Intercepts

United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten gets tweaked by both the New York Daily News and the New York Times for failing to come up with an answer to the question: What is 1/3 and 1/4?

Weingarten's response: "You take your paper, your pen, you add it up, you get to the fractional whatever."

I'm not generally in favor of attempts to embarrass adults with pop quizzes on school subjects (or other general knowledge). They might be ignorant, or they might simply have discarded such general knowledge in exchange for extremely specialized knowledge in their chosen field of endeavor. Nevertheless, one would expect Weingarten to be able to multiply three and four in her head.

Weingarten's gaffe had the unfortunate effect of burying the point of the question, which was that adding fractions with different denominators is part of the sixth-grade standards for New York State schools.

That's not a standard. That's a surrender.

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 08:31 | Permalink | Comments

I don't know how long it takes to fire a teacher in Miami-Dade, but officers of the United Teachers of Dade were able to suspend, dismiss and expel former Secretary-Treasurer Pamela Sturrup in less than two months. See what can happen when you don't have union representation?

Sturrup had been brought up on charges of dereliction of duty after she accused UTD's officers of signing a promissory note without Sturrup's knowledge or the knowledge of the executive board (see Item #3). She was suspended at an emergency session of the union's executive board four days later.

A trial committee of UTD members heard evidence and ruled against Sturrup, and the findings were affirmed by the UTD board. Sturrup has the right to appeal to the union's Council of Stewards, but she has hinted she will seek legal remedies.

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 11:11 | Permalink | Comments

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Posted by Mike Antonucci at 07:12 | Permalink | Comments

Joseph Rago, the assistant editorial features editor at the Wall Street Journal (pay site), has penned a column in which he refers to blogs as "pretty awful," "downright appalling" and -- well, it just gets worse from there.

Rago makes the mistake of lumping blogs the same way many of us lump "the mainstream media" (myself included). And I'm sure that even as I write this, he's being drawn and quartered on many of those blogs.

But you don't have to agree with Rago's dismissive tone to recognize that most of what he says is right on the mark. For example:

"Journalism requires journalists, who are at least fitfully confronting the
digital age. The bloggers, for their part, produce minimal reportage. Instead,
they ride along with the MSM like remora fish on the bellies of sharks, picking
at the scraps."

There are notable exceptions (which Rago doesn't note), like the burgeoning military blogosphere and sites like Iraq the Model, which provide perspectives not widely available in the traditional press. But for the most part, he's right. No one's expecting a blog to compete with CNN in the news-gathering field, but certainly the blogosphere would benefit from more people writing about what they know, rather than what they read in the New York Times.

And yes, I recognize the irony of commenting about a newspaper story in a blog entry that states we have too much of that.

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 12:50 | Permalink | Comments

Tom Robbins of The Village Voice narrates the sordid tale of Brian McLaughlin, the former head of the New York City Central Labor Council, currently under federal indictment on 43 racketeering charges. The headline I've used above is a quote from an unnamed "veteran unionist" to account for some of McLaughlin's off-the-books spending.

McLaughlin will enter the hall of shame inhabited by Pat Tornillo, Barbara Bullock and other notorious crooks who used their union offices for personal gain. You can find criminals in every field of endeavor, but lousy financial oversight makes repeated appearances in union crime.

Robbins writes:

"Technically, McLaughlin was accountable to an executive board, composed of more
than 30 representatives of the city's largest unions. But according to several
board members (many simply didn't bother to attend the monthly meetings), there
was little discussion of the council's own operations. 'I never went to a
meeting where they approved an expenditure,' said one member. 'I don't remember
ever seeing an audited financial statement.'"

Pretty good old-style labor reporting by Robbins. And read his sidebar on the future of the New York City Central Labor Council. Great quote: "Trying to figure out the council's shifting alliances takes a Kremlinologist."

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 08:24 | Permalink | Comments

In the comments section of yesterday's story about NEA disavowing the NCLB dismantling petition, Philip Kovacs of the Educator Roundtable accuses NEA of having "an informant inside of our group who was leaking internal documents."

I'm hardly in a position to criticize anyone for doing THAT.

However, there's always "fighting fire with fire." Hans Moleman, use the dead drop!

