What do teachers, police officers and firefighters all have in common?
We’re public servants who spend our lives caring for and protecting the communities we share. Many of us love interacting with you at public events, whether that be school plays or summer parades, and, in moments of crisis, we spring into action to protect lives and property. I’ve broken up a few fights at school myself. I dread the reality of school shootings, but I know what to do in such an instance, and I will not hesitate.
Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, is sponsoring a bill that will effectively destroy associations and unions that represent public servants. This bill will deprive teachers, police and firefighters of their collective voice.
Banning collective bargaining by these organizations — which no one is forced to join and no entity is forced to bargain with — will create far more problems than it would supposedly solve. This bill is a solution in search of a problem that, if passed, will result in significant harm to you, the taxpayers, our dedicated professionals and the constituencies we serve — especially the kids.
Without professional associations, there will be no effective collective teacher voice to advocate for students’ needs, whether it be their health and safety, learning materials and curricular needs, or the training required to help us address challenges at scale. There will be more turnover and fewer experienced and committed professionals who might “ruffle feathers” to advocate for change like you see highlighted in “teacher movies.” Overworked teachers and other professionals will be required to work harder and longer for lower pay and fewer benefits too — a tough pill to swallow when so many of us already have second jobs or working spouses to support careers that don’t pay the bills by themselves.
Granite School District, where I work, and the Granite Education Association (GEA) have a long history of collaborative problem solving. That’s good for our kids. Teachers are “boots on the ground,” working with students and identifying trends and issues in our schools and classrooms every day. We work through school-level “building committees” to try to address concerns at the local level first, then elevate them through administration and GEA channels if they require more attention. Issues like chronic absenteeism, poor student performance, behavioral challenges and, yes, the broken microwave in a faculty workroom.
But as a teacher, I cannot participate in most district level meetings because I’m busy working with students during the school day. I watch what I can, and I communicate when I can, but teachers operating independently cannot effectively communicate concerns or solutions consistently. Together, through GEA, we can — and we do. GEA elevates our voices, ensuring our students’ needs are clearly articulated and addressed at scale. Any one of us can be easily dismissed and ignored, but collectively we command attention.
I’ve heard it said that “bad teachers can’t be fired because of unions.” This is absurd and patently false — I’ve seen termination happen. As a professional association, GEA wants teachers to be the best they can possibly be and advocates for training and opportunities that improve the profession.
At the same time, all of us deserve due process — and contracts spell out due process for professionals. When teachers go through corrective discipline and termination, education associations are there to ensure the process is followed. Nothing more, nothing less. This is especially true when false allegations are made. It’s rare, but it happens.
The collaborative effort between administrators representing the district and GEA representatives advocating for teachers is to ensure we get things right. For the kids. If ineffective teachers are in your schools, that’s an administration issue. Too many school leaders lack the backbone to hold employees accountable in the right ways. My message to those leaders: Hold employees responsible. That’s your job. Blaming a union is scapegoating.
This proposal by Rep. Tuescher is wrong. Speak up now, not just for your neighborhood public servants, but for the future they’re building for our young people.
Contact your legislators, and tell them to listen to the teachers. We must protect our public service associations to ensure effective collaboration with local governing agencies that leads to efficient and effective public service. For the kids. For our families. For our communities.
Deborah Gatrell
Deborah Gatrell is a social studies teacher with 16 years experience and a veteran with 26 years service. Her opinions are her own.
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