Michigan politicians retaliate against educators for speaking up
by Félix Pérez, with contributions by Ben Chametsky
In what is widely viewed as “blatant retaliation” against educators for proposing a constitutional amendment that would protect the right of all workers to come together and protect their jobs, the Republican-controlled Michigan Legislature sent a bill to the governor March 9 that singles out and severely limits the ability of educators to speak out for students, schools and the education profession.
“This legislation serves no purpose except to punish school employees and the unions that represent them,” said Steven Cook, president of the 157,000-member Michigan Education Association.
“I simply don’t believe that it is coincidence that this legislation, which has sat for months in the Senate, passed one day after a coalition of workers stood up for themselves and launched a