HEARINGS PROVIDE DISTURBING LESSON ON LABOR'S IRON GRIP

New York Post ^ | 11/18/03 | ADAM BRODSKY

[kattracks]

Particularly in the schools, protecting union jobs (and the rules that govern them) is Priority 1; minority kids' rights pale by comparison.

That's been the underlying theme of City Council Education Committee Chairwoman Eva Moskowitz's hearings.

Yesterday, she made the point again, asking Schools Chancellor Joel Klein if school work rules had a negative "disproportionate impact" on poor communities, those often dominated by minority groups.

[randog]

"Talent and resources are not equitably distributed," he said. For example, "poor-performing schools," located in the poorest neighborhoods, tend to have the most uncertified teachers, thanks to seniority rules.

This is true. My mother was a teacher and she had to start her career in poor schools and work her way up.