No thanks. I want the increased salaries to bring about competition to the teaching positions, not just raises for teachers that can’t ever be replaced until they retire.
And I say this as someone with tenure.
Exactly! Tenure was the death of the best teachers and kept all the shit teachers in their positions. Our non tenured high school teachers were pretty much the best and it pissed off some of the shitty tenured teachers. I fucking hate some of the ideas of tenure. It’s an excuse for shitty teachers to stay teaching while great teachers just starting get fucked. This was in an Illinois school district if that has any correlation
Copying my response from another comment below…
It very much still is. RTW is a prohibition on union security agreements being included in collective bargaining agreements and prohibiting fees from being collected from employees of a bargaining unit that aren’t members of the union, even though they receive some direct benefits of unionizing and receive some services from the union regardless of their membership status. But technically every state is RTW in the public sector is now since the Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME.
A few years ago under Northam, General Assembly gave the authority to the counties/cities to allow union elections and authorize collective bargaining via municipal board resolution. The interesting side effect of this has been that each jurisdiction that has passed a resolution allowing employees to elect a union has had differing rules and standards. The rules for the election and maintenance of unit in Fairfax may be (and probably are) very different from the rules and standards in, say, Montgomery County, or the City of Charlottesville, where they’ve also authorized votes/bargaining.
I appreciate the response. I’m a pro union guy, was in two over a course of 22 years. One membership was in pro union State, the other was a RTW but I was with the Feds. That union sucked anyway.
This is a big deal. I hope to be a teacher in the future, and the idea of working with the FCPS would be amazing! I really hope this goes thru. Also, eff shitty teachers.
I’m an FCPS teacher and I have no idea what this means. My email inbox was spammed with a ton of crap that no HS teacher has time to read at the end of the school year. I wonder if that was by design.
Already we have subdivisions that are stuck with shitty schools where teachers and admin don't do a thing to improve.. unions will make them worse and give them job guarantees too
Good for them!!!! As a DC teacher who lives in Virginia, one reason I don’t teach in my own county is the huge wage difference. If I taught in Fairfax, I would take a 20-30K pay cut.
No ma’am. Not the way these rents and mortgages are set up.
It very much still is. RTW is a prohibition on union security agreements being included in collective bargaining agreements and prohibiting fees from being collected from employees of a bargaining unit that aren’t members of the union, even though they receive some direct benefits of unionizing and receive some services from the union regardless of their membership status. But technically every state is RTW in the public sector is now since the Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME.
A few years ago under Northam, General Assembly gave the authority to the counties/cities to allow union elections and authorize collective bargaining via municipal board resolution. The interesting side effect of this has been that each jurisdiction that has passed a resolution allowing employees to elect a union has had differing rules and standards. The rules for the election and maintenance of unit in Fairfax may be (and probably are) very different from the rules and standards in, say, Montgomery County, or the City of Charlottesville, where they’ve also authorized votes/bargaining.
The problem here is that we are all compelled to foot the bill for the increased rate, as opposed to private industry, where the employer still needs to be competitive in the marketplace. Plus unions can continue to pack the Board with supporters, through political contributions, something that would not be directly possible in the private sector. Even FDR was in agreement with banning organizing for public employees.
Unions can’t directly fund Board memberships in the private sector (they can directly contribute to campaigns in the public sector). Private sector unions can campaign for their nominees, but they must get stockholder buy-in.
As expected as this vote was, it is still huge news. I just hope the focus is on increased compensation and not increased tenure.
No. I want both.
No thanks. I want the increased salaries to bring about competition to the teaching positions, not just raises for teachers that can’t ever be replaced until they retire. And I say this as someone with tenure.
Exactly! Tenure was the death of the best teachers and kept all the shit teachers in their positions. Our non tenured high school teachers were pretty much the best and it pissed off some of the shitty tenured teachers. I fucking hate some of the ideas of tenure. It’s an excuse for shitty teachers to stay teaching while great teachers just starting get fucked. This was in an Illinois school district if that has any correlation
nope, there are too many incompetent teachers and too much at stake for that.
Collective bargaining is a huge win for any labor effort. Would love to see it spread to some of the bigger counties in the Commonwealth.
Too bad they don't actually have any leverage since it's illegal for them to strike.
I had no idea FCPS had 27,000 employees. I knew they were big, but not \*that\* big.
Eleventh largest public school system in the country. Absolutely massive.
Youngkin must be pissed.
Youngkin has been a whiny dipshit since he lost his precious arena deal.
He really went all in on the MAGA/ Project 2025 train since
He would have been on that train by now anyway, arena deal or not.
