Teachers oppose Teachers' Union lawsuit in Nevada

[HeraldSquare212]

from Time Magazine website:

http://thepage.time.com/2008/01/14/nevada-teachers-speak-out-against-lawsuit

January 14, 2008Ms. Lynn Warne

President

Nevada State Education Association

3511 East Harmon Avenue

Las Vegas, NV 89121

Dear President Warne:

As teachers in Nevada, and members of the Nevada State Education Association, we are deeply dismayed that our union is trying to stop our students’ parents from caucusing on Saturday. We urge them in the strongest terms to drop this lawsuit immediately.

Many of our students are Hispanic Americans and come from low-income families. Their parents are construction workers, McDonald’s employees, and other shift workers on the strip, who work around the clock, and won’t have time to travel to their caucus locations on Saturday. That’s why the state Democratic committee set up nine at-large precinct locations on the strip – to provide nearby caucus locations for Nevadans who otherwise wouldn’t be able to caucus.

-snip-

This lawsuit is all about politics. It’s widely known that many of our union’s top officials support Senator Clinton and now that the Culinary Workers Union has endorsed Senator Obama, they’re using our union to stop Nevadans from caucusing for Senator Obama.

We never thought our union and Senator Clinton would put politics ahead of what’s right for our students, but that’s exactly what they’re doing. As teachers, and proud Democrats, we hope they will drop this undemocratic lawsuit and help all Nevadans caucus, no matter which candidate they support.


-snip- (names of people signing follow)

[Bread and Circus]

1. kicked and recommended!

[Cha]

26. WHOA! Some freakin' sanity hits

the "lawsuit"! Thank you, Teachers! OMG! Talk about life changing on a dime! At least some people care about the process rather than the inevitable one ..no matter whose votes get suppressed.

[babylonsister]

2. Ouch! Go, teachers! nt

[mckeown1128]

3. Kick and Rec

[tammywammy]

4. That's gotta sting

Good for them.

[progressoid]

5. Ruh roh.

[IndianaGreen]

6. "We never thought our union and Senator Clinton would put politics ahead of what’s right...

We never thought our union and Senator Clinton would put politics ahead of what’s right for our students.

The Clintons would rather wreck the party or the nation than to lose their chance to keep the Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton dynasty in power.

[jasmine621]

22. Excuse me, but has the Teacher's Union endorsed anyone yet?

And I think you are misreading the sentifments of the culinary workers. They are not unified behind Barack.

[Cha]

29. You're excused.

[ursi]

7. my hunney is a teacher and he was outraged by the Clinton supporters lawsuit!

I love this! What a slap in Clinton's face!

[kikiek]

24. Do a little research. None of the ones that brought the lawsuit have donated to any

campaigns this last year. Hard to pin that label on them isn't it?

[Cha]

30. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

huh huh.

[cloudythescribbler]

8. It would be interesting to know HOW MANY teachers supported this, and stated views of OTHER ...

public figures than Obama & his campaign who have condemned this Repukative disenfranchisement scheme.

Between race-baiting (in the grand tradition of the GOP 2000 'minstrel show' convention) and disenfranchisement, HRC is really showing herself to be more Repuglican than many of her supporters or potential supporters realized.

I can only hope (but surely don't see it as inevitable) that these schemes backfire on her IN THE PRIMARIES, bigtime.
Key to that it seems is to have a number of both union figures, union members and public figures, including from outside NV, make themselves heard on this disenfranchisement scheme. It needs to be highlighted to the national media.

[IndianaGreen]

13. Unfortunately, Hillary has a strong cult following just like Bush does

Nothing those two ever do will ever shake the fanaticism of their followers.

[kikiek]

27. Here is a link to help you answer that question. Interviews with people who

http://www.lvrj.com/news/13557362.html are being disenfranchised. Why aren't they being accommodated. The method dilutes the voters also. Doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure that out. Also for some reason people can't get it through their head that it isn't only teachers being left out. http://www.lvrj.com/news/13557362.html People need to find a real cause like the economy or the Iraq war or a million other things to debate. This is stupid so it goes on and on. No wonder this country is in trouble.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. Is this voter suppression?

I'm sorry, I just heard about this and don't know many details.

But it walks like voter suppression, and quacks like voter suppression...

[adabfree]

20. That's it exactly...

[kikiek]

23. This is one of those threads that is brought up over and over despite the lack of validity to claims

that Hillary is trying to suppress the vote. One of the shorter threads with info in it is here. It is very tiring to have to try to actually put facts out there again and again. Same people hop on and flame the fans. They aren't concerned with facts just the flaming. Read up on it and if you're interested there is another link to the lawsuit itself. There is a lot of information on the internet for anyone really looking for the truth. I even read that none of the ones bringing the lawsuit has donated to any campaign this year. The teachers union is not supporting anyone in the primary. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4066384&mesg_id=4066384

[Nimrod2005]

10. Please let the evil Clinton people know....ASAP!

[juno jones]

11. Yes!

I am glad to hear that. I shoulda known teachers were better than that. I am damn angry at the union politcos for playing this issue (and I do not back off from the accusation of 'elitist') but I apologize to teachers if I offended any. This announcement covers many of my points of concern. Solidarity, We are all in this together.

PS ursi, I posted a rant in your thread before I found out your hub was a teacher (and one of conscious I see...:) ) . Thank you, I appriciate your work in keepping us informed.
And thank, you OP. Made my belated morning (as a shiftworker, today is my Saturday!).

[SaveOurDemocracy]

12. How many teachers are in NV?

15 signed this letter.

[juno jones]

15. Is this an issue the teacher's union voted on en masse?

Or is it just the politicos? Officers who have decided, on their own, to speak out for all. People who like this sport and play this game because thry think it will get them an eetty-beety bit of power over others.

Edit, bad grammar in title...:). Not awake yet. MUST HAVE COFFEE!

[ursi]

17. the lawsuit broke on Friday after school was out. no teachers in Reno

were told about it that we know of.

[kikiek]

21. I read one report that 20,000 and I think a different one said 15,000. Somewhere in the middle then.

The teachers union has not endorsed anyone. It doesn't endorse in primaries. I also read that none of the ones who brought the suit had contributed to any campaign this year.

[Satyagrahi]

14. There is so much outrage here, yet this receives so little attention.

Have we got our priorities right?

I mean, this is not about something somebody said, this is about somebody actually trying to prevent working men and women from participating in the democratic process ! Where is the outrage?

[Hello_Kitty]

16. I KNEW the teachers weren't in support of it! KNEW it!!

The last thing they want, like the letter says, is to stop people from participating in democracy. Furthermore they know it doesn't bode well for them to antagonize another union like that. Hillary's people better stop pissing off rank-and-file union members. First there was AFSCME picking Clinton over Obama even though more members had voted for Obama and now this. Maybe it's a "strategy" to appeal to non-union voters by sticking it to organized labor.

[Cybergata]

18. I was really pissed off . . .

when my Union backed Hillary. I just about quit the Union for that, but my local teacher's union has really helped teachers. I wish I could just join my local union and not the nation wide one.

[Barack_America]

19. kick!

[calteacherguy]

25. Very Good. nt

[SaveOurDemocracy]

28. 15 "Teachers oppose Teachers' Union lawsuit in Nevada " n/t

[Cha]

31. Yeah, Brave aren't they?

Goin' up against the bloody establishement..more power to 'em.