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 08:11 | Permalink | Comments

Click here to read:

1) Ohio Education Association Plans Constitutional Amendment for 2007 Ballot
2) NEA Disclaims NCLB "Dismantling" Petition
3) Alabama Education Association Increases PAC Deduction
4) Scheduling Note
5) Last Week's Intercepts
6) Quote of the Week

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 12:12 | Permalink | Comments

One would think an educational proposal that was denounced all along the political spectrum (from Rush Limbaugh to Al Sharpton, for example) would not become the topic of a nostalgic 10th anniversary remembrance. But on AmericanHeritage.com, contributing editor Joshua Zeitz pens a paean to Ebonics, which he calls "a highly defensible intellectual concept" that simply "had too much political baggage to work."

If American Heritage wants to publish a lament to a school district's folly, it's entitled. But there's one point on which I have a first-hand recollection. Zeitz writes that "the Oakland Unified School District never intended to introduce classes in Ebonics or to substitute it for standard English. It hoped that by classifying Ebonics as a language, it could compel teachers to treat Ebonics-speakers in much the same way they treated native Spanish-speakers—that is, it would get them to develop curricula that would acknowledge the linguistic heritage of black students while helping them master standard English, rather than criticize them for their linguistic deficiencies."

Ten years ago, a Bay Area source sent to me the Ebonics material the Oakland district was distributing. It included workbooks and teacher guides, all with exercises in which the questions and answers were delivered in Ebonics (I'm afraid I've long since discarded that material). The claim that Oakland's Ebonics plan was never meant to substitute for standard English is simply untrue.

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 08:11 | Permalink | Comments

For those of you who still think the proposed federal Employee Free Choice Act is actually about protecting workers from intimidation by employers before secret ballot elections, I give you Richard Stutman.

Stutman is the president of the Boston Teachers Union. Scot Lehigh of the Boston Globe does an excellent job describing how Stutman went to work when members voted to become a pilot school.

And if you need a good laugh, examine the result when unions discover religion.

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 08:33 | Permalink | Comments

It was a big job, but the National Council on Teacher Quality has put together a database that will allow you to "easily search the contents of collective bargaining agreements and board policies from the nation's 50 largest public school districts."

NCTQ will unveil it in DC on January 4. I'm guessing that somewhere in the halls of Harlem Success Charter School, Eva Moskowitz is smiling.

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 11:06 | Permalink | Comments

The Phoenix has a fascinating story about newly elected Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and whether he is really in the pocket of the labor unions or the guy who might actually force through some changes. And yes, the "Nixon to China" analogy is deployed.

Most intriguing factoid:

"Labor activists are also keenly aware that Patrick's wife, Diane, has spent her
career fighting on the employer side of the equation. Currently a partner in the
labor and employment department of the Ropes & Gray law firm, she
'specializes in advising and representing employers' on employment law and
collective-bargaining agreements, according to the firm's Web site."

On the other hand, Diane Patrick also used to be a teacher in New York.

I haven't seen evidence that Democratic governors are more effective in pushing reforms past unions than are Republican governors (or Jesse Ventura), but there is no question that Democratic governors often catch unions by surprise and give them more headaches (see Item #6 here).

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 08:26 | Permalink | Comments

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Stephen Murmer has been suspended from his position teaching art in the Chesterfield County, Virginia, public schools for what is - in my experience - a unique reason.

The Associated Press described it this way:

"Outside of class and under an alter ego, the self-proclaimed 'butt-printing
artist' creates floral and abstract art by plastering his posterior and genitals
with paint and pressing them against canvas. His cheeky creations sell for
hundreds of dollars."

The district suspended Murmer for five days with pay upon learning of his unusual art, but threatened him with further sanctions. Murmer sought help from the ACLU.

"As a public employee, he has constitutional rights, and he certainly has the right to engage in private legal activities protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution," said ACLU executive director Kent Willis.

The AP story provided links to Murmer's web site (http://www.buttprintart.com) and a YouTube video of him at work, both of which seem to be down at the moment.

I was going to put in a line about what the letters "ACLU" can now stand for, but I'll let you work that one out yourself.

