Unions are normally a sacred cow of the left. But looks like some liberals are willing to criticize unions when they feel kids are being harmed by them. With Joe Scarborough leading the charge, Morning Joe absolutely tore into the New York teachers union today for its rejection of a vaccine mandate for teachers.
Scarborough called the union's position "ridiculous," accusing the union of "whining" for months that they couldn't return to classrooms until there was a vaccine, but now that vaccines are available, rejecting the mandate. The host came close to suggesting that the teachers have been malingering, accusing them of using the previous lack of a vaccine as an "excuse" for not working.
Scarborough also highlighted tweets from MSNBC/CNBC colleagues Stephanie Ruhle and Andrew Ross Sorkin, similarly blasting the unions.
Concluded Scarborough:
It’s a position ever bit ridiculous as if a pilot or a flight attendant, said, "oh, I’m not going to take a vaccine," or health care workers. The health care workers that take care of senior citizens deciding they're not to get vaccines, it’s ridiculous.
You're going to have a teacher? Again, the teachers unions have been whining for the past six months, nine months, we’re not going back in to class until you give us vaccines. And then they get — have the chance of getting vaccines, and now they’re saying, "Wait, no. We don’t want the vaccines. We don’t want the mandates."
...
The teachers who complained and used it as an excuse, an excuse. I can say it, you can say it now, because they’ve shown their hand. We can’t go back in the class. Your kids are going to have to stay at home and do distance learning. They're going to have to stay home. Oh, these parents, they just want us to be their baby sitters for their kids. We can’t go back! You can’t make us get vaccines. It’s ridiculous.
Morning Joe harshly criticizing the New York teachers union for rejecting a vaccine mandate for teachers was sponsored in part by Expedia, Sandals, and AT&T.
Here's the transcript. Click "expand" to read more.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
8/3/21
6:11 am EDTWILLIE GEIST: Teachers, meanwhile, Joe, in New York are already pushing back, though, against a possible vaccine mandate by the governor here. Governor Andrew Cuomo suggested on Monday teachers should be mandated to get the vaccine if cases continue to rise. The teachers union fired back, writing in statement, "We have advocated since the beginning of the year that any educator who wants a vaccine should have easy access to one. We would support local efforts to encourage more vaccinations, such as through programs that require that those who are not vaccinated get tested on a regular basis. What we have not supported is a vaccine mandate."
. . .
JOE SCARBOROUGH: It’s a position ever bit ridiculous as if a pilot or a flight attendant, said, "oh, I’m not going to take a vaccine," or health care workers. The health care workers that take care of senior citizens deciding they're not to get vaccines, it’s ridiculous.
You're going to have a teacher? Again, the teachers unions have been whining for the past six months, nine months, we’re not going back in to class until you give us vaccines. And then they get — have the chance of getting vaccines, and now they’re saying, "Wait, no. We don’t want the vaccines. We don’t want the mandates."
Stephanie Rhule wrote this--let's go through a couple. Stephanie Ruhle wrote: The Teacher’s Union fought against in-person learning last year because of health risks. Now they don’t support the one thing that will definitely minimize health risks."
Andrew Ross Sorkin: "Teachers, whose entire professional mission is to educate and keep kids safe, won’t require the vaccine among themselves. This after the union didn’t want teachers in the classroom for nearly a year. Let that sink in."Mika, I’ve been saying it the past month or two. And I said you can see this coming. Just like my law professor, Professor Pearson said, you should be able to see this coming like a freight train out of the mist. It’s coming at you.
The teachers who complained and used it as an excuse, an excuse. I can say it, you can say it now, because they’ve shown their hand. We can’t go back in the class. Your kids are going to have to stay at home and do distance learning. They're going to have to stay home. Oh, these parents, they just want us to be their baby sitters for their kids. We can’t go back! You can’t make us get vaccines. It’s ridiculous.
. . .
It’s the kids from truly disadvantaged backgrounds, from working-class backgrounds, who were the ones who fell furthest behind last year. And they’re going to fall further behind this next year. And there are kids that have mental-health challenges that need to be in classrooms. And need to socialize.
I’m not even talking to the teachers unions right now. I’m talking to the leaders. The people that have been elected to lead. They need to have the mandate. If you’re a teacher, and you want to teach in front of class of kids, you need to vaccinated. And if you don’t get vaccinated, you need to leave school . . . Unless a teacher has a medical condition that prevents him or her from getting that vaccine, they all need to get vaccines—or they don’t need to teach.
