District of Columbia: Unions Oppose Rhee's Firing
According to the Washington Times:
Union leaders for D.C. employees said yesterday they oppose public schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's effort to fire hundreds of unsatisfactory employees in the school system's central office.
Washington Metropolitan AFL-CIO President Joslyn Williams said four unions representing thousands of schools employees oppose a bill introduced by Mrs. Rhee before the D.C. Council that would allow her to reclassify more than 750 workers in the central office to "at-will" status, which would allow her to fire them.
"We think that this legislation is overreaching," Mr. Williams said yesterday. "This is about making sure that the government does not run roughshod over workers."
Mr. Williams said he received support from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the Council of School Officers among other organizations representing union workers in the school system.
As of the end of last month, 10,200 of the school system's roughly 14,200 employees are union workers, a school spokeswoman said.
Mr. Williams expects the Washington Teachers' Union, which represents 4,200 teachers, to vote tonight at its delegate assembly meeting to take an official stance against the bill.
Nathan Saunders, the union's general vice president, called the bill "bad for working people" and said members strongly oppose the bill. But he has stopped short of saying the union definitely will vote to officially oppose the bill...click to continue.
