get fired it means that the boss didn't do their job to improve, and document progress (or lack of) and follow the established procedure for disciplining or terminating.
5. Lastly, it's not the schools or the teachers that are motivating votes to act in fear and anger. I'd wager that motivation is coming from someplace else.
1. If union dues are not paid, the union demands the employee be terminated. That’s hardly voluntary.
2. While you are correct regarding unions only applying to employees, parent only have a say every few years. Years when their is an election for their districts.
3. While the closing of the schools may have been necessary, keeping them closed beyond what was necessary was the mistake of those in authority. That decision took the voice of the teachers into consideration, thus giving them a voice.
4. So I guess it’s not the teacher who is at fault for their behavior but that fault of the supervisor. This is the same logic of an adult criminal who blames his actions on his upbringing.
5. You are correct. That motivation is coming from the school board members and the board of supervisors.
1. False. Virginia is a right to work state, the law specifically prohibits employees foe not joining a union.
2. So parents speaking at meetings have no voice. Sure.
3. School closure decisions were based on public health protocols. And again, also irrelevant to public sector unions, because LCPS had no unions at the time.
4. No the teachers do have responsibilities for their conduct, and their performance. Management shares responsibility for performance as well. And it's Management's job to follow the rules and respect the teacher's due process rights.
5. Nice try. How about Fox News, OANN, NewsMax.
Tim Smith has it right. The same old far right out of the mainstream talking points. I get tired of hearing union dues are used for political use. IT's AGAINST FEDERAL LAW TO USE ANY UNION DUES FOR ANY POLITICAL ACTIVITY. Anybody that pays any attention at all knows teacher are under paid. Let the teacher have a voice in the workplace. They deserve the right like every worker to bargain for their wages, benefits and work rules. I just don't understand why so many people are against employees having a voice in the workplace.
Rattlesnake, that is not remotely true. According to OpenSecrets data, labor unions donated more than $67 million to candidates and parties, 86 percent of which went to Democrats, the most one-sided partisan split of any industry tracked by the watchdog group.
Dominic Santini trots out all the tired, old tropes about unions: They're corrupt; they take up for rotten employees; their leadership isn't accountable to anyone; workers will just do the bare minimum to get by under a union. None of this has to be true! We've come a long way since the 20th century scandals when union leaders were involved in graft & violent crime. It's much better these days. Moreover, unions are inevitable in Loudoun Blue. Please stop trashing unions, Mr. Santini!
Unions go hand in hand with the equity agenda. Like equity they are the epitome of mediocrity. Exceptional performance is rewarded with the same mediocre pay scale as everyone else. No opportunity to excell through hard work. All while they take people's money to spend on leftwing causes that violate their unsuspecting employee's personal beliefs. Yeah, blue Loudoun sounds just fantastic timsmith. Communist utopia.
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