An Open Letter to Members in Response to President Parker’s Recent Correspondence
September 8, 2009
When George Parker became WTU President, he accepted the responsibility to protect WTU members and their employment rights. Constitutionally, “The President shall serve as a fiduciary of the union, chief negotiator of the Union contract and appoint the bargaining team for all negotiations…” Previous WTU Presidents weathered recessions, control boards, and education profiteers without faultfinding. Peterson’s Blog, http://TheWashingtonTeacher.blogspot.com, posted an article concerning acceptance of “Performance Based Excessing.” Basically, Parker has agreed to “At-Will” employment allowing teacher excessing related dismissals (firings) even when the teacher has good evaluations! Sounds like something teachers might want to know. Peterson has a copy of the Rhee/Parker proposed agreement and interviewed the unnamed member of Parker’s “hand picked” contract negotiation team as evidence. TheWashingtonTeacher, a reliable source of DCPS information, is often quoted by mainstream media for independent education points of view and critical thinking. Ironically, Peterson created the blog after frustration with WTU’s failure to inform its members.
As a Union Trustee and Fiduciary, Peterson has a responsibility to communicate with membership especially when matters warrant them. Surrendering job security is certainly noteworthy given the recessive economy and job market. If she knows or should have known of harm to teachers and refuses to act she could be sued personally. Furthermore, there is no signed confidentially agreement with Peterson, Parker, and the unnamed negotiations team member despite Parker’s letter implying otherwise. And, in his letter to members, Parker does not deny accepting teacher termination when teachers have good evaluations; he simply remains silent. (Copy of letter). At the August 29, 2009 Building Representative training, Parker admitted to over 70 building representatives present “there would probably be no contract” blaming Chancellor Rhee and conceding that the WTU would likely go to impasse.
Scapegoating Peterson is Parker’s condemnation of a union member for his ineptness and disgraceful governance. The Contract is approximately 3 years out of date- 2 years expired and should have been negotiated 1 year prior to its expiration. That’s not her fault. His presidency is punctuated with thousands of teachers improperly excessed, terminated or forced retirements and failure to enforce the existing contract while more schools have been closed and employment options dimmed for WTU teachers. That’s not Candi Peterson’s fault, either; it also belongs to Parker. Production of a current union contract is Parker’s individual constitutional duty. His own ineffectiveness and poor leadership skills make him desperate and dangerous to all teachers not just Candi Peterson!
Sincerely,
Nathan A. Saunders,
General Vice President, Washington Teachers’ Union, 202-213-7081
Recent Comments