Saturday, March 31, 2012

Corporate Democratic mayors challenge teachers unions in urban political shift - The Washington Post

Democratic mayors challenge teachers unions in urban political shift - The Washington Post:


Democratic mayors challenge teachers unions in urban political shift

Reed Saxon/AP - Teachers, staff members, union officials and others wait to speak at a hearing at the Board of Education at Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters, where the board would determine cuts to the budget, in Los Angeles on March 13.

By , Published: March 30

As a young labor organizer in Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa worked for the city’s teachers, honing his political skills in the fight for a good contract. The union loved him back, supporting the Democrat’s election to the State Assembly, City Council and, finally, the mayor’s office he occupies today.
But now, Villaraigosa, a rising star in the national Democratic party, has a different view. He calls the teachers union “the one, unwavering roadblock” to improving public education 
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