The Washington Teachers Union (WTU) has been getting a lot of attention lately, much of it a result of the growing rift between WTU president George Parker and vice-president Nathan Saunders. First, there was the ruckus when Saunders, who has long-accused Parker for being “too cozy” with D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, vocally encouraged teachers to reject Rhee’s new program providing transition bonuses for up to 700 teachers at schools slated for closing or re-structuring. Rhee created the program in response to the WTU’s complaints that some teachers were unhappy with the closing and restructuring plans, but Saunders argued, “I'm against workers selling their jobs back to management and for new workers to be hired.”

There is also disagreement over the handling of the new teachers’ contract negotiations. While Saunders has advocated for taking a harder stance against some of Rhee’s reforms, Parker’s op-ed in last Sunday’s Post emphasized the need for collaboration to provide the best possible outcomes for students and improved conditions for teachers. In a couple veiled swipes at Saunders, he wrote, “As a union, we must ensure that we are part of the solution and not an embedded part of the problem,” and “the old-school paradigm of union rigidity must give way to a new-school approach of working productively with school leaders to improve student achievement.”

Bickering aside, both men have points, and their debate neatly mirrors the larger forces of reform and resistance at work in the District since Mayor Fenty took office. As Parker has made clear, something’s got to give in DCPS, and although teachers unions have often, and with reason, been characterized as anti-reform, D.C. is fortunate to have a union president who is ready to work with the reformers. Like Saunders, he is quick to point out that the woes of DCPS aren’t the fault of teachers alone. That said, Saunders gives voice to those who are truly angry that their roles and power are being threatened, and ignoring that won’t make them go away.

Photos of Nathan Saunders, left, and George Parker, right, from the WTU web site.