S1E14 School security and the future of teacher unions

Mar 5, 2018

Show Notes:

During today's show, we discuss the Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS shooting during our first segment.

• Despite all the noise on this issue, as educators, how do you think we should improve what we do to keep students and staff safe in our schools?

We discuss the major points in the case, who is on each side, and the implications for teacher unions moving forward.

In our second segment, we discuss the Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court Case.

• Public employees in Illinois did not want to pay mandatory union fees in a state where all employees who work in a job with unions must pay "fair share" dues, omitting portions of the fee that go towards political action.
• Janus argues that the required fees are a violation of his First Amendment free speech rights because the Union engages in speech and causes that he disagrees with, referred to as a compelled speech.
• Unions obviously view a decision against them as 1) would bring about their demise, 2) would take away worker protections as it relates minorities and women, and 3) there is no first amendment right to be free from compelled subsidies, 4) that Janus’ characterization of unions as purely political is a gross mischaracterization of union activities. 

In our final segment, a new Dear Betsy segment devolves into a discussion about nothing, kind of like Seinfeld, and kind of like Betsy Devos' actual work with education...nothing! 

Resources Mentioned/Referenced:

Dana Milibank: The Koch’s are Trying to Kill Unions

George Will on Janus

Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court Case

Why was Betsy DeVos at a Supreme Court hearing about the fate of workers unions?