Oregon: Shape of Labor Battles to Come? Education Intelligence Agency
| March 8, 2010 |
1) Oregon: Shape of Labor Battles to Come? For the first time in U.S. history, there are more union members in the public sector than in the private sector. Many of us think this is a watershed event. But will it really have a practical effect on American politics and, if so, how soon? Oregon may provide the answer.  In May, the state's Democrats will choose between former Gov. John Kitzhaber and former Secretary of State Bill Bradbury for the party's gubernatorial nomination. As in most states, organized labor comprises a major portion of the Democratic base. What's interesting about the Oregon race is that Kitzhaber picked up the endorsements (and thus, the funding) of the state AFL-CIO and a host of private sector unions, while Bradbury was endorsed by the Oregon Education Association, AFT Oregon and the Oregon School Employees Association.The latter should come as a shock to no one, even since Kitzhaber proposed performance-based funding for the school system. Bradbury took a different approach. "Essentially, he won teachers over by telling them the only problem with Oregon schools is that they don't have enough money," wrote Jeff Mapes of The Oregonian. "Bradbury went to my heart and Kitzhaber went to my intellect," said one OEA member. I'll spare you any of the two dozen snarky comments I had planned for this sentence. Yet to issue an endorsement are the public sector SEIU and AFSCME. If they endorse Bradbury, it will be private sector unions plus AFL-CIO on one side and public sector unions on the other. If they endorse Kitzhaber, it will be school unions on one side and all other unions on the other. Either way, it sets up an interesting primary battle. SEIU and AFSCME together are the only organizations in the state able to match the school unions dollar for dollar. There have been internecine union campaigns before, but rarely one that was evenly matched. On the other hand, if SEIU and AFSCME side with the school unions, they'll be able to crush the private sector unions in spending. This will open the eyes of the private sector unions to the new reality more than a million words of punditry can. 2) The New York Times Finally Solves the Riddle of Teacher Union Coverage. Much of the education news buzz has correctly focused on Elizabeth Green's "Building a Better Teacher" for the New York Times Magazine. But the Times also published |