Here’s a comment I noticed at Reddit.com: “Why is ok for football players to collectively bargain, but if teachers do it, it’s frowned upon?” Why, indeed?
Even-handed collective bargaining
- Post author:Erich Vieth
- Post published:July 26, 2011
- Post category:Politics / populism
- Post comments:2 Comments
Erich Vieth
Erich Vieth is an attorney focusing on civil rights (including First Amendment), consumer law litigation and appellate practice. At this website often writes about censorship, corporate news media corruption and cognitive science. He is also a working musician, artist and a writer, having founded Dangerous Intersection in 2006. Erich lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his two daughters.
Maybe because everyone thinks teaching is easy, as in, “I can do that. Teachers are a ‘dime-a-dozen'”. Whereas football players are seen as people with extraordinary skills deserving of the right to bargain as a group.
Bruce: I think you’re right. Many people think they can get up there and teach 5 sections per day, but it takes a talented and motivated person to do that well, all-the-while keeping order, doing one’s preps and dealing with parents after hours. A few months ago, I taught 5 sections of “citizen journalism” to the 6th grade at a local school, and it was exhausting (and also fun and rewarding). It gave me new-found respect for the work that excellent teachers do.