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Striking Teachers Are Saving
Public Education In US
Education has become a “cash cow” in the US. That’s our phrase meaning a place to make profits-money.
By continually underfunding public education, by both main Parties Democrat and Republican, the road then becomes open to liberal do-gooders to offer private education schooling classes and schools for desperate kindergarten through high school parents.
This process has been taking place at the same time very progressive educators are are attempting, with good success, to upgrade public education across the country. This is for all students.
Privatization in Schools
This defunding of public education and then “offering” private schooling on a profit and/or non- profit basis is neoliberalism PRIVATIZATION. And, it’s on an international level.
Reagan and Thatcher
While this profiteering in education has always been with us, the elections of Thatcher in Britain and Reagan in the US in 1980 catapulted the greed frenzy to a new level. It became the standard for the Republican/Tories but also the Democrats and Blair lead LABOUR Party.
The 2008-9 WallStreet financial collapse gave the US and Europe a new opportunity and excuse to privatize public services, where possible even more.
Sounder voices argued for a stronger government role, but those voices were disregarded in the Democratic Party in the USA and Labour in Britain. The corporateers were and still are licking their chops everywhere.
In fact, in the US the expansion of private schools expanded exponentially by city, state and the federal governments encouraging more private schools now known as “charter” schools, disguising their profit motive.
2019-2020 Elections
The political power of these privatized education schooling system,being awash in money, has given them heightened political elections power.
Thus in Britain, the USA and other parts of Europe this profiteering in education has lingered on far too long. But it’s days are numbered.
Striking Teachers Fight Back
Education workers and their local unions began to take maters into their own hands. They began to demand higher wages and more money for public education in general.
The WFTU-FISE international teachers class oriented trade unions discussed this fight back at the 18th Congress in MexicoCity. The 19th Congress will gather greater solidarity.
Striking teachers in working class areas of West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona learning and took great encourage from the heroic striking Chicago Teachers Union CTU IN 2012 and once again now in 2019.
2020 Election
This years 2020 US national elections will be pivotal. The Republicans under trump are on the ropes. The problem is candidates who support worker and union rights, especially teachers rights, national health, full employment at union wages, massive public workers infrastructure work and jobs, radical reductions in military spending, ban and confiscation of assault weapons and similar Peoples’s right are being attacked by right of center Democrats.
The next 12 months in the US as well as in Britain and across the world will be extremely important.
The international working class is in the rise.
Stayed Tuned
Frank Goldsmith, Coordinater, North America, WFTU; elected Delegate to the Union’s Delegate Assembly, of the Union’s 40,000 member United University Professionals professors and staff trade union.
