The rash of tragic school shootings of recent years continues to bring irreparable grief to the national community and tests our resilience and readiness to tackle issues of bullying, gun laws, civic policies and the tone and direction of society. Nobody should exploit these tragedies for personal gain or to make political points.
But let’s note that teachers were among the heroes whose intercession no doubt prevented the further loss of lives. They belonged to a union. Naturally their courageous actions were moral impulses of humanity that had nothing to do with labor contracts. That goes without saying. Yet it still needs to be said that they were unionists whose honorable conduct did not contradict union values, but rather mirrored them. There are many people who actually believe that teacher unions are made up of members who wouldn’t give you the time of day unless they got paid time-and-a-half. By giving others a new lease on life they got paid a royal compensation of gratitude and self-ratification.
Ron Isaac
Fresh Meadows
