The American Federation of Teachers and the Importance of the Profession of Teaching - Research Paper Example

Introduction and Overview Labor relations are a vital component to any business, regardless of whether the company is that which serves the public interest or office, or whether it is a top performing publicly listed company. The main realization that needs to be put forward is that when dealing with the human resource of any institution there are bound to be issues that are affected by the dynamics that go into a work force, these dynamics include cultural and contextual issues, which have been studied by businesses and academics alike and continue to demand further attention on an ongoing basis. Specific to the topic at hand, being that of the American Federation of Teachers, one encounters the public 'office' scenario, which in fact is a national concern, as the future of the children lie in the hands of the teachers, and hence one would expect that a greater importance is placed the positions of those educating the youth of today, which naturally are the leaders and communities of tomorrow. A number of key issues need to be defined so as to gain a complete understanding of the nature of issues that pertain to labor relations in both a broad context as well as how this may relate to the teaching fraternity, and unions where applicable. The media has been focusing on a number of incidents that have arisen around the contractual negotiations that are underway for the 2010 contract year, which are highlighted by the likes of 'Norwalk teachers protest 'draconian' contract proposal.' (Mylo 2009) amongst others. Riccucci (2006) further provides that the specific area of teachers, public education and trade unions has become "the biggest battleground" where associations such as the American Federation of Teachers and trade unions strive for the "loyalties and the due dollars of the public employees" (p. 322) which in fact can possibly exasperate the problem of seeking suitable solutions via representative bodies or individuals, on behalf of these public employees, within the collective bargaining process, as a potential conflict between these member organizations may well be developing simultaneously. Although this may be speculative, throughout this analysis of the Labor relations and collective bargaining perspective mention will be made of external factors such as those provided by Riccucci. Labor Relations Defined A number of different perspectives exist in terms of the entire labor relations concept, however in terms of the so called point that academics seek out in terms of analysis and investigation into specific regarding this topic, it is necessary to focus upon what some might call as a central theme or established definition of the topic. To this end the definition, albeit somewhat simplified, of labor relations that will be used here is that which Holley, Jennings & Walters provide as "the negotiation and administration of work rules." As a key element of the entire process one will notice the mention of negotiation, which ties in with what is known as the collective bargaining process. In addition to the definition above, the authors further provide two additional elements, which are extremely relevant as these are the people or organizations that are affected directly and indirectly by this negotiation and administration, and those are the "union and management organizations, employees, third party neutrals and branches of government." These two elements are then affected by the "constraints or influences" that are applicable to a given situation, regardless of sector within which the negotiation and/or administration is being carried out. (2009 p.7.) Specifically pertaining to the topic here, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the teachers themselves and the proposed negotiations and contractual formulations, as described by Mylo, can be viewed as the relevant elements as provided by Holley et al within their definitions described above. Naturally Norwalk is one of many towns, cities or centers that is affected by such proposals and whilst the organizations, in the form of AFT together with their membership base strive to further the interests of their cause many people differ with the stance, and at the same time there are those that are completely sympathetic to this process. Constraints that become relevant to this situation and have a direct bearing on many of the current events surrounding both education, and the economy as a whole include, and as provided by Holley et al, Technology, the Labor Market, Public Opinion and the State of the Economy. Although additional constraints and influencing factors exist these appear to be the most pertinent for this analysis. Background Information of the AFT In researching the public sector employee representative organizations or unions, two main industry 'players' come to the fore being that of the National Education Association (NEA) and the already mentioned American Federation of Teachers (AFT). According to Ryan & Cooper the AFT's membership base is approximately one third of that of the NEA, however one of their key, and strategic advantages is the fact that this federation represents teachers within major urban centers across the United States, including but not limited to "New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Pittsbirgh, Kansas City, St. Louis, Detroit, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, and Washington D.C."; with the AFT website confirming that they represent in excess of 1.4 million individuals (aft.org.) In addition to these membership numbers the organizations has "43 state affiliates and 3,000 local affiliates nationwide" with the organization being affiliated with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), who in turn represent no less than 14 million members. (Ryan & Cooper. p 508.) The authors further provide that the involvement of the AFT within the collective bargaining process of the teachers annual salary and benefits negotiations, as well as their perceived militant approach to this process has been the key to the success of their growth in membership over the last few decades. According to Ryan & Cooper the