they understand they will keep their benefits even if schools remain closed
they are rationally reacting to the incentives built into the system
the monopoly is the problem.
There are now 3 studies finding school reopenings are linked to union power rather than safety. reason.com/2020/08/19/sch…
"Our study finds that school districts in places with stronger teachers’ unions are much less likely to offer full-time, in-person instruction this fall." nypost.com/2020/09/02/its…
Mass partisanship and teacher union strength best explain how school boards approached reopening [...] Districts located in counties with a larger number of Catholic schools were less likely to shut down and more likely to return to in-person learning. edworkingpapers.com/ai20-304
"Unions, political affiliation more predictive of virtual learning decision than COVID cases" madison.com/ct/news/local/…
UNICEF: "Data from 191 countries shows no consistent link between reopening schools and increased rates of coronavirus infection." politico.com/states/new-jer…
The nation’s largest teachers union released a "policy playbook" for the Biden administration:
• "Oppose all charter school expansion"
• "Bar federal funding to charter schools"
• Regulate all charter schools
• Abolish the D.C. school choice program for low-income students
These policies all protect the monopoly at the expense of families.
"Last week, union president Elizabeth Davis circulated a “tentative agreement” to members. On Tuesday, she decided not to sign it, continuing to disagree with the school system over whether in-person teaching should be optional for all teachers."
“I can’t say that I’m surprised,” Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said at a news conference Wednesday. “She’s backed away from other tentative agreements as well. And it should be apparent that the goal posts, unfortunately, continue to move.”
NEW: "Data from 191 countries shows no consistent link between reopening schools and increased rates of coronavirus infection."
United Nations agency: "there is strong evidence that, with basic safety measures in place, the net benefits of keeping schools open outweigh the costs of closing them."
UNICEF: "Schools are not a main driver of community transmission, and children are more likely to get the virus outside of school settings"