Update: Reviewing StudentsFirst's Union Positions

Having watched the official comments, updates, and Twitter back and forth on where Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst organization stands on the "right-to-work" law that just passed in Michigan, a friendly tipster from the AFT gathered up some clips from the past couple of years that  includes "every collective bargaining fight over the last couple of years and the role StudentsFirst played in each one as reference." 

Yesterday, StudentsFirst gave a long statement that confused many readers as to its bottom-line position, then provided a couple of clarifications that it doesn't have a position on RTW but supports the right of workers to collectively bargain. 

As you'll see, the (unverified) collected items below suggest that StudentsFirst has been active on restricting collective bargaining in Michigan as well as in Ohio, Indiana, Idaho, and Wisconsin. 

I'm sure StudentsFirst will have some thoughts on this, and will be sure to share their response as soon as I get it.

FROM AFT TIPSTER:

• StudentsFirst hired a longtime Kasich all to  lobby on behalf of SB 5 in Ohio.   
• StudentsFirst contributed half a million dollars to undermine a ballot initiative in Michigan that would have enshrined the right to collectively bargain in that state’s constitution. 
• In 2011, StudentsFirst lobbied for the passage of a package of tie-barred bills in Michigan,  one of which restricted collective bargaining for teachers.  Internal documents show that StudentsFirst’s public position of neutrality on collective bargaining was not consistent with their actions in Michigan.
• StudentsFirst’s website announces their support for Indiana’s SB 575, which restricted collective bargaining for teachers. 
• Michelle Rhee also appears to have provided cover for Scott Walker in Wisconsin during the Wisconsin collective bargaining fight.
• Rhee co-authored an op-ed praising legislation in TN that ended collective bargaining for teachers.
• In Idaho StudentsFirst contributed $100,000 a set of ballot measures that “reformed education” including taking away teachers rights to bargain collectively.

 

Comments

[George Buzzetti]

"Students First" is really "Students Last." As a friend of mines grandfathers taught him "I hear real good, but I see a whole lot better." When you apply this to Michelle Rhee you get "Students Last" also "Teachers Last." There are bad teachers out there. In what large business do you not see incompetent people? The worse in education are the administrators. They spend the money, set curriculum and how it will be taught not teachers. They are also the ones who break the child abuse laws and are not prosecuted. In California is you fail to report a potential case of child abuse to social services, local police not school police or the local sheriffs dept. within 36 hours it is a misdemeanor criminal violation with penalties of up to 6 months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. Also the loss of your job. If you interfere with an investigation the same violation and penalties apply. Many administrators should be in jail for breaking the child abuse laws.

Do you ever hear the phony democrats such as the DNC, DFER or Students First talk about this or ever about wrongdoings of administrators. Never is the answer. Reason, their people are the administrators and you must have a false place for people to put their problems so let us give it to the teachers and deflect away from administrators.