What is the relationship between TEACHER-RUN SCHOOLs and the union local?
In TEACHER RUN SCHOOLS, the teachers do not continue as district employees, but can affiliate with the local union. Sometimes, it is more appropriate to affiliate with the state union organization. In either case, collective bargaining must be part of the working relationship to ensure workers rights. Teachers are human too and can fall prey to the same patterns of discrimination and labor violation as any management team. Labor laws exist to keep everybody honest. So does union affiliation. That said, TEACHER RUN SCHOOLS provide a laboratory for a new kind of collective bargaining in education. As proposed by Teachers as Owners: A Key to Revitalizing Public Education, a book edited in 2003 by Edward J. Dirkswager: “Members of TEACHER-RUN SCHOOLs will have need for a strong advocate for the teaching profession, as well as the usual strong advocacy for adequate funding in public education. It seems reasonable to assume that if an existing organization does not come forward to provide th
