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Whose Interests Do the Teachers’ Unions Truly Represent?
The teachers’ unions often try to justify their actions by claiming that they are standing up for the students. But the teachers’ unions’ mission is to represent the interests of their members, and not those of the children. Of course, sometimes the interests of the children and the interests of the teachers do align, and in those cases the unions are being truthful. However, in many circumstances the interests of the children and the interests of the teachers diverge, and in those cases the unions are actually taking positions detrimental to student learning. This 13-minute video discusses some of these situations, for example the unions’ protection of bad teachers; the poisoning of the relationship between teachers and administrators; and the unions’ opposition to merit pay. The video also touches on some union policies that promote the interests of union officials - at the expense of the teachers they claim to represent.