DO TEACHER UNIONS SUPPORT PUBLIC EDUCATION?

There sure has been enough “union bashing” going on during this economic downturn. Unionized autoworkers seem to be taking the brunt of the abuse this time around. Many observers have credited the “bloated” workforce of GM and Chrysler with contributing to their demise.  That point may be debatable, but it has got a lot more people talking about the merits of private sector unions in a competitive, global economy. Achieving great pay packages, improved working conditions and fantastic benefits don’t mean a whole lot if the company you work for closes shop because it can’t compete. As someone who became a teacher because of my passion and strong belief in the importance of public education, I have repeatedly questioned the role of entrenched teacher unions. Now as we move from the industrial to the information age, I fear the demise of Ontario’s own cherished public education system if major reforms are not made to the teaching profession.

Teaching the youth of Canada to be the leaders of tomorrow I believe is one of the most important jobs out there. It is why I wonder in disbelief, how can we continue to let the people who do this important work be paid the exact same with no consideration given to their ability?

Currently the salary of a unionized teacher is determined by two factors – seniority and level of education, with seniority having by far the greatest influence. Whether in fact you are any good at it doesn’t factor into the equation. There are evaluations given to teachers to be sure, but the union has watered down that process so much that these infrequent evaluations take place only with advance notice and offer a non-descript grading system such as satisfactory/unsatisfactory.  Under the union, teachers are all equals and therefore an experienced teacher can’t formally evaluate another inexperienced union brother or sister. Performance appraisals are left to the short number of administrators that in too many cases have far fewer years of experience than the teachers they are trying to evaluate. Unfortunately previous educational reforms have made this more of a regular occurrence than it should be.

Former Ontario Premier Mike Harris threw administrators out of the union and into management. In doing so though he neglected to compensate this group well enough and left too much of the power within the schools in the hands of the union - protected teachers. It’s no wonder why Ontario’s public school system has trouble attracting their best teachers and school leaders to move up the ranks.  Very few want to leave their comfy union confines to become over-worked and under appreciated school administrators.

Don’t get me wrong here.  I am not in favour of dismantling the entire system. The teaching profession requires the need for greater legal protection that unions or associations provide.  However, that need has come with far too many “improved working conditions” and inability to weed out poor teachers that has put our cherished public education system in danger.  Don’t be fooled. What is good for teachers is not always good for public education. Twenty sick days might be great from the teacher’s perspective, but it is damaging to education.

To be fair, the unions have helped public education by fighting for good salaries and benefits that have lured talented individuals into the profession. Once in however, you will have to be incredibly, intrinsically motivated and wear blinders to avoid comparing yourself to and eventually becoming the lazy teacher down the hall that “does nothing” and gets paid the same amount as you.  

The concept of merit pay has been floated before. It does have its drawbacks though if the criteria for how it is disbursed are not in line with improved teacher performance. Relying heavily on one measure such as test scores or leaving too much power in the hands of one principal won’t suffice. It will require all the stakeholders in public education, including the teacher unions to devise a fair system of teacher evaluation that can allow for performance pay and the removal of bad teachers that are a barrier to student learning. If the teacher unions will not come to the table on this issue or rally their members to continue the status quo then their true colours will have been shown.  Public education will lose its relevance as a pillar of this province as fed up parents will choose vouchers and chartered schools for their children.  Hopefully this scenario can be avoided with strong leadership on this issue.

It is why I am encouraged to hear U.S. President Obama, a Democrat, speak of merit pay through revising their teacher evaluation process as a way to improve the American public education system. He recognizes the enormous impact improved teacher performance can have on student success. Let’s hope for the sake of our treasured public education system an Ontario political figure will emerge that has the courage take on the special interest and create meaningful educational reform so that we can develop the best teachers to inspire our young people to be leaders in the new knowledge economy.  

Gregory Cawsey is a teacher in Guelph and a member of the Guelph Mercury’s Community Editorial Board.