More N.Y. charter teachers opt for union

Teachers at a N.Y. charter school, run by the for-profit chain Victory Schools, have opted to unionize.

Seventeen of the 19 teachers at the Bronx’s NYC Charter High School for Architecture, Engineering and Construction Industries (AECI) signed union authorization cards, the UFT announced, and the union is petitioning the school’s board to recognize it as the teachers’ bargaining agent. (Gotham Schools)

The for-profit charter management company has become the main target of community protests as well. At the Merrick School in Queens, parents and teachers are demanding an end to Victory's management contract. The protesters are furious that Merrick Academy is spending $1.3 million in management fees on Victory Schools, a for-profit management company — that’s 25 percent of the school’s total annual budget, while they claim teachers and students are suffering. (Queens Chronicle)