Friday, December 22, 2006
Takin' a TEA-lovin' fool to school
Barbara S. didn't like my - admittedly brief - swipe at the Tennessee Education Association. In an e-mail of great length, which was so vapid and redundant that I will not bore my readers by re-printing it, she told me that the TEA is "not a union"; it is a "professional organization in business for children."
After swallowing the bile that'd made its way into the back of my throat, I responded thusly (adhering to the adage that less is more, which should be a lesson to Ms. S.):
The Tennessee Education Association's primary function is to collectively bargain on behalf of its members. The TEA publishes lofty reports and studies periodically to show its commitment to "improving" our educational system; however, it exists mainly to advance the economic interests of those teachers who join the TEA.
So, the TEA fancies itself a "professional organization" rather than a union, huh? How many professional organizations go on strike, work "to the clock," and make unreasonable salary demands? Not many, I assure you. Yet, the TEA's affiliate unions regularly engage in such activities. Do these sound like the actions of an organization that's "in business for children?"
After swallowing the bile that'd made its way into the back of my throat, I responded thusly (adhering to the adage that less is more, which should be a lesson to Ms. S.):
The Tennessee Education Association's primary function is to collectively bargain on behalf of its members. The TEA publishes lofty reports and studies periodically to show its commitment to "improving" our educational system; however, it exists mainly to advance the economic interests of those teachers who join the TEA.
So, the TEA fancies itself a "professional organization" rather than a union, huh? How many professional organizations go on strike, work "to the clock," and make unreasonable salary demands? Not many, I assure you. Yet, the TEA's affiliate unions regularly engage in such activities. Do these sound like the actions of an organization that's "in business for children?"
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Friday, December 22, 2006 
