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Are teachers Unions leftwing?

As next week’s presidential election approaches, teachers across the country should take a moment to consider how unions have been spending their hard-earned money in this time of heightened political division. Teachers unions like the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) are actively engaging in political activities, taking from teachers’ paychecks to influence election outcomes.

The NEA, with over 2.8 million members, allocates a considerable portion of its resources toward political action. In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, over $50 million was directed to political activities. This funding goes almost exclusively to left-wing candidates and organizations. So far in the 2024 election cycle, 98.96% of NEA’s contributions have gone to Democrats, totaling $3,098,592. Republicans have received just $32,599, or 1.04% of NEA’s election spending.
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SunshineGirl · 36-40, F
Teachers have a professional interest in teaching children and improving society through raising educational standards. A majority of teaching professionals believe this is most efficiently done through state funded and directed education and not wasting time and money on letting narrow interest groups interfere with curricula or the running of schools. If you interpret that as "left wing", that is your prerogative. But there are some things that are so important they transcend party politics.
DogMan · 61-69, M
Sunsporter made me think about this. Are the teachers fighting for the 300,000 missing
migrant children? Are the NEA folks looking for them? Where are they? Are they working
the fields? are they being taken care of? Does anyone care?
Remember how politicians who advocate for teacher unions and public schools decry charter schools send their children to private schools. Such behaviors are not rousing endorsements for teacher unions.
CountScrofula · 41-45, M
Of course unions are left wing what the fuck is a right wing union.

The very foundational concept of left vs right wing is baked into the relationship between workers and employers.

That said I don't think unions should donate to political parties. My union doesn't. But unions are explicitly left-wing organizations. It is impossible for a union to be right wing.
Kwek00 · 41-45, M
@CountScrofula I understand all right.

If a labor union isn't radical enough for you, they aren't "true labor unions". Therefore they don't count.

All swans are white, but if I see a black one... then that's anomalie and doesn't challenge the rule at all. 🤷‍♂
Kwek00 · 41-45, M
@Burnley123 So you have an organisation, that has police officers as a member. And that organisation, tries to bargain (collectively, for the entire group) for better working conditions and better wages for it's members. But it's a right-wing thing, because the police uphold the capitalist system. Therefore, they aren't left-wing. But also you:

Organising for the interests of workers against bosses is the very definition of leftwing.

And then we haven't talked about what the organisations drive is to do what they do. What kind of society they are trying to push for.
Burnley123 · 41-45, M
@Kwek00 Because the world is not black and white and there are exceptions to the rule.
First of all, they are professional unions, which might push them to the right of trade unions, but I think teachers tend to have a left-wing bias.
Having said that, I think it's a bit sophomoric to decisively put the lot of them at a single point on the political spectrum.
carpediem · 61-69, M
@ImperialAerosolKidFromEP I think the question is whether or not the teacher's union(s) are left wing themselves. And the answer is most definitely a resounding yes. You'd have to be blind not to see it. Also, I have information most are not privy to that has confirmed that fact.
Patriot96 · 56-60, C
@ImperialAerosolKidFromEP union exist to perpetuate themselves.
Teacher unions do nothing to improve education
JPWhoo · 36-40, M
They have a strong tendency to support left wing candidates because they have a strong tendency to support policies that are favorable to both unions and education, both of which, as you can imagine, are highly valued ideals within teachers unions.
carpediem · 61-69, M
@JPWhoo BS. They are hard left. They exist not to help kids, but to get the most they can for teachers. Left wing policies have failed education. We've been dealing with left education policy for decades and here we are at the bottom of the barrel.
@carpediem In the Klintoon 90's I saw history textbooks completely rewritten with false narratives to line up with leftist globalist bs.
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Burnley123 · 41-45, M
Organising for the interests of workers against bosses is the very definition of leftwing.
Burnley123 · 41-45, M
@DogMan I was speaking of unions generally.
For teacher's unions, it's whatever government body pays and negotiated their wages.

In the UK it's the national government. I believe that in America, it's usually done at state level.
Thrust · 56-60, M
@DogMan their bosses are the taxpayers who have no say in what they pay out to them. Public sectors should NEVER be allowed to unionize
DogMan · 61-69, M
@Thrust And on top of it, if they don't do their job, it is almost impossible to fire them.
PalteseMalconFunch · 36-40, T
Well, the right wing wants to gut their organizations and force anti intellectual rhetoric into everything and destroy every foundation of our already deficient education system.

So yea…I’d wager a lot of them support democrat candidates.
sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M
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PalteseMalconFunch · 36-40, T
@NativePortlander1970 I was educated in South Carolina in the 90’s. I literally learned about the War of Northern Aggression.

I learned this from listening to y’all and living in the America y’all created and actually using my brain.
Kwek00 · 41-45, M
It depends on the underlieing philosophy. If they are actively trying to persue some form of equality, then yes. If there is another goal, like creating harmony in some organic concept of a national body OR because of the teachings of some mystical being or teacher (aka something irrational) ... then no.
Virtually exclusively
oldguy73 · 70-79, M
very true most of thier money went to democrats and things they wanted
SatanBurger · 36-40, FVIP
Lol right wingers want child slave labor and want everyone to be in prison working for the corporations. Does this sound like they're for workers rights?

Thanks for the laugh though
DogMan · 61-69, M
@SatanBurger Why do you think Republicans want child slave labor?

Are you repeating Rachel Maddow?
sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M
@DogMan Ask it whatever happened to those over 300,000 children the previous administration lost
DogMan · 61-69, M
@sunsporter1649 Shhhhh, Democrats HATE talking about missing migrant kids. None will
respond to this post. You can bet on that? I will post something at the top.
markinkansas · 61-69, M
all unions are
Convivial · 26-30, F
Your point being?
Let's talk about the quarter of A BILLION that Musk gave to the republicans and what he hopes to gain from it
Convivial · 26-30, F
@Thrust maybe it is... Doesn't detract from it being true or relevant though
sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M
Patriot96 · 56-60, C
@Convivial and your point is?
Worker than woke.
Theyl transition your kids with out telling you
The same ilk within the failure of the DOE who advocate for lowering standards for teachers; and to their confusion, hurting the education
Of the students they are supposed to be teaching. Here in NJ the fools are ok with teachers who are not certified to teach basics.
Patriot96 · 56-60, C
@soar2newhighs same in Chitcago. As many as 70% of teachers cant pass the basic proficiency exam
Patriot96 · 56-60, C
Teachers unions control the schools.
They work to install leftist politicians who then reward them with lucrative contracts and block school reform
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