Word: unionizers
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...money at his disposal, Duncan is not making it easy to get. To qualify for the cash, states are being encouraged to remove laws limiting the expansion of public charter schools (which are typically exempt from union rules and other regulations), sign on to common standards, develop a strategy to turn around their worst-performing schools and work toward building better data systems...
...powerful teachers' unions, however, the idea that their jobs could hinge on a set of standardized-test results is anathema, in part because many teachers believe the tests are unreliable indicators of student performance. "Our disappointment is clear," says Kay Brilliant, director of education policy and practice for the National Educators Association, the nation's largest teachers' union. "If it's going to be more of the same, more NCLB [No Child Left Behind], more testing and minimal support, then we're not interested." Duncan admits he is tackling the Everest of entrenched interests with this particular reform...
...What They're Hoarding in Europe: Before the European Union's ban on incandescent lightbulbs went into effect on Sept. 1, consumers across Europe raided stores to stockpile the familiar bulbs. Under the new rules, retailers can continue to sell what they have in stock but won't be able to buy or import more. The policy forces shoppers to switch to environmentally friendly compact fluorescent lamps, which use 80% less electricity. But fans of the traditional lights argue that the new bulbs don't glow as warmly--and that they cost more than twice as much...
...However, the heads of other firms, such as GM, have dismissed the possibility of similar deals. Moreover, the longer negotiations drag out between the union and automakers, the greater the danger of bankruptcy becomes. The answer, it seems, is some form of employee buyout. As Bloom himself has said, worker ownership is an ideal way to bring unions and management into a more constructive relationship. “Companies would come and ask unions to modify agreements in one way or another,” Bloom told The American Prospect’s Tim Fernholz...
...Working as advisors to the pilots’ union, Keilin and Bloom orchestrated a buyout in which United employees, through their unions, bought a 55 percent stake in the company. The results were staggeringly positive. Worker grievances plummeted while the firm’s productivity and profit margins soared. Previous skeptics appeared to be swayed. BusinessWeek devoted a cover story to the success of worker ownership, including praise from sources as unlikely as a Merrill Lynch analyst and an executive at a rival airline...