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[2009-01-30] Labour leaders welcomed to White House as media magnate lashes out at teachers’ unions

“Go after the teacher unions.” That was one piece of advice for President Barack Obama from media baron Rupert Murdoch, who spoke on 30 January to hundreds of business, union and civil society leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Education International's General Secretary, Fred van Leeuwen, who was also attending the World Economic Forum, said Murdoch's comments about the teachers’ unions were outrageous.

Murdoch, billionaire owner of the Wall Street Journal and a host of other international media outlets across the English-speaking world, has never made a secret of his anti-union views.

In a session entitled "Advice to the US President on Competitiveness," Murdoch said the teachers' unions are among the richest in the country and they make the largest contributions to election campaigns, but they also pose barriers to improving education quality.

Murdoch said he recognizes education is one of the most important tools to boost economic recovery, but he insisted that US dropout rates are too high and American educational standards do not meet present day demands.

Education International's General Secretary, who was also attending the World Economic Forum, said Murdoch's comments about the teachers’ unions were outrageous.

“Teachers’ organisations, both in the United States and around the world, have always been the most outspoken advocates of improving public school systems, reducing dropout rates, and meeting the needs of every student,” van Leeuwen said. "Mr. Murdoch should direct his criticism at his friends on Wall Street who have ravaged our economies, devastating so many families, rather than at the teaching profession.”

Earlier this week, President Obama described as “shameful” the $18-billion in corporate bonuses that Wall Street executives paid themselves, even as they were lobbying for billions in public bailouts.

“Indeed it is shameful,” said van Leeuwen. “That $18-billion could have paid for two years of education for the 75 million children around the world who today have absolutely no access to education.”

In fact, Obama shows little inclination to take Murdoch’s advice, since he welcomed key figures in the labour movement, including teachers’ union leaders, to the White House on the same day Murdoch delivered his rebuke.

“I believe we need to reverse many of the policies toward organized labour we’ve seen these last eight years, policies with which I have sharply disagreed,” Obama said. “I do not view the labor movement as part of the problem. To me, and to my administration, labour unions are a big part of the solution.”

Many government, business and labour leaders clearly agreed. In discussions throughout the week in Davos, speakers emphasized the recovery agenda should include substantial investments in education.