Intro to Political-Economy (TaLiN)

Teachers Unions in the United States: Political Economy and How it Affects the American Working Class
Presented by Teachers as Leaders in Newark
Branden Rippey, History Teacher, Science Park High School
October 5, 5:30-7:30 pm

Last night's TALIN workshop was an eye opener to the various economic systems and the relationship between economy (specifically capitalism) and politics.  The session, "Introduction to Political-Economy", was the first of a four-part series about the effects of capitalism and politics on teacher unions and the role that unions play in the current economic climate.

Truthfully, I was anticipating the focus of this workshop to be on the Newark Teachers Union, but that session is taking place on November 2nd, and I plan to attend that as well because I am interested in learning more about this support organization that we will all be a part of for the next several years.  According to Rippey, unions are historically tied to Democratic Party candidates and consistently offer them financial support.  This is something I can share more about after attending the November 2nd session.

Rather, the focus of "Introduction to Political-Economy" was on educating teachers about the work and economic theories of Adam Smith and Karl Marx, the class system in a capitalist economy, and the connection between the economic and political systems. These topics used to put me to sleep, but last night Rippey brought up an intriguing point that caught my attention and helped me understand the importance of understanding how the political-economy works.  He said that "Economics is the most important factor in everything." Based on Marx's work, this concept basically means that access to resources and money influences every decision made by organizations, governments, and individuals. He gave the simple but effective example of a person relocating to find work if he or she could not obtain a job in his or her current area.  The need for food, shelter, resources, etc. can drive someone to pick up his or her life and settle in a different area in order to provide for themselves and their family.

As most (all?) of us know, capitalism creates a system of socioeconomic classes as well. The "ruling" class, a small portion of the class with the most financial wealth, has the greatest influence in the political arena and supports candidates who will maintain the economic climate necessary for them to keep as much of their financial wealth as possible.  The middle and working classes then suffer because the disproportionate distribution of financial resources does not provide government-run social programs to support their needs.

According to Rippey, both the Republican and Democrat Parties' values support little or no change to the structure of our capitalist economy, though Democrats typically support more social programs than Republicans.  Rippey spent a significant amount of time discussing the Green Party, which is critical of capitalism and generally believes that the government is responsible for ensuring a good standard of living for all people.

Overall, TALIN's workshop was very informative and interesting.  The knowledge I gained from attending helped me to better understand how our economic and political systems work.  It also opened my eyes to the importance of being educated about the political environment and the role of the political-economy in my day-to-day life and the day-to-day lives of the community we all serve.

More to come after I attend the 11/2 session!