AFT has not only gained a significant reputation based upon their activities of collective bargaining, but have engaged themselves, via the late Albert Shanker, who was the leader of the AFT for many years, in advocating the importance of more intensive teacher training, as well as minimum standards for teachers. These issues of teacher education can best be described in a quotation of the late Albert Shanker, where he was quoted as saying: "a lot of people who have been hired as teachers are basically not competent" (Kahlenberg 2007 p. 284). This could well be interpreted as the importance of the profession of teaching being placed in an as equally important level as that of the wages and benefits as negotiated by the AFT. Shanker was also quoted as saying "When school children start paying union dues, that's when I'll start representing the interests of school children." (Kerr 2009 p 32.) which further serves to confirm the AFT's mission in representing the educators at the time, and although Shanker did not seek public support in the early days of the AFT, and United Teachers Federation (UTF), he did come to realize that the importance of public support, specifically within the context of the Public School environment, was direly needed for the representative organizations such as that of the AFT, NEA and others in order for the collective bargaining process and efforts to carry more weight and support in their objectives. Hence the short description of the evolving of the AFT places the organization within an understanding of supporting both that of the teachers interests, as well as that of the child's interests through the promotion of minimum standards, and although Shanker may have been viewed as somewhat of an activist type, many of his leadership skills and approaches allowed for the organization to carry the influence that it does today. To further illustrate the contribution that Shanker made to the AFT, Loveless (2000) provides that Shanker was elected as President of the AFT in 1974, and "increased the Union's membership from 125,000 in 1974 to 750,000 in 1990" (p. 222), which by all means is a sizable commitment and contribution to what the AFT is and stands for today. In order to gain a true understanding of the modern day AFT, the official website of the federation provides the following mission statement: "The mission of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, is to improve the lives of our members and their families, to give voice to their legitimate professional, economic and social aspirations, to strengthen the institutions in which we work, to improve the quality of the services we provide, to bring together all members to assist and support one another and to promote democracy, human rights and freedom in our union, in our nation and throughout the world." (Source: www.aft.org) The above mission statement further serves to illustrate the range of areas of concern within which the AFT seeks to focus upon, whilst promoting the interests of all affected members, inclusive of the level of expertise which the educators possess and provide to the students and scholars under their care and instruction. In addition to the facts, figures and background to the American Federation of Teachers, it is well worth mentioning the diverse membership base of this organization, which extends beyond that of teaching professionals, to include five main 'divisions', namely "teachers; paraprofessionals and school related personnel; local, state and federal employees; higher education faculty and staff and nurses and other healthcare professionals; including no less than 170,000 retirees." (aft.org). Furthermore one may accept the fact that organizations such as that of AFT, although promoting the interests of their membership base, as well as the level of expertise within which they are representative, too much bargaining power can have a negative effect upon this very sector. Kerr (2009) provides that over 40 years ago, the then Executive Secretary of the NEA, Sam Lambert, claimed that the NEA would become a significant "political power", which has indeed become what Kerr refers to as "domination, at the bargaining table and school board elections in most school districts." (2009 p.33) One of the main problems, and as highlighted by Kerr, here is that when schools challenge the unions and unionized members these very schools end up spending money on the defense of such challenges within the legal system, resources which could be better deployed within the educational system itself. To this end it is acknowledged that the unions and organizations do have an important role to play within the environment discussed, however what needs to be analyzed is the extent to which and the level of power or domination that is possessed by these very organizations themselves. The development and growth of the AFT was not in isolation, to the contrary a large majority of their budget over the years was allocated to the 'fight' against the NEA to secure a wider and stronger membership base. Kahlenberg (2007) provides that during the seventies as much as 70% of their budget was allocated to organizing, "and most of that went to fighting the NEA" (p. 169.) These statistics would therefore represent the fact that Shanker, not only invested a lot of time and energy into growing and developing the AFT, but also the financial investment and resources being which were and continue to be allocated accordingly. Past and Current Issues One of the key elements within that of the constraints or external factors that one may deem relevant at this time is the current state of the economy, which is not restricted to the United States alone, but rather affects the entire global community and across all sectors. The result of many people being laid off, retrenched or contracts cancelled has a profound effect upon the economy which includes the public sector. In consideration of the current events in Norwalk, unfortunately only a one sided view is published, as provided by Mylo in "Board of Education members do not comment on negotiations until contracts are finalized" (2009) and although many changes have been proposed, a total of fifteen according to the media report, it is