We always hear from people who should know better that unions were good during times past, but now they aren't needed anymore. We always hear the right complaining about "teachers' unions," as if they were some kind of evil, but if it weren't for them, teachers would be regarded as expedient.
Today I am probably more grateful unions exist than I ever thought previously. I posted the following on my own blog:
Right now, until my situation with my current job is resolved or I find another job, I am essentially penniless. Because I am in the middle of a dispute with my employer, I am unable to draw unemployment benefits. This dispute could go for a couple of weeks, a couple of months, or as long as six months to a year.
Because of a fuck up with my sick leave forms, my employer is pushing for me to be fired, but I am going through due process through the union. As I said, I am going to be very hard up for cash in the coming weeks, unless I can either be reinstated or employed someplace else.
If I didn't have the union, I would have been fired, and that would be the end of that. As it is, it may be a long time before I am reinstated on my teaching job, if I ever am. And even if I were, would I want to go through the aggravation again with this employer?
I would like to know what your experiences are with unions and employers. I especially would like to hear from people who are teachers who have gone through arbitration. I would also like to hear some ideas from posters about what alternative jobs I could go into. I am looking at relocating to Oregon, but again I am strapped for cash no matter what I do.