 The leaders of the state's major teachers' unions on Friday took a
hard line on the proposed reforms being considered by a special
legislative panel.Ken Swanson, president of the Illinois
Education Association, said key components of the law are aimed at
weakening the unions and stripping them of their equal footing with
local school boards.
"The proposals, if enacted, will in fact create a relationship
that will turn collective bargaining into collective begging,"
Swanson said.
Swanson, and the other union bosses, are upset with the
Performance Counts Act of 2010, proposed legislation that would
change the rules for local unions and local schools as to when
teachers can walk away from the bargaining table. (Click
here for a download of the proposed bill.)
The proposed legislation also aims to scale back teacher tenure
and create a system that allows schools to measure how well a
teacher is teaching.
The Illinois Education Association, the Illinois Federation of
Teachers and the Chicago Teachers' Union are not pleased with any of
the proposals. But they focused a joint and dogged attack on the
strike provisions during Friday's hearing.
Karen Lewis, with the Chicago Teachers' Union, said classroom
teachers are being targeted.
"When we hear about the 'system' and we hear about the 'union'
and we hear about 'coming together,' ... we're losing the power to
advocate for our students. And then we get blamed for it," Lewis
said. "All that's left (to bargain about) are our wages and
benefits. Then we get called greedy ... when all of the other
opportunities for us to advocate for children are being taken away
from us bit by bit."
Dan Montgomery leads the Illinois Federation of Teachers, and he
is quick to point to numbers that he said show that lawmakers are
off base by rewriting the law that governs teachers' strikes.
"There are 869 school districts in Illinois. Last year there were
two strikes that consumed a total of five days. ... In Chicago there
has not been a work stoppage since 1987. In other words the (current
law) works," Montgomery said.
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Lewis said it's clear to teachers in Chicago that this law is
aimed at them and designed to either scare them now or scare them
later.
"This seems like a pre-emptive move geared to us," Lewis said.
"We have had labor peace in Chicago for 23 years. ... But how do we
keep (Chicago Public Schools) honest if they have all of the cards
on their table."
Montgomery said it's obvious to him that the entire reform panel
is trying to scare teachers or find a way to show voters that the
legislature is really working.
"We do not view the proposals as a serious effort to improve
collective bargaining outcomes or educational outcomes for students.
Instead they can only be taken as a direct assault on the collective
bargaining process itself. The proposals are a solution in search of
a problem," Montgomery said.
But lawmakers say they are serious about reform and,
specifically, about changing the relationship between teachers and
local districts.
State Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hutsonville, is a local superintendent
himself. He invited the leaders of the teachers’ unions to present
their plan as soon as they put one together.
"If you do have any suggestions other than a shredder ... we'd
appreciate it," Eddy said.
Lawmakers will wrap up hearings about the proposed education
reforms this week. They are expected to wrap up hearings on other
reforms, including Medicaid and workers’ compensation, next week.
The General Assembly is scheduled for a weeklong session
beginning Jan 3. A new General Assembly is sworn in Jan. 12 in
Springfield.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BENJAMIN YOUNT]
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