School "Reforms" May Threaten All DC Public Workers

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)In what opponents termed “a harbinger of union busting of public employees in DC," the DC City Council voted 10-3 Tuesday to approve legislation that gives school Chancellor Michelle Rhee, the State Superintendent, and the Director of Financial Modernization power to unilaterally fire employees without cause or due process. “This bill was about workers rights, not school reform,” said Metro Council President Jos Williams after the vote Tuesday, “and the public lost on both counts today." The bill - introduced by Council Chairman Vincent Gray less than a day prior to Tuesday's vote - creates an "employment without tenure" status similar to the "at-will" classification sought by Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee in their original legislation. Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. - with the support of Councilmembers Marion Barry and Phil Mendelson - introduced an alternative school reform package - rejected 10-3 - that would have affected fewer workers, maintained workers' rights to due process, and provided retraining for workers not exempted under the bill. "Although we lost today, I am tremendously proud of the school unions and Councilmembers Thomas, Barry, and Mendelson for standing up for the hard-working non-union workers in the school system who are under attack," said Williams.