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Tuesday, July 1, 2014

7-1-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:



FIVE DICKS




Hangin’ at the Hangout. Fred “the Hammer” Klonsky and the hardest thing Christian Mitchell ever had to do. Except for the next one.
Reader columnists Ben Joravsky and Mick Dumke host a live show at Chicago’s Hideout on the second Tuesday of the month. Tonight as I write this they are hosting two alderman. But I’m in Denver. But last month I was in the house waiting to call out State Representative Christian Mitchell for his vote for SB1 and pension theft. Joravsky writes about the confrontation here. One of that show’s highlig
NEA RA. My dinner with Barbara Madeloni.
I messaged the president-elect of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, “Can we meet for dinner?” Barbara Madeloni is a Facebook friend who I have never met. “Love to meet you,” she messaged back. When Madeloni takes office on July 1st she will represent most of the teachers in Massachusetts except for the ones in Boston. Her election represents – much like the election of the CORE caucus and K


NEA staff employees are picketing the RA this morning.
For those of us who believe in collective bargaining it is disturbing the find NEA employees this morning on a informational picket line in front of the Denver convention center with signs asking for NEA management to bargain fairly. Disturbing. But part part of the process. Although the NEA is a union, it hires people. And those people have collective bargaining representation through the Associ


The men on the bench. We need more than a tepid response and a “glad it wasn’t worse.”
Things start slowly here in Denver. Following our three-day pre-conference yesterday was a day off for retirees – except for those who joined student members  in the annual Outreach to Teach program. They headed over to a local school with paint, brushes and tools on a hot day to do an extreme makeover. There’s an Illinois Caucus meeting this afternoon. Then the RA gets rolling tomorrow through t


6-30-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: DVR says goodbye to the retirees.These are the final days for Dennis Van Roekel as President of the NEA. VP Lily Eskelsen Garcia will be elected to replace him later this week. His appearance an speech Sunday in front of the 350 or so retired delegates at our pre-RA conference was warmly received. DVR