"When law is without order and justice is far from just, someone must take a stand !"
I decided to post this entry after reading articles by Leah Fabel of the DC Examiner and Bill Turque of the WaPo this morning. Seems like the Washington Teachers' Union got brutalized yesterday by Judge Judith Bartnoff in her 23 page ruling . Many argue that the WTU's legal strategy was flawed right from the start. I knew we were in trouble when our WTU Prez George Parker indicated that the union's legal strategy was a secret so as not to tip off the other side. I was concerned that at no time was there a consultation with our laid off teachers and our union lawyers about our various legal strategies. Further there seemed to be little effort made to get affadavits' from teachers under oath and/or collect evidence for our legal case. I like many others worried when the WTU didn't file a TRO (temporary restraining order) as union members had been advised would happen right from the start. The TRO was filed after the preliminary injunction in late October.
Not until our WTU General Vice president, Nathan Saunders and I arranged for a free legal consultation with Joseph, Greenwald and Laake, P.A.- did the WTU decide to file a TRO, some say too little too late and well after the filing of the preliminary injunction. As Peter Nickles has been quoted this is a slam dunk for the Rhee administration. As much as I hate to admit it I have to agree with Nickles this time.
Having been laid off, I know what it feels like to be laid off unfairly. I have recounted my story on this very blog about an experience when a principal, Dr. Margaret Labat illegally gave me all zero's on my competitive level documentation form in 1996 because in her words she was angry with me for going to the union to pursue getting approval for my permanent status. My heart goes out to our laid off teachers and their families especially during this season of thanksgiving. I know how they feel today because I have walked a mile in their shoes. I have empathy for what they must be experiencing.
I am troubled by some teachers' reactions in a Tuesday WTU representative assembly meeting to be more focused on their own plight than that of their laid off teacher colleagues . While looking out for ourselves is a basic instinct of self-preservation/survival, someone has to fight and take a stand . I implore all of us to stop looking for cover and ducking our heads in the sand because it hasn't impacted in our little corner of the world yet. Give IMPACT sufficient time and there will be more of us fired by years' end. Isn't that the intent ?
I recently watched a moving titled: "American Violet" which is a true story about racial injustices by a corrupt District Attorney against many poor black citizens in the state of Texas. How ironic, I thought to myself that I had picked such a movie with many parallels to the DC story. I couldn't help but wonder that maybe it wasn't just coincidence that I had selected this movie as I desperately needed some motivation. The injustices in this movie had been imposed by those in power for some time and many citizens felt powerless to do anything. Had it not been for the perseverence of the main character known as 'Dee" who decided to fight for not only for herself but many others who had been wronged- I imagine that many of those attrocities in Texas would still be going on today . I am inspired by the words in the movie American Violet :
When law is without order and justice is far from just, someone must take a stand !
Here's an anonymous comment about the goings on at our union representative meeting. What happened at Tuesday's union representative assembly can't continue to happen or we will all loose.
"I went to the representative assembly meeting tonight. Saunders gave Parker the "business" about Parker's sorry advocacy of union members. I wish those RIF'd teachers had listened. Nathan did say very early in the ballgame teachers needed a different law firm. He knew something and now we have experienced it. In the future, trust legal recommendations from Saunders.
I am afraid Rhee will really think she is superwoman in her ease at running over Parker and those of us who depend on this union. I cannot imagine why she would not want to have another RIF next week. Teachers are terrified only 12 to 15 showed up tonight. A sad day for us but George Parker seemed to think nothing of this terrible loss of teacher jobs. He kept saying he never expected to win implying we should just move on.
Oh yeah, some teachers acted like they did not want to discuss the RIF'd teachers only IMPACT. We are so quick to forget one another. I have figured it out- The RIF'd teachers are no longer union members after being fired and their letters ban them from DCPS property that is why they are sight unseen at union meetings. This explains the church meeting locations for them."- signed anonymous
I am afraid Rhee will really think she is superwoman in her ease at running over Parker and those of us who depend on this union. I cannot imagine why she would not want to have another RIF next week. Teachers are terrified only 12 to 15 showed up tonight. A sad day for us but George Parker seemed to think nothing of this terrible loss of teacher jobs. He kept saying he never expected to win implying we should just move on.
Oh yeah, some teachers acted like they did not want to discuss the RIF'd teachers only IMPACT. We are so quick to forget one another. I have figured it out- The RIF'd teachers are no longer union members after being fired and their letters ban them from DCPS property that is why they are sight unseen at union meetings. This explains the church meeting locations for them."- signed anonymous
Posted by The Washington Teacher, featuring Candi Peterson, blogger in residence
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