Teachers unions

I am a proponent of private sector labor unions but not public unions. Unions are the principal means for workers to organize and protect their rights on the job. That word their refers to the members and in the case of teachers it refers to teachers not to students. The argument that teachers are not going to school is hurting students makes no sense. It would be like saying that GM workers on strike are hurting GM stockholders. This conflict of loyalties for teachers is there because the purpose of unions is to help the teachers. It is particularly troubling for many teachers because they are in that business because the want to help children. They are always in a quandary when it comes to union activities and that is why many teachers would leave the union given the option. A few years ago teachers in Wisconsin were given the option to drop out of the union and membership declined from 98,000 members to 32,000 members.