an overall apparent move of reducing the funding towards teachers, their benefits and certain other 'work rules' that are being effected within that region. Although within this specific scenario and event no mention was made of a strike, there were previous strike actions that were cited the President of Norwalk Federation of Teachers (NFT), Mr. Bruce LeVine Mellion, which would in all likelihood have an impact not only upon the students and scholars within this specific region, but also that of the parents of these scholars and students, which in turn affects the surrounding economy where applicable. Based upon what one might term as public comment and sentiment on this very specific issue, many people indicate that certain concessions are required specifically in difficult economic times, which highlights the current economic situation, even though these claiming such concession remain sympathetic to the cause of these teachers. Riccucci relates the experiences of such strike action, which occurred in September of 2005, in which "the AFT pulled out its 49,000 teacher members, crippling the [New York] city school system for 18 days." (2006 p.322.) This serves to highlight the massive effect that such actions can cause upon the school system, and although this action was not limited to that of New York City, as was represented by the coordinated efforts of both the AFT and NEA, which had a resulting impact upon more than half a million school pupils. Although these actions were seen as "shocking" the author provides that they were in fact in the coming based upon events that had occurred over the preceding decade. This evidence and effect of the strike actions by the AFT and related organizations confirms the danger which is represented by any organization possessing such dominance within any sector, whether it be of a public sector or private sector nature. The history of the public sector representative organizations or the unionization of the public sector employees is according to Riccucci relatively new, and in some instances the current legislation in some jurisdictions does not allow for the rights of the public sector employee to be represented by organizations such as the AFT, and whilst state and local workers have won this right, to this day "federal workers are still barred from negotiating over wages and terms and conditions of employment" (p. 257); which by all means appear to be somewhat more "draconian" than the Norwalk situation herein described. The issues and state of current events is not merely limited to that of the United States, and although this focus is mostly upon that of the AFT within the US context, it is well mentioning the many strides that teachers and their representative organizations have made from an international perspective too. Loveless (2000) provides an insight into the international teacher union state of affairs, as well as the long road travelled to achieve what the author terms as "powerful voices in education" (p. 240.) However the author further provides that a number of challenges exist as the profession of teaching as well as the teaching methodologies evolve in accordance with both the advancement of technology, as well as what is termed as the decentralization of the school systems. This is not a single geographical problem, but rather appears to be happening globally, whereby "the management of schools is being handed over to parents, teachers and administrators" (pp. 240-241.) This very fact threatens the act of collective bargaining as there is no longer a central authority, as currently represented by States or governments, and rather the district or the school itself becomes responsible for the management of resources within their specific institutions. Therefore one may interpret this as the strength of numbers and the collective bargaining chips that were previously so powerful within organizations such as the AFT and related representative organizations have really become null, in that the relevance of the negotiating process is no longer spread on a national level, but is limited to the specific region or localized institution itself within their handful of staff, administrators and parents that are now responsible for the management of the school in question. Further challenges as presented by Loveless provide the concept of the Information Age within which the opportunity for education is provided in a myriad of other places, besides that of the formal school environment. The author further touches upon the subject of the use of vouchers, in which public funds can be utilized to offset the cost of a private school tuition by parents, something which the AFT has voiced strong opposition to, however stating that the right of the parent must be protected in terms of the choice of school, but without the use of the mentioned public funds. The AFT provides further insight into the types of vouchers that have been experimented with and continue to be presented and include Private School Vouchers, Low-Income Private School Vouchers, Tuition Tax Credits and so forth; with the main opposition coming from the AFT, and justifiably so in that funds are taken away from the public school system to fund the balance of a private tuition, that is already being run as an entrepreneurial 'going concern' leaving the loss of funds an issue that must be dealt with at the public school level. Going Forward The change in focus or additional developments as embraced by Albert Shanker, the mentioned long time leader of the AFT serves as a route forward for the teaching profession itself, in seeking to establish high standards in terms of the level of education provision as provided by the teachers, seems to provide a balance in terms of the demands of the teachers themselves as well as within the services they provide. This spirit of improvement has been embraced by current president of the AFT, Randi Weingarten and the AFT itself with its current campaign entitled "Back to School Tour 09", in which the AFT that the main aims of the tour is to "applaud the work educators are doing, and talk with elected officials and community leaders about ways to work together to improve teaching and learning." (aft.org.) This can be seen