Report: La. teacher unions weak at influencing policy

Louisiana’s two teacher unions are among the weakest in the nation, according to a report issued Monday.

“State teacher unions are weaker in Louisiana than unions in other states on nearly every metric that we examined,” according to the report prepared by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, based in Washington, D.C. The organization calls itself an education research group and one that says too many public schools are dysfunctional or ineffective.

The review ranked the strength of teacher unions here as 42nd nationally, including 40th in resources and membership, 44th in involvement in politics and 44th in perceived influence.

As expected, teacher unions in the Northeast dominated the Top 10 while those in the South and Southwest were near the bottom.

The state’s two largest teacher unions are the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, or LFT, and the Louisiana Association of Educators, or LAE.

The LFT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers. The LAE is connected with the National Education Association.

“I am not dazzled, I think it is flawed,” LFT President Steve Monaghan said of the study. “I am not sure what they are trying to say.”

One problem, according to the report, is the view of education “stakeholders” contacted that the LFT and LAE rank behind Gov. Bobby Jindal, the state’s charter school association, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Louisiana Schools Boards Association in terms of influence.

“They report that the unions are not effective in warding off education proposals with which they disagree, and that state education leaders rarely align with union positions,” the study says of respondents to the survey.

Earlier this year Jindal won legislative approval for sweeping changes in public schools despite vehement opposition from LFT and LAE leaders.

One new law has expanded access to vouchers to nearly 5,000 low-and middle-income students to attend private and parochial schools.

Another measure will make it harder for teachers to earn and retain a form of job protection called tenure.

“If you have a pro-labor governor or anti-labor governor in office, that often had a lot to do with what the landscape would look like,” said Amber Winkler, vice president for research at the Fordham Institute.

The study says 58 percent of teachers belong to teacher unions in Louisiana, which is 38th in the nation.

In the past decade, teacher union donations accounted for just 0.18 percent of contributions to candidates for state office, which was 45th nationally, according to the report.

Louisiana is a right-to-work state, which means employees cannot be forced to join a union as a condition of employment.

Collective bargaining agreements exist in seven of the state’s 70 school districts, which outline working conditions, salaries, benefits and other issues.

The report says states with mandatory collective bargaining laws tilt the playing field in favor of unions as does the right to strike.

In a telephone interview, Monaghan said that, among other issues he has with the study, it is hard for anyone to nail down the influence of a teachers’ union. “How do you put a value on each of the players they contacted?” he asked.

Monaghan said the Fordham Institute “is a conservative-leaning, right-wing-leaning think tank. Bottom line.”

LAE President Joyce Haynes, in comments issued by her office, said that much of the public school overhaul measures that won approval did so “without the input or respect” of classroom teachers and other school workers.

States where teacher unions have the most strength are Hawaii, Oregon, Montana, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, California, New Jersey, Illinois, New York and Washington, according to the report.

Those listed in the bottom tier are Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, Virginia, Arkansas, South Carolina, Florida and Arizona.

The report was also sponsored by Education Reform Now, which officials touted as a group linked to Democratic politicians willing to take nontraditional party stands to improve public schools.

Comments

1) Comment by Being_Stupid - 30/10/2012

In other words the WALL is coming down in Louisiana. Education Reform is finally happening! Steve Monopolyman is losing his power over our tax dollars to fund real education reform for our children. It is about the children being educated, not how much money Steve Monopolyman can make from his Teacher's Union.

2) Comment by Traveler - 30/10/2012

Tradewinns: I love your statement that Southern tradition "is self-reliance and individualism." And you're right----up to a point. The fact is, Southern TEACHER tradition is to be subservient, obedient, and non-confrontational, even when to be so is not in the best interest of one's students, one's profession, or one's self. I am PRAYING for the day when Louisiana teachers will grow the kind of backbone their colleagues in such places as Wisconsin have demonstrated. In the meantime, the meekness that our own teachers exhibit, coupled with their absolute fear of elected officials, is the very reason that they need a strong union. What a pity they're not getting that with their dues dollars.

3) Comment by Traveler - 30/10/2012

Concerned_Parent: your logic is excellent! The Fordham Institute report not only establishes that the teacher unions in our state are weak, but also leads to the obvious conclusion that the teacher unions have had no bearing on any decisions to come out of the SDE or BESE. I do disagree with you, however, when you say, "I don't think the unions should see this as a bad thing." On the contrary, I think they should see it as a VERY "bad thing" when they are proven to be powerless and ineffective at the one big job they're supposed to be doing.

