My friend Jack on Left in Lowell is pushing to get some type of Public Bargaining between the United Teacher’s of Lowell and the Lowell School Committee.
He is using communities like Westford, Tyngsboro and Dracut as examples for some type of public disclosure for Union Bargaining.
The question that a couple of teacher friends of mine have asked is not only why now but why only the teacher’s union?
I agreed with Jim Leary and John Leahy when they asked for public negotiations two years ago because I thought is was fair. However the teacher’s I spoke with pointed out to me that it is only the Teacher’s Union that you hear being asked to conduct their negotiations in public. You don’t hear anyone calling on the Police or Fire Unions to do this.
So it does make you wonder, why is it that the people calling for this DON”T ask for the same from higher priced staff like when they negotiated the Asst. Supt. and the Superintendents contract or from unions who don’t have as many members. Where was the call for the custodians or food service workers to have public negotiations?
Where was this interest in public contract talks when Bernie Lynch was getting his new contract or when former Supt. Chris Scott was NOT getting hers?
Why is it only the teacher union? Is it personal? Do the powers that be feel that intimidated and over-matched by Union President Paul Georges so they are using a self confessed political operative who is carrying out their wishes to try and create a public interest? Could it be they or he is trying to get some revenge for a former school committee member who they are friendly with who was so frustrated with the talks she leaked contract information to the SUN?
Jack has stated on his blog “Surrogates are deployed to eradicate that threat” is Paul Georges that much of a threat that one or more school committee members has enlisted / instructed this Blogger to try and create pressure and get a groundswell to get on this bandwagon and force the issue? Certainly no one will “eradicate” Paul nor the Union.
Is there one or more members trying to put pressure on other members to conduct public contract talks?
After listening to their arguments, I have to agree with the teachers. Their Union is being targeted. The question is by who and why? It doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense that a democratic operative who supports many candidates that the Union also backs would on his own try to do this or is he trying to lay some political capital of his own?
Why is it that only the UTL here in Lowell is being called on to negotiate in public?