as a continuance of what was termed the "standards movement" so many years ago. Weingarten's further statement contained within the notification of the "Back to School Tour 09", in saying that "elected and school officials to do school reform "with us, not to us" so that teachers are part of creating change rather than having it imposed upon them." This is indicative of the process of consultative bargaining which may possibly alleviate the domination aspect as previously described. It is not only within the area of collective bargaining and service provision standards that the AFT strives to improve upon, if one considers their additional efforts in terms of a number factors and issues that affect teachers, students and their immediate environment as well as areas of concern, one realizes focus areas that are worked upon include the following: School Safety measures; Medically Fragile Children (within the school setting); Working and Helping Children with Autism; and Green and Sustainable Schools. These are a few of the examples that the AFT is currently involved in, which are contained as physical reports available from their website. This displays vision in terms of addressing issues and concerns beyond merely considering remuneration and working conditions, but rather incorporating the environment within which the teacher works, as well addressing the special needs children or people that they are involved with or provide their teaching services to. It further displays a sense of commitment to the role of the teacher within their chosen field of expertise, with the complete support of their representative organization within this environment and in dealing with current and possible future challenges within the workplace. The support by the AFT or its affiliated members, as discussed within the Norwalk scenario illustrates the need for collective bargaining on the behalf of the teachers themselves, within which some might construe the radical proposals of the Education Board as being outdated, there are considerations around these proposals that merit thought and possibly negotiation to find that middle of the road, which will enable the retention of a high standard of teaching and tutelage, whilst further maintaining livable benefits, wages and related issues; but for either party to dominate this negotiation or bargaining process would tip the scales unjustly regardless of the reasoning and 'fairness' behind any proposal. Loveless (2000) considers the efforts of the AFT, and the NEA as creating a "new unionism" which takes the form of centralized support centers for their members, "in which they can go for assistance in navigating the increasingly rich and complex information systems available to educators" (p. 233), which basically coincides with the mission provided by the late Shanker of increasing and maintaining the high level of educator standards of their members. Conclusion Any one side with too much power over another really represents a potentially 'dangerous' situation within which the dominating force can effectively obtain almost any result that they wish to achieve, by mere virtue of a show of 'force'. This can be achieved by way of strike action, which was so duly illustrated by Riccucci (2006) which brought school systems to a standstill in the mid-2000s, for almost three weeks in some instances. The latest display of a more consultative or inclusive transformation approach to education, as well as the issues surrounding teachers and their service delivery and quality thereof, as called for by the current President of the AFT can surely pave the way for a more open discussion forum, without necessitating the need for such strike or mass action within the public sector. Additional aspects from a legislative perspective that may well need to be addressed, are the issues briefly touched upon with respect to the lack of legislation, or in some cases the preventative legislation, from public sector employees being allowed representation or being allowed to negotiate the provision of wages, terms and working conditions. This can be seen as exclusive practice by the states or even federal lawmakers in the exclusion of these vital individuals that provide public services to the general public. Although an ideal world solution would be that every stakeholder got what he or she or they wanted within reason, this will in all likelihood never come to be, purely due to the diversity of not only the workforce itself, but the vast array of constraint and influencing factors that surround issues such as the State of the Economy, supply and demand of skilled labor, and all these related issues that affect the public sector employee and therefore their representative organizations and collective bargaining representative bodies. If a suitable balance could be found within the so called employer and employee relationship, then it will most likely be within the consultative and inclusive call that is being made by the AFT today. References American Federation of Teachers (Online). Official Website. Accessed online September 2009 via http://www.aft.org/ Holley, W. H., Jennings, K. M., & Wolters, R. S. (2009). The labor relations process. Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning. Kerr, R.P. (2009). The Sin of Apathy in our Public Schools. [Longwood, FLl.]: Xulon Press. Kahlenberg, R. D. (2007). Tough liberal: Albert Shanker and the battles over schools, unions, race, and democracy. New York [u.a.]: Columbia Univ. Press. http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0710/2007005399.html. Lewin, D., & Lewin, D. (1988). Public sector labor relations: Analysis and readings. Lexington, Mass: Lexington Books. Loveless, T. (2000). Conflicting missions?: Teachers unions and educational reform. Washington, DC: Brookings Inst. Press. Mylo, L. (2009). Norwalk teachers protest 'draconian' contract proposal. The Hour Online 31 August 2009. Accessed on 5 September 2009 via http://www.thehour.com/story/474209 Riccucci, N. M. (2006). Public personnel administration and labor relations. ASPA classics. Armonk, NY [u.a.]: M.E. Sharpe. Ryan, K., & Cooper, J. M. (2010). Those who can, teach. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Read More