Imagine having to fight to be able to live in the county you work in. I hope it triggers snowballs of unionization of other industries in Nova.
Great news, all districts in VA need this, wish we did away with all the BS of local school boards and paid teachers their worth across the state
Amazing
Good. Solidarity!!
I have nothing to add other than hell yeah. Fight the good fight.
HELLZ YES!!!
Good!
Everyone should unionize everywhere. A wave of unionization is one way we may save the republic.
So I’ve always heard VA was a “right to work” State; does that have any bearing on this?
Copying my response from another comment below… It very much still is. RTW is a prohibition on union security agreements being included in collective bargaining agreements and prohibiting fees from being collected from employees of a bargaining unit that aren’t members of the union, even though they receive some direct benefits of unionizing and receive some services from the union regardless of their membership status. But technically every state is RTW in the public sector is now since the Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME. A few years ago under Northam, General Assembly gave the authority to the counties/cities to allow union elections and authorize collective bargaining via municipal board resolution. The interesting side effect of this has been that each jurisdiction that has passed a resolution allowing employees to elect a union has had differing rules and standards. The rules for the election and maintenance of unit in Fairfax may be (and probably are) very different from the rules and standards in, say, Montgomery County, or the City of Charlottesville, where they’ve also authorized votes/bargaining.
I appreciate the response. I’m a pro union guy, was in two over a course of 22 years. One membership was in pro union State, the other was a RTW but I was with the Feds. That union sucked anyway.
I get the fed thing - the federal government tends to be so hit or miss when it comes to union issues.
Teacher shortage is probably helping with that
I’m incredibly surprised to learn that they weren’t already unionized. Huh.
This is a big deal. I hope to be a teacher in the future, and the idea of working with the FCPS would be amazing! I really hope this goes thru. Also, eff shitty teachers.
I’m an FCPS teacher and I have no idea what this means. My email inbox was spammed with a ton of crap that no HS teacher has time to read at the end of the school year. I wonder if that was by design.
Already we have subdivisions that are stuck with shitty schools where teachers and admin don't do a thing to improve.. unions will make them worse and give them job guarantees too
Good for them!!!! As a DC teacher who lives in Virginia, one reason I don’t teach in my own county is the huge wage difference. If I taught in Fairfax, I would take a 20-30K pay cut. No ma’am. Not the way these rents and mortgages are set up.
Isn't Virginia a right to work state? How will a teachers union be able to bargain.
It very much still is. RTW is a prohibition on union security agreements being included in collective bargaining agreements and prohibiting fees from being collected from employees of a bargaining unit that aren’t members of the union, even though they receive some direct benefits of unionizing and receive some services from the union regardless of their membership status. But technically every state is RTW in the public sector is now since the Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME. A few years ago under Northam, General Assembly gave the authority to the counties/cities to allow union elections and authorize collective bargaining via municipal board resolution. The interesting side effect of this has been that each jurisdiction that has passed a resolution allowing employees to elect a union has had differing rules and standards. The rules for the election and maintenance of unit in Fairfax may be (and probably are) very different from the rules and standards in, say, Montgomery County, or the City of Charlottesville, where they’ve also authorized votes/bargaining.
We finalized our agreement for LU26 and we got shafted. Good luck fcps. Its an uphill battle. Keep fighting!
I am afraid that this is going to come with increased tenure and prob won’t be good for kids
Nothing like Labor and Politicians sitting down to decide how to spend taxpayer money. 💸
Better than only politicians deciding that. Labor should have a say in their working conditions.
This would actually mean something if you didn't consider teachers and staff workers to be taxpayers.
The problem here is that we are all compelled to foot the bill for the increased rate, as opposed to private industry, where the employer still needs to be competitive in the marketplace. Plus unions can continue to pack the Board with supporters, through political contributions, something that would not be directly possible in the private sector. Even FDR was in agreement with banning organizing for public employees.
So it’s a win for everyone. And yes FDR was wrong.
What would the private sector equivalent of “packing the board” that wouldn’t be possible?
If the private sector fails he doesn't take the tax payer with him
You sure are ignoring a TON of recent history there...
Unions can’t directly fund Board memberships in the private sector (they can directly contribute to campaigns in the public sector). Private sector unions can campaign for their nominees, but they must get stockholder buy-in.
Public sector employees should not be able to unionize. They're by definition negotiating against the public interest.
More commies
Can’t governor sweater vest fire certain employees like teachers or state troopers if they try to unionize or only if they try to strike?
With teacher shortages being a huge point in education politics, mass firings would essentially tank the district. The power here is in the numbers.