CA. Teachers Union Gives Shocking Protest Instructions…(May 9-13)

Things are heating up in the educational debate :

CA. Teachers Union Gives Shocking Protest Instructions…(May 9-13)

 

 

…Harass Legislators, Shut Down Roads, Co-Opt Fire Drills
The California Teachers Association is planning a week’s worth of Wisconsin-style protests and rallies, from May 9-13, to “force legislature to pass tax extensions.”
That’s the short term objective of the “State of Emergency” protests, according to the website for the rallies (PDF) (screen shot below). The longterm objective is to, “educate and convince communities to change tax structure and achieve tax fairness in order to achieve adequate, stable and ongoing funding for public education and essential public services.”


The “State of Emergency” website notes, “The week begins and ends with a group of educators (with others invited to join) taking over the State Capitol.”

May 9-13, 2011, will be a week of escalating action ending in a bold statewide unifying activity. The entire week of action will involve a broad coalition of the Education Coalition (including California State PTA, California School Boards Association, School Administrators, School Employees, SEIU, County Offices and County Administrators, School Business Officials and Superintendent of Public Instruction), parents, all other labor unions, and faith and community groups. The week begins and ends with a group of educators (with others invited to join) taking over the State Capitol.
To guide our internal organizing through this week of action, we are using the acronym L.E.A.R.N. =Legislative Every Parent Appreciation and Allies Revenue Not Business as Usual

KQED delivers some political context:

The days leading up to Governor Jerry Brown’s release of a revised budget next month, the state Capitol is going to be the scene of a major protest by teachers… one that could have shades of the marathon sit-in last month in Wisconsin.
Calling the event the “California State of Emergency,” teachers say their goal is to get the Legislature to pass a budget that includes some $11 billion in tax extensions, the same ones the governor still says he wants placed on a statewide ballot this year.
In a phone interview this afternoon, CTA president David Sanchez said the Wisconsin protests are indeed the model of the Capitol protest part of the events planned for the week of May 9-13. He says they intend to have a sit-in here at the Sacramento statehouse lasting all week, with six rallies in cities across the state on Friday the 13th.