"especially where the union is all-powerful like in 4J" HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Oh man, you kind of tipped your hat at having no idea what you were talking about with that statement. The local union for 4j teachers is pathetic. Year after year 4j keeps chipping away at their benefits and the union is powerless to stop them.  Where are you getting you information from?  You might  reconsider the validity of your source.