A new alliance of labor unions has formed under the name New Yorkers for Great Public Schools in direct response to the launch of StudentsFirstNY. New Yorkers for Great Public Schools, which is primarily funded by teachers unions, threatens to not support any politician who supports StudentsFirstNY.
The New York Post points out that this new group has no intention of putting the interests of students first:
The unions, and their hydra-like “nonprofits,” feed off taxpayer cash and then turn around and buy off the pols — in an effort to control New York schools and school policy, for the benefit of their members. At the expense of students.
As New Yorkers today celebrate labor’s long, proud history and offer thanks for its hard-won triumphs, they might also consider what the movement has become, particularly in New York. And wonder whether, on balance, it remains a force for good — for everyone.