Detroit Teachers Union President Lambasts Recall Effort: 'It's Stupid What They're Trying To Do'
DETROIT (WWJ) - The president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers is the target of a recall campaign -- just five months after being on the job.
Steve Conn, a 57-year-old former teacher who was elected in January to head the city's teacher union, said he's unfazed by a group of union members collecting signatures to get him out of office.
Conn told WWJ Legal Analyst Charlie Langton he thinks his so-called opponents are "just blowing hot air" and aren't anywhere near the 1,000 signatures it would take to spark a recall.
"I just don't think that's factually correct. I think the members want a fight. I think we have a few that are scared, a very, very small few -- and I don't think they have any support," said Conn. "Without me right now, without this fight, teachers are going to lose what they have left and that means pay, anything remaining in healthcare, any protections at all -- and teachers don't want that."
Instead of focusing their energy on a recall, Conn said teachers should "be smart about this, get on board with the union and be apart of the fight to defend their jobs."
"It's stupid what they're trying to do. It's very disruptive, it gets in the way of defending ourselves and it's just wrong. It's just cowardness (sic). They need to fight along with the union, as part of the union, for better conditions for them and their students. The future of public education," he said.
Conn's has been criticized for his ties to the social justice group By Any Means Necessary, or BAMN, whose members are sometimes disruptive, combative and have even reportedly tried to vote at union meetings -- something Conn denies.
"It's the governor and his attacks on education that have been disruptive to the people of Michigan and most of all the people of Detroit -- destroying their lives, destroying their futures of the young people," said Conn. "BAMN is committed to fighting for civil rights and for justice for the teachers and students of Detroit and has had a tremendous success record whenever it has fought. And for that, I'm with BAMN and they're with me."
Conn's disdain for Gov. Rick Snyder's plan for Detroit's education system is undeniable. Snyder in April detailed his plan to break Detroit's troubled school district into two entities -- one to pay off debt and the other to operate schools he says are in academic crisis. Conn has called the plan a "colossal miscarriage."
"Oh, it's a plan that's going nowhere except to destroy education," said Conn. "It's led to the closing of the last high school in Highland Park, it's been a disaster in Muskegon Heights and it's going to be a disaster here that the whole state is going to pay for. No, this is no plan at all and it needs to go."
Detroit's school system has been under state oversight since 2009.
