Kentucky Mom "Goes Rogue" in Red State (By Siding with Teachers Instead of Union Leaders)

Right or wrong, the [Kentucky] sickout teachers voted with their feet. This is a big problem for school districts, but also for unions. The stated purpose of exclusive representation is that it brings labor peace because such differences are handled internally by the union and a single position is agreed upon. If a minority of teachers can shut down a district against the directives of their union, then there is in fact no exclusive representation.
Neither school districts nor unions seem to be contemplating the ramifications.... Mike Antonucci, EIA, Vox Populi?

Yes, labor peace -- we have seen that time and again - there is a partnership between a teacher union and the city and DOE -- they will stop sickouts and other wildcat actions. But when unions are weak, as they are in the red states, shit happens. In fact the unions tried to argue this to stop Janus -- that a weak union can lead to chaos from the ranks. Someone like me with Anarchist/libertarian tendencies, tend to have mixed feelings. While supporting a strong union, I also chafe under the yoke of a Unity Caucus dominated union. For those calling for change in the way the union is run there is often a contradiction in how far to go in being critical.

The situation in Kentucky is intriguing -- we have a revolt from below not only against the anti-union forces but also against their own official union leadership -- and both the left and the right are taking an interest. Here was my first report based on Antonucci on the sickouts in early March -- Kentucky One-Day Wildcat Sickout - Some want to co...

Here is a laugh out loud point from Mike:

Several large school districts shut down after the sickout was called by KY 120 United, identified as a grassroots organization of teachers, but one that apparently has some pull with district superintendents.
If that isn’t confusing enough, both the union and KY 120 United announced that teachers would return to work today, but a smaller wildcat faction rejected the idea. 

I posted another Anonucci story about the wildcat actions - Kentucky Unions Attempt to Undercat Wildcat Action...
-- of course, the anti-teacher union Antonucci loves to post bad behavior about teacher unions even if highlighting the actions of teachers in revolt against their own unions which often lead to more fragmentation and a weakening overall.

But then again we have Randi and Mike and other bureaucrats who are running teacher unions. The left also goes after the leadership and hopes to build rank and file movements against them from below -- but that also gets complicated because even when they win power they get sucked into the political fray.

The Kentucky situation is interesting because the left critics of organized labor may be inserting itself on behalf of the wild-cat sick-outs ---- Antonucci reported the other day:

Yesterday I ran a column about the Kentucky Education Association and other union affiliates in the Jefferson County school system and their efforts to get a handle on the “rogue groups” that were organizing teacher sickouts. Their primary argument was that a small number of people were making decisions affecting the livelihoods of thousands of school employees.
“It’s 800 people deciding for ultimately 6,500 teachers and then all the rest of the employees,” said one union president.

Oh, the problem with a small number of people making decisions for the many, something we never see in the UFT/AFT.

Those rogues must be driving the Randis of this world crazy. Imagine if a school in NYC with an abusive principal that is being ignored by the UFT suddenly had a sick-out? I can't imagine --but I say to my friends who constantly remind me how bad things are in the schools -- why hasn't something like this happened? They often answer it is the fault of the UFT who don't mobilize people. Well, who has mobilized the rogues in Kentucky? Sometimes teachers have to take actions. And by the way, who mobilized the founders of the UFT when there was no union? My retired pal has dubber NYC teachers as New York's Meekest.

I came across this interesting podcast on the Kentucky wildcats from the left - What's Left. Here's what they say in the intro:

We interview Gay Adelmann, parent of two and co-founder of "Dear JCPS", a grass-roots parent/teacher alliance built to fight racist policies in education and the erosion of public education through charter schools and privatization. Gay describes her involvement in the recent fight to bust the teachers union and the attack on teachers pay and pension which has produced a recent wave of sick outs in Kentucky. This put her group on the firing line from politicians looking to sneak shady policies past the pubic and union leaders who would rather cut backroom deals than lead fightback. Her story of struggle and transformation is inspiring.

What’s Left? Website: https://what-s-left.webnode.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YoloZGh2To&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3k8-5D10VyowEe5VDLaLRPjjmoIt7l2M63znQAr5aYMsZ_cH9KPtLxwNQ

Mike Antonucci followed up with a critique of the union leaders who are attacking the wildcatters ---  (http://www.eiaonline.com/intercepts/2019/04/05/vox-populi/)

Vox Populi?

Yesterday I ran a column about the Kentucky Education Association and other union affiliates in the Jefferson County school system and their efforts to get a handle on the “rogue groups” that were organizing teacher sickouts. Their primary argument was that a small number of people were making decisions affecting the livelihoods of thousands of school employees.
“It’s 800 people deciding for ultimately 6,500 teachers and then all the rest of the employees,” said one union president.
So it was with exquisite timing that KEA is currently holding its delegate assembly. The order of business included electing a new president. The winner, Eddie Campbell, was the sitting vice president. According to the union’s press release, he prevailed “by a majority of more than 89 percent over three other candidates.”
One of those three other candidates was Jessica Dueñas, the 2019 Kentucky Teacher of the Year and one of the leaders of the Jefferson County sickouts.
There is a reason KEA mentioned Campbell’s percentage win and not the total number of votes he received. There are only around 400 delegates. So technically it was about 360 people deciding for 28,000 active members and ultimately 41,000 Kentucky teachers who would have the authority to call for sickouts, protests or mass rallies.
The delegates themselves were elected. But how many people voted for them?
Right or wrong, the sickout teachers voted with their feet.
This is a big problem for school districts, but also for unions. The stated purpose of exclusive representation is that it brings labor peace because such differences are handled internally by the union and a single position is agreed upon. If a minority of teachers can shut down a district against the directives of their union, then there is in fact no exclusive representation.
Neither school districts nor unions seem to be contemplating the ramifications.