Buoyed by successful strikes in other states, new Tennessee teacher group readies for a fight

Jennifer Pignolet Jason Gonzales
The Commercial Appeal

A new group aims to unify Tennessee teachers in advocating for public education, following a blueprint that led to teacher strikes that rocked states like Arizona, Kentucky and West Virginia. 

The three founders of TN Teachers United, who are current and former teachers union leaders, say their state affiliate, the Tennessee Education Association, is not fighting hard enough for educators.

They plan to circumvent the state teachers union's leadership to advocate for increased funding and less testing in schools, while bringing more teachers who don't belong to unions into the process.

October 16 2018 - United Education Association union leader Tikeila Rucker, right, and Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dorsey Hopson at the start of a rally held by the United Education Association at the Shelby County Schools headquarters on Tuesday.

"They're not listening to the members, and the members are ready for action," Memphis Shelby County United Education Association President Tikeila Rucker said,  acknowledging her part in the new group puts her in a "tough place."

Rucker established the new group along with Lauren Sorensen, the former president of the Knox County Education Association, and Amanda Kail, a Metro Nashville Public Schools teacher running for Metro Nashville Education Association president. 

'Teachers are recognizing that no one is going to save them'

Despite their connections to TEA, which they plan to maintain, the three are independently taking on state-level advocacy.

They are following a blueprint established by teachers in states like West Virginia, Kentucky and Arizona where grassroots efforts outside of union organization resulted in massive teacher work stoppages. 

The group is not forming a new union but has leaned on Labor Notes, a national media and organizing project that seeks to give a voice to and help organizers of grassroots labor movements.

"What you have seen in West Virginia, Arizona and Kentucky is teachers are recognizing that no one is going to save them," said Chris Brooks, a Labor Notes organizer and writer. "The parent organizations aren't taking the necessary action to transform the debate."

Tennessee Education Association President Beth Brown, a Grundy County Schools English teacher, said she is aware of the new teacher group but hasn't talked to the leaders.

She said TEA stands with the group on numerous issues they have outlined.

"I am with every single member and every teacher across the state who is frustrated about testing (and) compensation, particularly when you compare that to equally educated professionals," she said. 

Julie Gary, left, a teacher at Spring Hill Middle School in Maury County, joins other members of the Tennessee Education Association in a rally against legislation that would strip collective bargaining rights for teachers’ associations and unions.

Fighting school vouchers, advocating for teacher pay

Some of the group's priorities may prove non-starters, like a call for a moratorium on state testing. By federal law, the state has to administer a summative test. But issues have plagued TNReady, frustrating teachers, school leaders, parents and students. 

Rucker said the group wants to at least minimize the impact of TNReady, which districts use to evaluate teachers and factors into students grades.

They also plan to fight the establishment of a voucher program and to fully fund the Basic Education Program, which is how the state distributes money to schools. Districts have long argued they are underfunded, and both Shelby County Schools and Metro Nashville are suing the state as a result. 

Labor Notes connected TN Teachers United with other organizers in states that led to strikes outside of their union organizing, Brooks said.

Rucker said the end goal is not to strike, but the group isn't afraid to take such drastic measures if necessary. 

"If the end result is a strike, then that means that we were not heard by the individuals that have the power to make the change that's necessary," she said. 

Whether the group could generate enough support from teachers to enact such a wide-scale action remains to be seen, but with their union connections and about 20 leaders on board from across the state, including Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis, they could have enough followers to pull it off. 

Teacher and parent Lauren Sorensen questions Gov. Bill Haslam as he left his first TN Ready listening tour meeting at Halls Elementary School Friday, August 24, 2018.

"We have some influence on those power centers," Sorensen, in Knox County, said. 

Recruitment will be key, as the group is not collecting dues like a union does. 

"You don't need money," she said. "What you need is numbers. Hopefully, we'll be getting the numbers soon."

The group will focus on taking action instead of just talking about issues, Sorensen said, whether that action means rallies, meetings with legislators or an all-out work stoppage.

"None of us want a strike," she said. "That's a big deal. That's a lot of stress."

While Tennessee has higher teacher pay than other states that have seen recent strikes, per-pupil funding is still in the bottom half of states nationwide. And new Republican Gov. Bill Lee's plans to dramatically expand charter schools and create a voucher program, which would divert more money from public schools, could spur teachers toward a rebellion. 

"We feel like public education is under attack," Rucker said. 

Teacher strikes are illegal under Tennessee law and have been since 1978, but they were illegal in other states where teachers strikes occurred, resulting in pay increases for teachers, Brooks said.

"They aren't God’s laws," Brooks said. "They can be broken. Districts don't have the resources they need, teachers don’t have the resources they need. Teachers are leaving in droves. The idea that if thousands go on strike, districts will fire them is laughable."

'Power in collective action'

Tennessee's teachers union has less power since the state ended the ability for collective bargaining in 2011 under Gov. Bill Haslam. Instead, teachers and districts enter into what is known as "collaborative conferencing" to hash out terms.

Collaborative conferencing is about to begin in Shelby County Schools, where both Rucker's group and the Memphis Shelby County Education Association have seats at the table. Rucker said that work is separate from advocating the state for changes to testing and funding. 

Amanda Kail, MNPS teacher and one of the organizers of the protest against Betsy DeVos outside Riverfront Park in Nashville, leads a chant Thursday, November 30, 2017.

Kail, in Nashville, said teachers in some states are seizing on feelings of frustration and anger to improve public education.

"I think we have to start a conversation," she said. "We have to not be afraid that we have a lot of power. When we lost collective bargaining, I think people stopped believing that the union had any power to create change. But that power is in collective action."

Want to read more stories like this? A subscription to one of our Tennessee publications gets you unlimited access to all the latest news and the ability to tap into stories, photosand videos from throughout the USA TODAY Network's 109 local sites.

Reach Jennifer Pignolet at jennifer.pignolet@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @JenPignolet. 

Reach Jason Gonzales at jagonzales@tennessean.com or on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.

Education in TN:What you need to know about Gov. Bill Lee's proposal to create education savings accounts in Tennessee