I wonder what method the teachers unions use to determine a strike vote.  In years past, we voted by raising hands in a union meeting.  Peer pressure or what.  They now have the technology to have the entire membership vote, pressure free, and quickly.  No more need for union leaders to make critical decisions without the approval of the majority of the membership.  Would the outcome of a strike vote then be different?

I’m not holding my breath waiting for SCOTUS to make a ruling that would have comparable ramifications for the Canadian unions It won’t. We have far more leftie activist judges than in the US

DEFANGING TEACHER UNIONS

It’s way overdue that Canadian legislators paid attention to what’s happening in the US regarding teacher unions. 

http://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2015/07/02/how-the-supreme-court-could-doom-teachers-unions

In all jurisdictions in Canada it is a legislated condition of employment in a public (that is, government) school that teachers are compulsory members of the teacher union.  The union originally was meant to handle pay and working conditions issues.  But, increasingly, teacher unions have advanced their powers into curriculum, teaching methods, social policies, professional development, community organizing, etc. — areas where the broader public and legislators should not only have their input and impact, but also watchfulness where public should be wary of power grabs in education — be they ideological forces or greedy profiteers such as book publishers.

It was in the 70s that the teacher unions took a decided turn to dominate their field and also use it as a lever to change society.  Social reconstruction was the term.

The Oct/Nov 1972 issue of The Canadian Forum — a left-wing publication — did a Special Issue:  The Failure of Educational Reform.  An insightful article by Norman Henchey — Revolution and education in Quebec — describes how teacher unionism shifted to activism.  Polarization and confrontation happened in the struggle between the government and the teachers — “growing strength, syndicalism, and political radicalism of the teaching profession”.

The experience in British Columbia is that since the 70s the teacher union was a significant force in polarizing our communities.  To this day, parents are being systematically recruited into anti-standardized testing campaigns and teacher union social justice issues.

We, in British Columbia, who have suffered 45 unrelenting years of School Wars do look forward to a defanging of teacher unions. 

As parents, grandparents, and taxpayers — those of us who have been doing our homework on the consumer side of the education equation — do see some hope on the horizon for more responsive education opportunities for our young people.  We see the Nevada model of education funding called Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), which hopefully will come to Canada wherein parents get an education allotment into their bank account from which they can customize and personalize children’s education.  We see insightful teachers internationally starting to challenge old myths and the progressivist hold on curriculum — Math and Reading challenges are gaining strength (conferences and blogs along this train of thought are so encouraging).  A teacher speaking up without fear of union retaliation is eagerly anticipated.

Being in the trenches on behalf of the parent role and constantly being thwarted by a domineering school establishment I see the defanging of teacher unions as one way to start breaking down the logjam preventing promising education reform.

Thanks Tunya for stating the issue and the concerns of parents and taxpayers so well.

Don’t know if you are aware that MP Russ Hiebert’s Bill 377 recently passed.

The bill requires unions to publicly disclose all transactions over $5,000, reveal the details of officers or executives who make over $100,000, and provide that information to the Canada Revenue Agency, which would publicly post the information to its website.

Read more at :
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/three-private-bills-up-for-final-vote-on-last-day-before-senate-rises/article25197088/

Hiebert said “.... C-377 will have a substantial impact on the lives of millions of union members who will, for the first time, see where their hard-earned dues are going.”