Why Public Sector Collective Bargaining Should Be Public

Mike Antonucci:

Because during contract negotiations in Stamford, Connecticut, someone might notice that the average teacher salary is about $80,000.

Because in Brevard County, Florida, someone might notice that more than $5 million designated for the employee health care trust fund was spent on an 8.5 percent teacher pay raise.

Because in Hawaii, someone might wonder if getting rid of school on Fridays is really that great of an idea.

Because in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, someone might suggest that the union is filing multiple grievances to get negotiating leverage.

Because across America, someone might actually get to read the New Haven teacher contract before deciding how reformy it is. In the meantime, you can see that the New Haven Federation of Teachers didn’t emphasize the same areas as Randi Weingarten, Arne Duncan and the New York Times when discussing the contract internally.