There are different rules for different states. Florida has no teacher strikes because the statutes consider them to be government employees and it is illegal for them to strike. (Think back to Reagan and PATCO, the air traffic controllers.) Not all states have that. Colorado apparently has no such rule. Apparently, neither does Wisconsin. It differs, state by state.
The Florida unions, (and there are many) have very little power, in that this is a right to work state, which means no closed shops anywhere. A teacher cannot be forced to join a union in order to get a school contract.
So what is the point of Florida teachers unions?
A couple of things: (and remember, this varies, county by county). Often unions can use their sheer numbers to get good deals on group health and life insurance. Not all counties offer such benefits. I didn't know that. I thought they all did. Two weeks ago, a teacher during lunch told me she needed to get a health plan. So it isn't universal throughout the state.
Secondly, (and this is REALLY valuable) unions offer dispute resolution when there are conflicts between them and students or them and parents. Yes, the little brats are smart enough to lie about a teacher touching them inappropriately, and the unions often are able to head this off at the pass. Yes, it's bad enough that the little shits would think to do such a despicable thing. Unions save a lot of careers in this manner.
Okay, the conservatives here are probably wondering if the unions are protecting some teachers who are lousy at their jobs and should be fired. Are these incompetent teachers tenured and able to coast through the job while doing a crappy job?
I haven't seen any evidence of that in this county. I have seen one teacher suspended from the job for a few weeks (I even subbed for her for one week) because she slugged a student. The prevailing rumor was that she was getting surgery, but management took me aside and told me the truth.
Yes, there are bad teachers. I saw a lot more of them up in Orlando than this town. Here, with very little exception, I've seen maybe 99 percent totally dedicated teachers who go above and beyond the call of duty. They work 12 hour days mostly. They take their day home with them.
