Union rights subject for Illinois teachers

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By ADAM CHICAGO—Seven hundred teachers' union activists met in Springfield for the Collective Bargaining Conference of the Illinois Education Association (IEA). The IEA is the Illinois affiliate of the National Education Association.

The conference, which was held Dec. 67, was aimed at providing teacher union -ists with the information and training that is necessary for an effective defense of teachers' rights.

The conference included a large Adam Shils is the president of the Aptakisic local of the IEA. of workshops on the daily concr erns of the NEA members. There were se issions on grievance procedure, changes in labor law, collective-bargaining training, enforcing the contract, and how to fight for improved working conditions, and many other topics.

It was an inspiring experience to see 700 teachers seriously discussing some of the key questions their unions face-questions that we are so often told are so complex that we should "leave them to the experts."

The highpoint of the conference was the keynote speech by IEA President Reg Weaver. Weaver placed the IEA's activity in the context of the labor movement's fight against concessions. He began by declaring, "When somebody asks me about concessions, I say 'Concessions? No! No! I ain't ever going to give you any!'' Weaver then explained the offensive against the American labor movement, discussing the attack on PATCO, the use of bankruptcy laws, the flight of capital, the types of decisions made by the National Labor Relations Board and the media campaign to blame the labor movement rather than the employers for the economic crisis. He concluded by warning against the dead-end of concessions.

This speech is only the latest example of the tremendous evolution that the NEA has undergone-from a "professional association" outside of the labor move -ment to a full labor union.

The conference had its weaknesses, however. The self-defeating policy of sup -porting the bosses' political spokesmen was continued by having Republican Governor Jim Thompson, a prominent supporter of the Reagan administration, address the conference.

Also, some speakers advocated the teacher versions of one of the "inno -vations" that have been introduced as part of the bosses' campaign against the tradeunion movement. There was discussion of changing wage structures so that highseniority teachers would be paid some of the money that presently goes to new teachers and of "Educational Quality Circles" with the employers. These ideas will have to be confronted and defeated if teacher unionism is to flourish.

The Illinois Collective Bargaining Conference showed the reservoir of energy and activity that exists in the trade-union movement. Hopefully, the conference will aid teachers in preparing for the struggles to come.

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