Huff Po: Change.org Drops Michelle Rhee Group Under Pressure From Progressives

[Omaha Steve]

Yesterday, we got some good news. Thanks largely to your thousands of signatures and comments Change.org has dropped both Jonah Edleman’s Stand for Children and Michelle Rhee’s Students First as clients.



You can read Huffington Post's coverage here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/19/changeorg-michelle-rhee_n_1610760.html



Though this is good news, we still need to be very realistic about Change.org and their willingness to repeatedly dupe signers into supporting petitions that appear to be progressive but are really backed by corporate and anti-labor organizations. While this is a great step, we still don't have a clear indication from Change.org on where they draw the line on anti-worker organizations and groups that advocate against collective bargaining or promote legislation written by ALEC, an extreme organization that you may recognize as the author of the 'Stand Your Ground' law in Florida and anti-worker legislation across the country. We should be heartened that our voices were heard in this instance, but warned about those that would call us allies in the struggle to support public education and those who educate our children. What is to stop Change.org from doing this again? What other media are acting like they are friends to teachers and workers, but they are really not?



Because, as you know, us Chicago teachers are in contract negotiations and fighting for better schools for our students, I want to encourage you to stay engaged. We, and other educators, need the support that you demonstrated by signing our Signon.org petition. These kinds of attacks on teachers as the nurturers of kids and as members of labor organizations won’t stop today.



Please keep reading articles to stay informed, write a letter to the editor or make an online comment if you see teacher bashing, tell your friends and family while in line at the grocery store about how teachers are fighting for quality public education. Research whose lobbying and supporting your local representatives, because in many cases, they are connected and funded by the leaders of organizations like Stand for Children and Students First. Please continue to be a voice against the corporate influence of astroturf, neoliberal organizations that are trying to destroy public education as we know it and bust unions that fight back.



One way to keep informed and involved is to follow the work of the unions that I’m in. As an active member of the Chicago Teachers Union, I’m proud to say that we are a more united and fighting union than ever. President Karen Lewis (Signon.org petition signer #262) and our members are pushing for research-supported education reform. To read the Chicago Teachers Union study called “The Schools Chicago’s Students Deserve” go to: http://www.ctunet.com/quest-center/research/the-schools-chicagos-students-deserve You can download the whole thing, read and share widely! Have you ever seen a teachers union lead like this before?


FULL story at Huff Post.

Published on Jun 19, 2012 by ChicagoTeacher312

Please sign this petition today http://bit.ly/KispHk

I'm a public school teacher who has taught high school history for nine years in Chicago.

Because of broad public support and overwhelming unity among teachers, I'm truly hopeful that we can achieve real gains for kids and teachers through our current contract negotiation--including adequate funding for art and music, school nurses, counselors, playgrounds, and libraries.

That's why I was dismayed to learn that, in the middle of this delicate but honest negotiation, the social action website Change.org is taking money to promote a campaign attacking Chicago's public school teachers by a conservative anti-union organization.

In any negotiation, it's essential to have trust and good-will on both sides. This kind of tired, old teacher-bashing by ideological conservatives only makes things more difficult, and I wish Change.org would stop taking money to promote it.

Ninety-eight of our Chicago schools don't have playgrounds, and 160 schools don't have libraries at all. Forty percent of our schools do not have full time art and music programs. These are some of the important issues that teachers would like to discuss at the bargaining table not just to improve working conditions for teachers but to ensure that our students receive the education they deserve.

As a teacher, I'm so proud to be on the right side of this fight, but it's disheartening to find teachers once again under attack by knee-jerk teacher-bashers. In this case, the attacks are coming from the anti-labor group Stand for Children, whose former leader Jonah Edelman recently bragged on video about how he was nearly able to "dupe" politicians into ending collective bargaining rights for Chicago teachers.

By taking money to promote this anti-union campaign, Change.org is turning their backs on teachers and endangering our efforts to provide a world-class education to our children.

The teachers of Chicago deserve a public apology from Change.org and assurances that you won't again promote conservative groups who oppose collective bargaining rights for teachers or other unions.

[Lifelong Protester]

1. I know I got sick of seeing those

Petitions show up after I sign on to some worthy cause. I was "WTF? " and scratching my head wondering if I was the only one who " noticed".