Teachers Union Research Paper

Since their inception, Teachers’ Unions have been an influential element of education. Over the years Teachers’ Unions have gained the reputation at the local and national level of being strong teacher organizations who advocate for teacher rights which include higher pay, curriculum control, benefits, and job safety for teachers. Throughout the history of education in America, Teachers’ Unions played a major role in shaping the role and requirements of a K-12 teacher in a positive way. Teachers’ Unions have had their high and low moments with regard to getting their way in legislation. Depending on the political shape up of our country, different court justices, or the evidence of different defendants or plaintiffs provided in courts, Teachers’ Unions were either being empowered or restricted. The future of Teachers’ Unions

How does the attack on Teachers’ Unions impact the ability of schools to do the business of educating children? These four questions are essential to understand the current and future state of education and the role of Teachers’ Unions in this equation.

To understand the present day situation when it comes to Teachers’ Unions one must understand the historical background of Teachers’ Unions and their influence on present day education. In 1857 the National Education Association was formed. Teachers’ Unions started becoming large professional organizations by the end of the 18th century and the first teacher union, “Chicago Federation of Teachers” which joined the American Federation of Labor was formed in 1897 (Vachon & Ma, 2015). In 1916 there were now many unions which led to the charter in 1916 of the American Federation of Teachers also known as AFT. In 1932 a landmark case known as Norris—LaGuardia Act of 1932 supported the concept to organize and join unions, and it restricted the U.S. courts from issuing judicial orders that would restrict labor activities, and outlawed the yellow dog contract that prohibited employees