Special Interests and Political Power

By David Chance

"I will start representing kids when they start paying union dues."
- Albert Shanker, former President, American Federation of Teachers

• Higher pay and benefits
• More political power and prestige for the union

There is a real danger to our district, especially in the current economic crisis. You may recall that in 1990-1991 there was another period of falling home prices and rising unemployment. The Richmond Unified School District went bankrupt in 1991. The grand jury report on the scandal named the primary causes as "a reluctance to refuse demands by unions" and "a large dose of wishful thinking."

I am not opposed to the existence of unions. They serve a useful purpose in protecting workers from abusive employers, and it seems that government agencies abuse their power most. My wife has been a member of AFSCME Local 146 for nearly two decades, at times serving as Steward, on the Executive Board, and collective bargaining teams. If anyone accuses me of being 'anti-union', that only means that I do not march in lockstep with them. The students must be served first and the long term financial health of the school district must be preserved. The special interests do not have those priorities on their agenda. They only want a piece of more than $400 million of your tax dollars.