Letters: Teachers stand firm with unions

Your April 1 editorial, "Albany finally earns an A," calls the state's education reform bill a victory for teachers who care and a decisive defeat for teachers unions.

Newsday does this as if teachers and their unions can be divided into separate entities. They cannot. After all, who makes up these unions? Teachers do. Who sets their agendas? Teachers do. So why does Newsday do this? Because it's a safe and politically correct way to bash teachers and get away with it.

Newsday would have its readers believe that teachers are no more than hardworking sheep being led down a path of destruction by their evil union leadership.

Make no mistake, the educators of this state stand firm with their union leadership on both the local and state levels and are steadfast in their belief that the positions taken by union leadership are meant to enhance the educational system for students and teachers alike.

Rich Poggio, Miller Place

Editor's note: The writer, now retired, taught in Longwood district schools for 28 years.