Teachers at a Louisiana charter school are pushing for union representation. They claim that the school’s provisions related to contracts and employment decision timelines negatively affect morale and employment potential.
Educators insist it’s not about gaining power or an ‘us vs. them’ mentality, but rather meeting what they view as reasonable demands. Orleans Parish had done away with the city’s union contract following Hurricane Katrina.
However, other charter school educators and administrators have reported the ability to collaborate and positively engage one another without having to unionize. The autonomous and innovative nature of charter schools usually lends itself to valuing teacher input without outside intervention. Thus, charter school teachers wanting to unionize could indicate some behind-the-scenes troubles.
CER has warned against the unionization of charter schools, claiming the presence of unions in charters becomes about “power and control.”