NewTLA: Voice of Reform or Reaction Within UTLA?

[Modern School]

An opposition movement, NewTLA, is emerging within United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), the second largest teacher’s local in the U.S. In the article “Frustrated Los Angeles teachers now have a progressive voice” Mike Stryer argues that UTLA (and by implication most other teachers unions) is an antiquated organization stuck in the 1950s that needs to get over their obsession with seniority rights and contractual issues. He implies that these are somehow backwards objectives and that to truly be “progressive” UTLA needs to be at the forefront of “pushing through proven education reform.”

Stryer has a naïve understanding of “reform” and very little knowledge of labor history or even the reason to have a union. His new voice for teachers, contrary to being progressive, is a voice of reaction that promotes a collaboration with ed deformers that would set working conditions AND school quality back decades.


To read the full article, please go to http://modeducation.blogspot.com/2011/01/newtla-voice-of-reform-or-reaction.html