Last edited Thu May 17, 2012, 09:10 AM - Edit history (1)
The Pgh. Post - Gazette ran with a story that the school board is asking AFT Local 400 to agree to furloughs not based on seniority, a 'kill the union' resolution.
The story ran the morning that the Pgh. Federation of Teachers had their ballots delivered by mail to all rank-and-file members, for the upcoming election of all union officials. The anti-incumbent candidate (son of 'Studio Wrestling' champ Bruno Sammartino) has been a gadfly to all three union presidents and their officers, but he can't get it together enough to fill a 30 member slate of reps. to the PA state AFT. A yutz. (I'm I. B. of Electrical Workers Local 5, but my wife's a Local 400 rank-and-filer, so I've watched their union politics for decades.)
The 2nd biggest school district in PA is of course being hammered by (repug) Gov 'Close your Eyes' Corbett's 1 billion in state ed budget cuts, and the incumbent leadership is fighting a desperate rear-guard action against the non-elected Superintendent, to save jobs. They are doing this while also fighting a union election battle.
The timing of this newspaper article's publication is clearly designed to promote an anti-incumbency 'heat of the moment' vote by the rank-and-file, in protest of the direction in which EVERYTHING - schools, the teaching profession, union representation - is going.
Watch the wun percent at work.
Tactically speaking, I advocate that the AFT, NEA, and AFSCME throw a nationwide wildcat one day strike, in solidarity with the May Day General strike. Teachers and staff can see the kids at school May 1st, just not IN school. It would definitely be a positive educational experience for 99% of public school kids, and their families. (Just my opinion, but maybe I'm a bigger yutz than Sammartino.)
Edit to add: Sammartino is Bruno's nephew, I heard yesterday. He lost on May 16, but the full incumbent slate didn't win.
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