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 09:02 | Permalink | Comments

You have probably heard of "work-to-rule," when union members perform no duty that isn't specifically called for in the contract. Now the school board in Washington County, Maryland, is pulling its own work-to-rule stunt.

The collective bargaining agreement between the district and the Washington County Teachers Association states, "The [e-mail] system may not be used to distribute political materials from any source, including WCTA recommendations for candidates."

The board alleges that WCTA President Claude Sasse violated that provision prior to the November elections, so it voted to revoke the e-mail privileges of all unions in the district.

A district official told the Herald-Mail that e-mail privileges would be restored if Sasse admitted that the contract was violated.

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 08:59 | Permalink | Comments

Click here to read:

1) NEA Officer Salaries and Benefits Which They Totally Deserve and Are Actually Less Than They Would Be Making If They Worked for a Comparable Organization Like the U.S. Senate Heritage Foundation Even Though Those Guys Are Non-Union and Part of the Vast Capitalist Right-Wing Conspiracy to Privatize Public Education and Where Was I Let Me Refer to My Talking Points
2) Here We Go Again in Puerto Rico
3) "NEA Strategy Document" from Indiana Ends Up in Paradise
4) Small Illinois Education Association Local Votes to Disaffiliate
5) Last Week's Intercepts
6) Quotes of the Week

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 15:32 | Permalink | Comments

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 08:07 | Permalink | Comments

Having trouble finding the perfect gift for those hard-to-please members of your family? Fear not. International Brotherhood of Teamsters President James Hoffa Jr. has a few suggestions. If you don't like the choices, he'll take the money directly from your paycheck and buy them anyway!

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 07:42 | Permalink | Comments

A December 1 memo from NEA headquarters to its representatives and state affiliates includes the talking points that are to be used when discussing the union's 2006 U.S. Department of Labor financial disclosure report (LM-2) with the press. I publish them here in their entirety:

Talking Points: LM2

December 1, 2006

Background

* NEA has filed its 2006 Department of Labor (DOL) LM2 report. The report is approximately 500 pages of financial data required to meet recent DOL public disclosure guidelines. All LM2 data are made available to the public on the DOL Web site.

* Last year, by deliberately distorting data in the LM2 report, anti-union organizations launched a smear campaign against NEA.

* The Wall Street Journal published an editorial on January 3, 2006, questioning contributions/grants made by NEA to other advocacy organizations and highlighting the salaries of some governance leaders. Bill O'Reilly of FOX News Channel used the WSJ editorial to attack NEA on the January 3 broadcast of "The O'Reilly Factor."

* It's likely that these groups will attempt to launch similar campaigns this year.

Here are the facts:

* As part of its budget, NEA provided numerous grants/contributions to organizations who share its commitment to public education and to the human and civil rights of all Americans. NEA also underwrites the costs of many programs and initiatives designed to study and improve student achievement, teacher quality, working conditions for education professionals and the effects of federal funding cuts to No Child Left Behind and special education.

* NEA made over $73 million in grants this year, the overwhelming majority of which went to UniServ programs and our affiliates.

* NEA also has contributed to outside organizations that work on issues related to NEA's core mission of protecting the basic right of every child to a quality public education. This year, NEA made grants to many of the same organizations as last year, including the Rainbow PUSH coalition ($5,000), Amnesty International ($5,000), People for the American Way ($10,000), Human Rights Campaign ($30,000), the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation ($5,000) and the National PTA ($5,000).

* The fact of the matter is this: There is no greater friend to public education than NEA. Increasingly, there are efforts to undercut public education. Many pay lip service to improving education when it is convenient, but when the time comes to put their money where their mouths are -- many fall short. NEA, however, spends its precious resources advocating for increased resources in the classroom and better salaries for the education professionals in our schools. And we provide grants to programs and organizations that do the same.

* NEA goes to great lengths to account for how our members' dollars are spent. As you can see, all of our dollars are spent to fund programs and initiatives that support and improve public education.

* As it continues to recruit and employ highly qualified professionals in its headquarters and regional offices, NEA offers competitive salaries and benefits commensurate to the skills, credentials and experience of candidates. And, just as the teachers we represent are not paid at rates comparable to other professions, the NEA executive staff is paid less than executives in similar positions at other organizations.