4) Comment by Concerned_Parent - 30/10/2012

So....states with the weakest teacher unions, with the lowest teacher input into decision making, are some of the same states that are consistently ranked the lowest in the country. Yet I keep hearing "if the teacher unions would just get out of the way". I don't think the unions should see this as a bad thing. I actually think it proves their point even more. This report is saying they have little to no influence on what programs get approved, so I don't see how anyone can put the blame on them for low performing schools. Looks like the state government and BESE are the ones that have been running the schools into the ground. Maybe if the people working 8 hrs a day 5 days a week with the students had a voice in the decision making, we might see some better results.

5) Comment by Traveler - 30/10/2012

Teachers who are members of a teachers union: do you have ANY idea of the salary your state union president is paid? You know, you really should ASK....I think you'll be shocked. Remember that your dues are paying that salary! Then ask, how much additional compensation does he or she receive in the form of a housing allowance, a travel allowance, and so on. Finally, compare that salary and benefits to your own, and ask yourself....am I getting my money's worth?

6) Comment by tradewinns - 30/10/2012

the unions are weaker because the public is non union. southern tradition is self reliance and individualism.

7) Comment by Traveler - 30/10/2012

It might be time for the national leaders of the AFL-CIO and NEA to have a "Come to Jesus" meeting with the leaders of the state affiliates of the teachers unions on the subject of merger. I'm quite sure those national leaders will see the report from the Fordham Institute. If the state teachers union leaders are too pig-headed and self-serving to do what is in the best interests of their dues-paying members (and remember, those dues support the lifestyles of those leaders!), then it's time for realistic leaders to step in.

8) Comment by 8point6 - 30/10/2012

Monaghan said the Fordham Institute “is a conservative-leaning, right-wing-leaning think tank. Bottom line.” And then: "The report was also sponsored by Education Reform Now, which officials touted as a group linked to Democratic politicians willing to take nontraditional party stands to improve public schools." Are these "Democratic politicians" liberal-leaning, left-wing-leaning? Well, of course, they are.

9) Comment by Traveler - 30/10/2012

For those teachers union members or supporters who want their union to be stronger: here's the problem. The two teachers unions in Louisiana have limited resources. Because of the intense competition for membership between the two unions (which has gone on for decades), their energies and finances are being diverted from the more vital role of legislative and political action. Union leaders cite "philosophical differences" between the two groups as the reason the two unions are unable to join forces. That is a "red herring" excuse. The true reason is that entrenched leaders realize that a merger of the two groups will inevitably result in some people losing their high-paying jobs-----after all, there can be only one union president, one executive/financial manager, and so on. In addition, board members of each organization enjoy self-perceived influence, travel perks, and social opportunities. Insiders tell me that a few years ago, there was an effort to merge the Baton Rouge affiliates of LFT and LAE, but it failed----and according to those same insiders, LAE was the side that was unwilling to support the local's efforts to move forward. Any teachers union leaders who would put their own self-serving interests above the interests of the dues-paying members who look to the union for representation are no better than the self-serving politicians the unions claim to fight. State teacher union affiliates of the AFL-CIO and the NEA have successfully merged in a number of other states, for the betterment of their members----take note of California, Florida, and Minnesota, as just three examples. Teachers union members have the power to send a clear message to their union leaders: merge, or we're going to stop wasting our dues to support people who do nothing for us. It's that simple.

10) Comment by agagent - 30/10/2012

The unions sought more political power in the most recent elections. Louisiana teachers unions threw their weight behind several candidates in the BESE elections. At least one their chosen candidates won and several of their candidates lost their elections. If the Louisiana voters agreed they would have gained more political power.

11) Comment by agagent - 30/10/2012

In Wisconsin unions used to sit on both sides of the bargaining table: the union-supported elected official were on one side of the table and the public employee union bosses were on the other. Because of union agreements public schools were obliged to purchase expensive union insurance, and policy makers were virtually powerless in addressing their financial crisis. To help solve the fiscal problems unions were restricted to bargaining on wages, and the expensive union insurance was dropped in favor of insurance purchased through a competitive bid process.

12) Comment by agagent - 30/10/2012

The labor movement wants more power and control over education since its influence is shrinking in the private sector. Unions have helped drive many private firms, like GM and Chrysler, into bankruptcy or helped chased many jobs to right -to-work states or offshore. In states where unions have more power public employee unions have gained such high pay and benefits that it is impossible for local and state governments to pay the bills.