So I go away for a week or so and Mike Antonucci — of all people — gets his hands on and releases an absolutely explosive internal report about the American Federation of Teachers, –basically the equivalent of the famed Kamber Report about the National Education Association but with more venom. What’s more, his outing of the report is apparently causing some chaos at AFT HQ and the firm that did the report is threatening to sue him! So naturally, upon my return, I go to the AFTie blog to get the other side of the story and learn more about all the goings on…but what do I find? Zilch! Nada! Nothing! Ed Week, it falls to you, please tell me what I need to know! Turn loose the bulldog!
Anyway, for now, read Mike A.’s entire report. Here are a few tidbits:
* “People are surprised when they get a poll that comes out that says our members don’t even know what union they belong to. Well, why should they?”
* “I think that the AFT could be facing a very troubled future.”
* “I find it almost miraculous that we have as many members as we do.”
* “I have to step away from looking at the opposing views.”
* “I’m glad that a lot of the interviews I do with reporters are over the phone, because they can’t see my eyes rolling at times.”
* “I have heard bold, outright lies told to large audiences.”
And, apparently, according to the report, the AFTie blog is “half-staged” and controlled! Wow, man, I’m reeling, that one is a shocker!
Plenty more…read it.
Big winner could be AFT head McElroy. He comes off pretty well in the report and this certainly frees his hand to make some internal changes. Big loser, ironically, while this isn’t good for the AFT it’s probably the NEA. In the report AFT staffers give voice to their less than warm feelings toward the larger of the two unions, basically call the NEA’s position on No Child Left Behind irresponsible and “kneejerk” and also out the animosity toward the NEA that exists on the Hill today. And no, bipartisanship is not completely dead on the Hill, it’s both parties. Some journos have been sniffing around on that story and perhaps this may be all the peg they need…