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Also really torn. There are benefits and drawbacks. We have a pretty strong union in my district, which has been helpful in negotiating our contracts as far as pay goes. However, our State passed a law several years back,now...which essentially states that I shouldn’t have more than 22-24 students in my classroom each year. Yet I’m consistently at 29-30 every year. I get paid for overages at 30...but I think it should be any number over the max allowed by law. They don’t seem interested in negotiating those numbers at all and I can’t figure out why. I think it’s because the smaller class sizes impact the kids more so than the teachers...?
The pay schedule is all fine and good but I have a problem when teachers who literally half-@$$ it 90% of the time are getting paid the same as those who really invest themselves in their work. Their classes are consistently low performing when other classes are showing high growth. I think the union should negotiate for retraining programs (not whole re-education but some sort of pedagogy building programs) to help bring those teachers up to speed so that their students get an equitable education to their peers. Instead, unions literally protect them from getting reprimanded or let go with little need for change on their part. I don’t know about you guys, but most of our union reps behave like disgruntled employees and act as though our administrators are our enemies. It’s kinda ridiculous. They almost froth at the mouth when they think you might have a grievance.
Having said that, I’m not much of a “union person” but I have seen the need to have an organized body of teachers. We are all asked to do a lot for our students with little resources or time. Administrators feel the pressures just as teachers do and will sometimes ask teachers to take on roles or responsibilities that they shouldn’t have to. Without the union, I think it would be hard for many teachers to say “no” to such requests. So there’s another benefit. Just my two cents.
I have up and down feelings, for the most part I feel like they are beneficial, however, I also feel like for as much money as I pay in dues, they should be more helpful.
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The extremely high dues are a big turnoff for me. But I have to admit they perform a very important role in bargaining for our contracts every year. I wish there was a more workable in between in regard to how teachers are represented.