Anti-Union

Jay P. Greene feels differently. In his article “Unions and the Public Interest”, he argues that as a “club” that requires membership, unions will always serve to protect its members, ultimately snubbing non – members. In this situation, Greene considers the students to be the “non-members”. As long as teachers fight for better working conditions and better job security, students will suffer. His rationale being that bad teachers are never let go: “Unfortunately, a public education system that guarantees ever-increasing pay and benefits while lowering work demands on teachers, who virtually hold their positions for life regardless of performance, harms students.”
Despite this reality, Greene claims, unions have fooled the American public into believing that they are like “doting aunts and uncles” to their schoolchildren, and that they care for the children and the children alone. He calls for swift action to get rid of collective bargaining altogether.

Jay P. Greene is the head of the Department of Educational Reform at the University of Arkansas who is one of the scholars “leading the charge” against teachers' unions.