* The figures quoted in the Wall Street Journal editorial last year -- and similar figures that will likely appear this year -- are gross exaggerations of NEA officers' salaries. They include information such as travel expenses and reimbursements to the officers for the costs of relocating to Washington to serve, while keeping their houses at home.

# # #

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 16:01 | Permalink | Comments

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 08:00 | Permalink | Comments

Prohibition was repealed 73 years ago today, and Dewar's wants you to celebrate. But here are a few facts about Prohibition Dewar's might not mention. I've taken the following from a column I wrote back in March 1992:

"Only three states rejected the 18th Amendment, the others passed it with
majorities of more than 80 percent. And if the goal of the 18th Amendment was to
reduce the consumption of alcohol, it was a great success. In 1910, Americans
consumed 2.6 gallons of pure alcohol per capital annually. By 1934, that rate
had been reduced to 0.97 gallons. Deaths from acute alcholism were reduced from
7.3 per 100,000 to 2.5.

"The federal government appropriated very little money for the enforcement
of the 18th Amendment - the Prohibition Bureau had only 3,000 employees and 129
agents covered all of New York City - yet the "war on alcohol" was remarkably
effective. In New York, convictions approached the 95 percent rate. During the
14 years of Prohibition, the cost of beer rose 600 percent, gin 520 percent, and
whiskey 310 percent. Since this was also the time of the Depression, few working
class citizens could afford a drink. Soft drink sales soared."

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 11:13 | Permalink | Comments

I'm not writing this to get into a big argument about the war, but there appears to be a growing tendency to discuss the motivations of military recruits as though they were mute and unable to speak for themselves. I've been reading a lot of stories over the past few weeks that assign various attributes to young people who decide to join the armed forces, and I'd like to throw my two cents in:

1) They are not stupid. Talk to one. They know what armies are paid to do.

2) They are not dupes. In case they don't know what armies are paid to do, every single military recruit is told what armies are paid to do, and is bluntly informed that no matter what job title they may hold, they might be called upon to kill or be killed in the performance of their duty.

3) They are not children. My dad enlisted in World War II, served in North Africa and Italy, and fought at Anzio. He was very much opposed to my decision to join the Air Force in 1982. But he couldn't stop me. Recruits are adults, able to make their own reasoned decisions.

4) They are not "meat." What prompted this blog entry was a story about a proposed public military magnet school in Hartford, Connecticut. Whether that's a good idea or not is for the people of Hartford to decide. The story quotes Dave Ionno, "a Vietnam veteran who lectures students in Hartford about the realities of war," as saying "I'll do everything I can to stop a military school from getting started. They're just preparing meat for the meat grinder."

Mr. Ionno is entitled to his opinion. But in these days of infantilizing and objectifying the men and women who will serve now, and into the future, we might consider something that has been true in America since its founding:

The poor are patriotic, too.

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 07:52 | Permalink | Comments

Click here to read:

1) NEA Gives $4.7 Million to Advocacy Groups
2) "It Hurts Up to a Point and Then It Doesn't Get Any Worse"
3) Last Week's Intercepts
4) Quote of the Week

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 14:56 | Permalink | Comments

Over the weekend the American Federation of Teachers lost two of its leading officers in the Midwest. Tom Mooney, the president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, died suddenly in his home in Columbus.

Members of the Detroit Federation of Teachers ousted their president of six years, Janna Garrison, in the aftermath of an ill-advised strike and a less-than-enthusiastic response to a new three-year contract.

Garrison will be replaced by DFT Executive Vice President Virginia Cantrell. It's never a good sign when your own vice president runs against you. Cantrell received 56 percent of the vote. Garrison received 35 percent.

EIA has good reason to believe that Garrison's loss was not unwelcome news for AFT. We'll see if Cantrell tries a change in approach, both within the union and with the district.

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 08:02 | Permalink | Comments

More details on interactions between Big Labor and the new Democratic Congress, including plans for a "labor summit and march" next weekend to pass the Orwellian-named Employee Free Choice Act, which would largely do away with secret ballot elections for union representation.

Meanwhile, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski streamlined his relationship with Big Labor by cutting out the middlemen.

Posted by Mike Antonucci at 08:11 | Permalink | Comments