Antonucci: This Is What It Looks Like When Teacher Unions Fight Their Own Employees
The majority of individuals employed by teacher unions are also members of a separate union known as a staff union. They engage in collective bargaining with union executives and managers, often finding themselves in difficult positions when negotiations do not go smoothly. In these instances, union managers may have to make tough decisions such as budget cuts, layoffs, reduction of benefits, or engaging in behaviors that they criticize school administrators for.
On one hand, employees of teacher unions receive more generous salaries and benefits compared to the teachers they represent. However, on the other hand, union managers can exhibit similar negative traits and attitudes as seen in the corporate world. One common complaint is that union executives often show little respect for their subordinates.
Currently, employees of the Kentucky Education Association (KEA) are in the process of negotiating a new contract with their managers. Although a tentative agreement was reached last September, it was rejected by the staff union, leading both parties to return to the bargaining table. To increase pressure on KEA managers, the staff union has resorted to forming informational picket lines outside the union headquarters.
Over the years, there have been numerous disputes between teacher union employees and managers. Fortunately, most of these conflicts are resolved before any drastic job actions are taken. However, there have been instances where staff unions have gone on strike against teacher unions, and the state of Kentucky is one such example.
In January 2000, employees of KEA went on strike not only for higher pay but also because union managers sought to tie any pay increase to maintaining a membership level of at least 28,500. Unfortunately, the timing was unfavorable for the union as they were concurrently lobbying for a collective bargaining bill in the state legislature.
Efforts by management to prevent the strike actually made it inevitable. At the time, Charlie Vice, the executive director of KEA, sent a memo to all employees addressing their concerns about the strike. Vice informed them that in the event of a staff strike, KEA had the legal right to hire permanent replacements. He also stated that striking employees had the right to return to their former positions if they were available. Lastly, he assured them that they had a legal right to work and were welcome.
Vice further advised KEA employees on the process of resigning from the staff union. Unsurprisingly, this did not sit well with the workers, leading them to go on strike for a duration of six days. Eventually, a satisfactory settlement was reached, but the collective bargaining bill failed to pass in the legislature.
Internal labor disputes within unions rarely benefit teachers. Often, managers give in to employee demands in order to avoid negative media coverage brought about by a staff strike. This in turn leads to higher union dues. However, when unions resort to layoffs and benefit cuts to balance budgets, it gives school administrators the justification to adopt similar measures, to the detriment of teachers.
The conflicts highlighted in these situations demonstrate that collective bargaining is not a simple battle between good and evil. Infinite desires and limited resources result in differing opinions on how they should be allocated.
Much like the TV show "Undercover Boss" exposes corporate managers to the challenges faced by their employees, staff union negotiations expose unionists to the difficulties of dealing with organized labor demands.
While it remains unsure if this premise would make for a successful reality series, it has the potential to entertain and educate us.
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