Torrance Teachers Association Resorts to "Bullying"

I would not be against unions, if I felt that their principles and their processes lined up with individual liberty.

I even learned from Julie Shankle, the current President of the Torrance Teachers Association, that they are trying to fight legislation which is putting more pressure and demands on individual teachers.

There is just one major problem with a great deal of their advocacy.

They keep supporting Big Government Democrats, and the Torrance Teachers Association is no different or better from all their fighting.

Individual teachers have told me that they do not approve of their forced membership or the agency fees which follow.

When I was a student at Torrance High School, my government teacher, Eric Spotts, told me that all of his unions dues go to the Democratic Party. And he was a registered Republican! How is this fair? How is this right?

I have to submit that teachers unions seem to rely on coercion and force in order to maintain their numbers.

Torrance Teachers Association (Twitter Avatar(

I have a lot of problems with that. Does that not sound like "bullying"? "Do what I want, or else!"

People should be free to join and free to leave.. They should also absorb the consequences of not being a member of a union, too.

Now, in the past week, I got in contact with the Torrance Teachers Association Twitter feed, and I made the following remarks:

@TorranceCA TUSD Election 2015: Vote for Clint Paulson and Rick Marshall http://t.co/aihZIHVcI4 @TorranceCAUSA @torrancepd @TTATweet

— Arthur C. Schaper (@ArthurCSchaper) October 13, 2015

I then received the following response:

@ArthurCSchaper @TorranceCA @TorranceCAUSA @TorrancePD Vote Terry Ragins & Don Lee-voices of experience & proven leaders working for kids!

— Torrance Teachers (@TTATweet) October 13, 2015

The debate continued for a period of time:

@ArthurCSchaper Kids are our special interest. Brought 2 u by teachers who negotiated class size reduction instead of pay raise. 🙂

— Torrance Teachers (@TTATweet) October 13, 2015

I felt that this promotion was unresponsive, since the SEIU endorsement for Ragins was off the mark:

@TTATweet When I read over #SEIU questionnaire – kids were hardly mentioned. Why?

— Arthur C. Schaper (@ArthurCSchaper) October 13, 2015

Then I got this somewhat irreverent response:

@ArthurCSchaper I offered to meet. I take this as a no. You'd rather have 140 character sound bites.

— Torrance Teachers (@TTATweet) October 13, 2015

Ouch! That is not true.

I sent three tweets, and affirmed that I was willing to meet. I then got this response:

@ArthurCSchaper when I'm not driving and have my calendar available I will. Don't be a bully. I offered to meet and will offer dates.

— Torrance Teachers (@TTATweet) October 14, 2015

Really?! I am being a bully because I pressed on and demanded answers.

Let me tell you what bullying really is. Talk to kids whose heads have been doused into toilet bowls in a school bathroom. Let's talk about kids who walk home from school, only to find "fellow" students ready to jump them then beat them down.

I know about the latter because I tutored kids in the Hawthorne-Lawndale area who had to navigate awy from such threats or would hear about these "beat downs" against their own kids.

Left-wing elements in this country have coopted bullying to mean anyone who asks questions and refuses to give up when advocating for a cause. It has gone from focusing on what one person does to the reaction of the "bullied". You hurt my feeling? You are a bully! You tell me something that I do not like? You are a bully!

Another left-wing site used the same "bully card" as if that would shut down debate on an issue:

@ArthurCSchaper Because if not, you're kinda being a bully in addition to being a homophobic bigot. @990WBOB

— Bob Plain (@bobplain) April 8, 2015

Notice how Bob Plain called me names — then calls me a bully. Interesting, but apparent example of the left-wing double-standard on bullying.

Ironically, those who play the bully card to stifle debate or silence discussion are being bullies themselves!

Unions in general rely on force and coercion, from their membership to strike threats and actual work actions. I have seen the videos of thuggish coercion from SEIU members, who have no qualms declaring to elected officials "We got you in. And we can get you out!"

One local chapter of the SIEU tried to shut down 190th Street in the name of protest, but the Torrance police cleared them out. These obstructionist tactics which harm disinterested parties – those actions are another example of bullying.

The TTA Twitter feed then explained:

@ArthurCSchaper You're a bully when you ask three times in short order and then try to shame me for not immediately responding.

— Torrance Teachers (@TTATweet) October 14, 2015

Unions rely on shaming their opponents frequently. I have seen this with my own eyes on a number of street corners in Torrance, where two individual stand with a large banner stating: "Shame on. .  ." followed by "Labor Dispute".

So, unions want to give what they cannot take?

Indeed! (or am I being a bully for telling the truth, however unflattering?)